The Extraction of Determinations for Lunar Days

After the end of Taurus, there are 8 [ghatikas] A ghatika (or nadya) is a traditional unit of time lasting 24 minutes. 8 ghatikas equal 3 hours and 12 minutes.. In Scorpio, the previous 16 [ghatikas] are auspicious. In Sagittarius, it is the following 16.

In Capricorn, according to the opinion of Hemadri A 13th-century polymath and minister from the Yadava dynasty, author of the influential Chaturvarga Chintamani, the following 40 [ghatikas] are auspicious; however, in Madhava’s opinion referring to Madhavacharya, the 14th-century scholar and minister of the Vijayanagara Empire, it is 20. In Aquarius, the previous 16. In Pisces, the following 16. The remaining transits are calculated based on the day of the solar ingress.

If the transit occurs in the evening, the auspicious time Punya Kaala: a spiritually potent period for rituals, bathing, and charity is that same measure of time occurring beforehand. In the case where a morning transit was previously mentioned, that same measure applies, but it must occur only after sunrise.

If the transit occurs before midnight Nishitha: the middle of the night, traditionally the two ghatikas surrounding the stroke of midnight, then the previous day is considered auspicious. If it happens after midnight, the auspicious time falls on the following day. If the transit occurs exactly at midnight, then both days contain an auspicious period.

When, however, the transits into Cancer and Capricorn occur before sunset—

—at that time, in the opinion of Hemadri and Madhava, the auspicious time is only beforehand.

If the Capricorn transit Known as Makara Sankranti, one of the most significant festivals marking the sun's entry into the northern hemisphere occurs at night, specifically during the early night Pradosha: the period immediately following sunset or at midnight, then in Madhava’s opinion, the auspicious time falls only on the following day.

Hemadri, however, states that according to all authorities, if a transit occurs before or after midnight, five ghatikas original: nāḍya; approximately 2 hours are considered auspicious on each of the two respective days.

In the Nirnaya Sindhu The "Ocean of Decisions," a 17th-century guide to Hindu law and ritual timing by Kamalakara Bhatta, it is taught that if the Capricorn transit occurs during the early night or at midnight, five ghatikas on the morning of the following day are auspicious. From midnight until sunrise, according to the sage Yajnavalkya...