Travelling on Thursday

[Guest guest]

> Please Accept our Humble Obeisances, Jaya Srila Prabhupada

>

> We have heard that Srila Prabhupada avoided travelling, or leaving to

> journey on Thurdays, and there is story how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

> Saraswati used to put his shoes outside the house the night before, if he

> needed to travel on Thursday, meaning that he had already started his

> journey the night before.

>

> Also I have several personal realizations how extra trouble often

> manifests when one tries to start journey on Thursday.

>

> Rahu is influencing on Thursday? Or what is the reason? And if so, when

> the influence actually starts and finishes?

>

> I recall that Agni Purana mentions some other days inauspicious for

> travelling, maybe Sunday and some other. But Thursday was not mentioned

> there.

>

> We know that while travelling for preaching or sankirtan one should not go

> too much into these, but these things have influence until one is on the

> trancendental platform.(?)

>

> Your servant muniraja dasa

 

Here are two old back texts that cover this point in more detail:

 

 

 

Shyamasundara (Dasa) ACBSP (Astrologer)

01-Aug-94

travel and Muhurta

---------------------------

Mother Urmila requests information about why Srila

Prabhupada didn't travel on Thurday afternoon. And asks:

 

"Is this a general principle or something Prabhupada did

because of personal astrological considerations?"

 

My understanding is that he learned this habit from his

association with his own Guru Srila Bhaktisiddhanta who was

a renowned astrologer in his purva-ashrama. The reason is

that on Thurday afternoon the Rahukalam--the time of Rahu

becomes prominent. (This is mentioned in the philosophy

paper.)

 

The method of calculating when the Rahukalam will take

place is as follows. First you must know when the sun rises

for each day of the week. Then for each day the Rahukalam

starts at a different time after sunrise and lasts for 90

minutes. The start times of the Rahukalam for different

weekdays are:

 

Sunday-- 10.5 hours after sunrise

Monday-- 1.5 "

Tuesday- 9 "

Wednesday 6 "

Thursday 7.5 "

Friday 4.5 "

Saturday 3 "

 

If the Sun were to rise at 6:00 AM then the Rahukalam on

Thursday would correspond to 1:30-3:00 PM. [From Muhurta by

B.V. Raman pg 201.] Needless to say the sun rises at

various times at different seasons and at different

latitudes. We also see that Rahukalam is not on Thursday

only.

 

If one doesn't have the facility to calculate the exact

planetary positions at the time of a journey then the above

calculation would serve as a ready reckoner. But it should

be stressed that this is really only for layman.

 

>From astrological texts it is noted that there are numerous

flaws which could severely afflict a time for travel. This

is especially significant in the case of long or important

journeys. No time is perfect. What to do? What is done is

to try as best as possible to choose a time which is a free

of as many flaws as possible and to strengthen the chart of

travel by strengthening the position of the lagna and the

Moon. Thus if Jupiter is in the lagna at the start of

travel it greatly relieves the affliction. Texts on Muhurta

give both evil combinations and ones that cancel. For

example one should never travel if Mars is in the 8th, or

if the 8th is otherwise afflicted. The 8th is the house of

death and Mars there would indicate accidents. Considering

that in the USA alone there are about 50,000 people killed

on the road every year (more than the total US dead in the

Vietnam war!) it would be wise to check out the time of

travel before you literally risk your life by traveling at

"break-neck speed" as Prabhupada said.

 

Choosing a good Muhurta is a lot more difficult than most

people think for the very reasons stated above. Good times

are just not that easy to get. For example as mentioned

above about Jupiter in Lagna and Mars in the 8th. Better to

have Mars somewhere else than Guru in lagna. It may be that

you have a combination with Guru in lagna and Mars in the

8th. Avoid Mars in the 8th at all costs. Strengthen the

lagna in other ways such as having Venus in lagna etc.

 

Regarding : "Over the years, I have heard many versions of

this as well as many versions of how to circumvent it, e.g.

put your suitcases outside the door on Wednesday."

 

I have never heard of this. What I heard was that

Bhaktisiddhanta, in order to avoid travelling on ekadasi,

would pack his bags and leave them outside on the day

before so that it would be considered that the journey had

already started.

 

>From a strictly astrological view the ekadasi tithi is not

in itself unfavorable for travel. In fact it is considered

very good. But as Viasnavas we prefer to spend ekadasi

doing more service and thinking of Krsna etc. Which is

hampered by travel.

 

There are different restrictions for direction of travel on

certain days. For example: do not travel towards the east

on Sunday or Monday. But if the journey starts after 8

ghatis then it is okay (provided other considerations are

good). [1 ghati=24 minutes. Ghatis are counted from the

moment of sunrise.] Under no circumstance should a journey

commence if the Moon is the Nakshatra Bharani or Krittika.

 

 

ys

shyama

 

 

Text 22259

Bhanu Swami (Madras)

07-Aug-94

marriage times

---------------------------

If prabhupad was observing late thursday afternoon, it seems

it was bar bela not, rahu kalam. Bar bela, kala bela

and ratri bela are mentioned in the Navadvipa Panjika,

so they are common knowledge in Bengal. Panjika notes that these

times are bad for travel, causing death. Where the satric

source is I dont know.

Rahu kal is common is south india. If we combine the timings

of rahu kala bar bela and kala bela, we see that all of thursday

afternoon becomes bad. As well sunday and friday mornings and

tuesday early afternoon become bad. So why didnt Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta follow all of these timings? Maybe thursday was

obvious because of the long period of possible dangers.

Note also that mars hora will also fall at 2 PM on Thursday,

so that we be an added consideration.

 

rahu kalam

 

Sunday-- 4.30 PM

Monday-- 7:30 AM

Tuesday- 3. PM

Wednesday 12 Noon

Thursday 1:30 PM

Friday 10.30 AM

Saturday 9:00 AM

 

BAR BELA

sunday 10.30 noon

monday 3.00 pm

tuesday 7.30 am

wednesyday 12.00 noon

thur. 4.30

friday 9 am

saturday 1.30pm

 

kala bela all three combined:

sunday 12 00 10.30 -1.30

monday 7.30

tuesday 1.30 1.30 -4.30

wednesday 9

thursday 3 pm 1.30- 6

friday 10.30 9-12

saturday: 6 am and 4.30 pm

 

These tithis are bad for travel according to the panjika:

tithis caturthi, sasthi, astami, navami, dvadasi, caturdasi,

purnima amavasya and sukla pratipat

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