Sometime back Tammy Adams of Paisley Lizard,challenged us jewelry lovers to create jewelry that was based on superstition. Though I fear the number13, black cats, propped up ladders and the dristhi of the evil eye, I found them too common to write about and Tammy expressed her desire to know about something ‘Indian’. After a lot of brainstorming, I have picked the Indian concept of “auspicious Time” or Nalla neram. This exactly isnt a superstition but more of a belief based on scientific calculations. But since I have not found such a concept in western civilisations I thought that it would be interesting to write about it.
Panchaangam
Here is a small background on how time is calculated as per vedic traditions. Hindu days start at sunrise and end at sundown and the timings are studied to figure out the good and less auspicious times for activities throughout the day. They are published at the start of every year (which begins on April 13th or 14) in almanacs called the Gowri Panchangam and Paambu Panchangam in Tamil Nadu*. ‘Panch’ means five and ‘angam’ means attributes. Thus these almanacs talk about 5 attributes of time like – Vaaram -day of the week, Tithi – Phase of moon – i.e the number of the day in the month starting from new moon to full moon, nakshatram – star, yogam – time and karanam – half of a tithi. Find today’s hourly analysis below calculated for IST using the Drikpanchang website. If you are curious you could enter your city’s name in the location box there to figure about auspicious times for anyplace in the world.
Time & Nalla neram Calculation
Each 24 hour day is split into 60 naazhigais, each being 24 minutes long. Thus two and a half nazhigais constitute one modern hour which was known as horai or hora. Hours in a day are divided into different yogams – Amirdha, Dhanam, Uthi, Laabam and Sugam are good and Rogam, Soram and Visham, should be avoided.
Within any given day, there are also certain time periods that are inauspicious. Two of these are Raahu Kaalam and Yama Gandam. The scriptures say that it is ideal if we can use these times totally for worship and not for material activities. It is recommended to avoid inauspicious times while starting something new or important because even with your best efforts, the results may turnout unfavourably. A lot of people light lamps for certain deities during these hours. There is also a time period called “Muhurtam or muhurat or nalla neram” which means auspicious time when new beginnings are favoured. Weddings, house warming ceremonies, naming ceremony, engagements, baby showers, and even some pujas like the Lakshmi puja for Diwali are observed only during Muhurtam times.
Usually for blog hops I create finished pieces of jewelry, but this time I couldnt. So here are two pendants that I made using paper and resin. I tried to show the concept of time as a physical dimension with the space as the background. I used suspension style shimmer paints in the background so the pendants are super glossy and super hard to photograph with the resin on top of them. The Panchang pendant is a lovely wine with three lines of rhinestones each depicting Vaaram, tithi and horai concepts. The center teardrop stands for the muhurtam or auspicious time.
In the second pendant I have used a dark blue background with gold and copper splashes and two kinds of rhinestone chains depicting the Raahu kalam and Yama Ghandam which are both 90 minutes each and occur everyday. Raahu (north Lunar node depicted with a man’s head and serpent’s body) is depicted in dark blue and so is Yama (the god of Death). Yama ghandam’s literal translation means the “time of death” but it doesnt mean actually dying. It is the period when one has stop and rest to take stock of the work already completed so that we can spot the errors committed and rectify them. So I have used the gray and white rhinestone chain to show intermittent stops in a process.
As with any science, even astrology is and can be manipulated to serve the needs of certain people. There are people who follow timings religiously everyday and there are those who follow it during festivals, weddings or while starting a new venture or a new job or before travel. Does it have any “real quantifiable effect”, I dont know, maybe there is and maybe there isn’t.As with any belief it is upto us to figure out the degree to which we follow everything. Like my mom says “Moderation is the key”!
Do visit Tammy at Paisley Lizard and hop on to the various participating blogs to read about different superstitions and how they affect the way we live. You can also view their work on this Pinterest board. Do tell me in the comments, if you have any such beliefs in your culture and how you embrace them
Post Update –Here are two mnemonics that I forgot to add in the post which can help us remember Raahu kalam and yamagandhn times.
RK – Mother saw father wearing the turban suddenly (Monday, Saturday, Friday, Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday, and Sunday – starting at 7:30 AM ending at 6PM)
Read More: Here is a good site to learn more about Indian Almancs and how time is calculated
* Different regions/communities in India follow different panchangs and system of time calculation. The system that I have written about is what is followed in my state – Tamil Nadu
Wow, Divya. What a fascinating post. I completely enjoyed all the details. Especially the part where the new year begins on my birthday. 🙂 Your pendants are gorgeous and capture the essence of auspicious Time as you've described it. They will make wonderful necklaces. Thanks so much for joining the hop.
thanks for sharing that info on Vedic time charts but no wonder you need such charts , it's quite involved. I love both your pendants but the second one is my favourite, the restrained palette is so calming, and I am drawn to more straight-lined designs, rather than circular , but the colours of the first one just sing.
Thanks Tammy for encouraging me to write about unique Indian traditions. I had almost lost my blogging mojo before this hop – so thank you for hosting and helping me write again
Lovely pendants Divya. I love the first one , the colors and style are my favourite. Your post is interesting too specially as I too follow the panchangam for a lot of rituals at home. Only difference is that like most Indians, our calendar year starts on the day after Diwali when we celebrate New Year, and our muhurtam or the auspicious time is calculated according to the time of sun rise.
Thanks for sharing the information about this belief based on scientific calculations. I found it really interesting and I know nothing about this. I love that your mother says "Moderation is the key". That is something my mother said too. Your pieces are gorgeous. I especially like the gold and copper coloring on the second piece.
Thanks Pallavi. I started to write about the timings followed by different Indian communities and found the post too long so decided to cut it short with TN. I will add it as a side note somewhere
Thanks Kathy, It is my mom's belief that we should adapt ourselves to situations and our beliefs should change accordingly. I might not always agree with that; but hey shes my mom and mom know best right?
So interesting! It makes me a little nervous because I might be starting something at an inauspicious time without knowing it. Your pendants are gorgeous – i love the clock-like concept with the little dots.
haaa, Dont worry, these calculations vary even within India so much so that each region even has a different 'new year' day.it all depends on your belief and you could always look up the right time online efore starting something very important
I love Indian art and thank you for sharing the information. It takes some time for me to understand but it's worth reading. Your pendants are beautiful too.
Coral, thanks for visiting. I figured out these calculations just a couple of years back and still not an expert; i can just about find my way around an almanac. Most people dont attempt to read it as they think its not fashionable but I feel that as a science it should be preserved
I feel, irrespective of what time we start, the results are still not in our hands. I know many cases where initiatives have failed in spite of starting them in a perfect time. I wonder if these systems have been created to divert us or make us (wrongly) think we are in control of our destiny!
Hours in a day are divided into different yogams – Amirdha, Dhanam, Uthi, Laabam and Sugam are good and Rogam, Soram and Visham, should be avoided. For more details consult the panchaang of your sect/region/caste or the drikpanchaang website.
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