Brahma muhurta, Abhijit, Nishita and Godhuli
Brahma muhurta here is the 14th of the 15 equal parts (muhurtas) of the night that ends at sunrise (Manusmriti 4.92): it ends one muhurta before sunrise, and a muhurta is a fifteenth of that night, not always 48 minutes.
The muhurtas of the day and night the panchang names.
| Window | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Brahma muhurta | the 14th fifteenth of the night ending at sunrise | Manusmriti 4.92 |
| Abhijit | the 8th fifteenth of the day; excepted on Budhavara | Varahamihira, Tikanikayatra 3.7-8; Narada-samhita 9.4-5 |
| Nishita | the 8th fifteenth of the night from sunset | |
| Godhuli | 15 pala (6 minutes) either side of the half-set Sun | Muhurta-martanda, Vivaha 38 |
The common rule "96 minutes before sunrise" takes a muhurta as a fixed 48 minutes, true only when day and night are each twelve hours; the fifteenth of the actual night gives a longer Brahma muhurta in winter and a shorter one in summer. Both start before sunrise; the pages give the fifteenth of the night. The thirty muhurtas are named by their deities (Tikanikayatra 3.2-3.4).