Rahu Kalam

[prasad1]

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What is the origin of this? Does anybody other than Tamilian use it? Is there any scientific reason for this belief?

 

[Raji Ram]

Not only Tamils.. Most of the Hindus believe in Raahu kaalam. Mypanchang.com gives details of rAhukAlam, yamagandam, kuligan etc

to any place on the earth on any day. It is a wonderful site. Both Amavasyant and Purnimant panchangams are given in detail.

 

[sangom]

What is the origin of this? Does anybody other than Tamilian use it? Is there any scientific reason for this belief?

Shri prasad,

Once in a while somebody raises this doubt about rahu kalam in this forum and such discussions have happened many times in the past. Hope you will spend some time looking into the archives.

In a nut shell, rahu kalam is a distinct southern contribution to the immense storehouse of hindu superstitions, but the beauty is it is pandemic; when the southies went in large numbers to Delhi and other northern cities/areas rahukalam also spread there. So now it has an All-India status.

About its origin nothing can be said clearly; but some medieval astrological text, most probably from some Kerala or Tamilnadu Pandit, must have launched Rahu, YamakanDakan, guLikan, mAndi, dhUma, indrachaapa, (a.k.a Chaapa; kOdanda; kArmuka), parivEsha. (paridhi), vyateepaata. (paata), upakEtu. (dhwaja; Sikhi), Pranapada .. to rule over some time period during day and night (separately) according to the day of the week. The easiest of all these "upagrahas" as denoted by some authorities, "baadhaka grahas", "dhooma grahas" by others, etc., is rahu as far as calculation goes.

The time period allotted seems to be quite arbitrary and since it is based on an equally non-astronomical base of the days of the week, the whole thing is pure bunkum, imho. But many people are so much taken in by this RK, it has accumulated its own potential energy to survive.

The time period has been expressed as one-and-a-half hour blocks but strictly speaking the duration of daytime (local sunrise to local sunset) has to be divided by 8 and the one-eighth portion should be taken as the rahu block. If we denote this by say H, then out of the 8 Hs available on that day, the rahukaalam will be the block indicated below:

Mon -2nd.
Tues- 7th.
Wed-5th.
Thurs-6th.
Fri-4th.
Sat -3rd.
Sun-8th.

Today, 29-11-2011, the sunrise/set in Trivandrum are 6-23-46 and 17-57-06.

Duration of daytime= 11-33-20
H=1-26-40

Being Tuesday, RK for today will be from 15-03-46 to 16-30-26 hrs. in Trivandrum. But if you take northern latitudes, the results will vary widely.

 

[Raji Ram]

Respected Sangom Sir,

After seeing your detailed and informative post, I found out from the site I mentioned (Mypanchang.com) that today's

RAhukAlam in Chennai is not from 3 pm to 4.30 pm as all the daily sheet calenders say, but is different!

When we were young, we were taught a formula for remembering rAhukAlam on all the days as

திருவிழாச் சந்தடியில் வெளியில் புழுதியில் விளையாடச் செல்வது ஞாயமா? which we made as a formula

தி ச வெ பு வி செ ஞா - The first day's RK starts at 7.30 am and each RK has a duration of one and half hours...

Regards........


[TABLE="class: style1a, width: 1130"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 6, align: left"]Amavasyant Margasira, Tamil Month: Kartikai[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: style6a"]Tithi:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]Shukla Panchami[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]End time:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]25:38:34+[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Nakshatra:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]U.shada [Mandaksha][/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]End time:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]19:46:24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: style6a"]Yoga:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]Vriddhi[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]End time:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]25:59:37+[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Karana:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]Bava[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]End time:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]13:53:01[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: style6a, colspan: 4"][/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Karana:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]Balava[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]End time:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]25:38:34+[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: style6a"]Rahukalam:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]14:47:51-16:13:19[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Yamagandam:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]09:05:59-10:31:27[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Gulikai:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]11:56:55-13:22:23[/TD]
[TD="class: style6abcd"]Abhijit Muhurta:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]11:34:08-12:19:43[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: style6a"]Durmuhurtham:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]08:31:48-09:17:23[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Varjyam:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]23:51:39-25:29:45[/TD]
[TD="class: style6a"]Amritkalam:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab, colspan: 3"]13:26:22-15:01:23[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: style6a"]Durmuhurtham:[/TD]
[TD="class: style6ab"]22:41:30-23:31:57[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[prasad1]

Thanks Sangom, Raji Ram.
I did a search on 'Rahu Kalam' before posting. I did not get any hits, it might because of spelling.

 

[zebra16]

Thanks Sangom, Raji Ram.
I did a search on 'Rahu Kalam' before posting. I did not get any hits, it might because of spelling.

Here is the link on google: Google I got 152000 hits

 

[prasad1]

Here is the link on google: Google I got 152000 hits

Zebra the google hits do not provide answer to my question. Secondly I was looking in the Archives.
My question was to raise the awareness to this superstition. Valuable time is lost due to these superstitions. Is it time to drop this waste of time?

 

[sangom]

Zebra the google hits do not provide answer to my question.
Secondly I was looking in the Archives. My question was to raise the awareness to this
superstition. Valuable time is lost due to these superstitions. Is it time to drop this
waste of time?

I may recount 2 instances of how this RK effect works on people's minds.

One old tabra (who is no more now) who attached all the various kaalams
- rahu, gulika, yamakanTaka, etc. - besides yoga, and soolam (for even
journeys to places within the town (!), went to hospital and they advised him
to get admitted immediately on examination for by-pass surgery. But that was
Rahu Kalam and so he got the permission from the doctor and went next day
during a best muhurtam finalized by him in consultation with his two
trusted astrologers, one in Tuticorin and another in Madurai, and after himself
satisfying about it. Sadly, he succumbed to internal bleeding which could not be
stopped despite best efforts by the doctors.

One woman who excessively relies only on rahukalam was starting on many errands
including buying of koorappuDavai for her son's marriage. But by the time she got
ready the RK had just commenced -going by the clock in her room. She was very
much upset and was considering various alternatives; when she came to the hall,
the clock which was slow showed two more minutes for RK to start. She immediately
said it is good time, RK has not started and went out happily. Everything went well.

 

[B.Krishnamurthy]

After reading Shri.Sangom's posts,I was feeling amused about an incident in my life.
I was to get myself admitted in hospital for Angioplasty.I had to visit my CGHS Dispensary(Central Govt Health Services) to take admission memnce you go to the Dispensary,You have to wait and take your turn.After half an hour 'Yemakandam' was to commence.
I was very particular to get the memo signed by the CMO before commencement of the bad period.I started rushing to the Dispensary.When I started from my house,I observed that opposite house mama(a Brahmin) was entering our street from the market.I was afraid that I may offend his feelings
if I do not start.I told the auto rickshaw to start and also greeted him en route. In the meanwhile, I was reciting all known Slokas and prayed to all known/unknown Gods that everything should be well. By the time I reached the Dispensary the bad period had already commenced.
When my turn came and I got the admission memo signed by the CMO, the bad period was on its peak.I did not tell my wife about this as she may start her 'Venduthal',to all our Kula Deivam temples and other temples in our locality.I returned home safely after the Surgery in September,

In my sister's husband's case,he was admitted to a Nursing home for treatment of acute lung problem in January,2007.He was already a heart patient.
He had his 'Sadabhisekham' too the previous year.He recovered and was to be discharged.My sister did not want him to get discharged during
Ashtami and Navami.She desired that he should come back to the house only on a good day i.e; on Dasami.

God willed otherwise.In the early hours of Dasami, his daughter
went to the Nursing Home office to clear bills and take Discharge memo.When she returned to the room she found her dad sleeping.She tried to wake him,but he did not respond.She immediately called the Nurse,who informed my niece that the old man has just expired.
But I find it very hard to discard habits acquired during childhood."Thotil Pazakkam Sudukad mattum"

 

[tbs]

hi
most of the hindu weddings in USA during rahu kaalam period....generally sunday evenings between 4.30 to 6.00pm......many of our tambrams attended regularly...

i think in old days we had ஊர் வம்பு மற்றும் திண்ணை வம்பு .....இப்பொழுது இ வம்பு