Ashada Masam

Ashada Masam:

Ashada Masam usually comes in June - July especially for people from Andhra and Karnataka.This is also called as Shunya Masam.

Cultural Importance:

Fourth month in traditional Hindu Lunar calendar, Aashaada masam marks the beginning of Dakshinayana when, the Sun takes a southward turn in the zodiac. During the month of Aashada, Sun transits into Karkataka Raasi known as Karkataka Sankramana that generally occurs in the calendar month of July, exactly six months after the beginning of Uttarayana. The month in which the full moon day coincides with Poorva/Uttara-Aashaada constellation, that month is denoted as Aashaada masam. Astrologically we find the stars Poorvaashaada in the zodiac sign of Sagittarius (Dhanus) and Uttaraashaada partly in Sagittarius and partly in Makara (Capricorn) raasi. While Venus is the star Lord of Poorvaashaada, Sun is the star lord of Uttaraashaada.  Both the star lords Sun & Venus are inimical to each other.

Aashada masam also marks the beginning of the marathon period of austerities known as Chaturmasam.  Hari Sayani Ekadasi, the day Lord SriManNarayana is believed to enter into Yoganidra (divine slumber) falls in Aashaada masam. The sacred act of getting the divine symbols stamped on one’s body known as Taptamudradhaarana is conducted during Aashaada masam on the day of Sayani Ekadasi. Lot of spiritual significance is attributed to the concept of Taptamudradhaarana.

Interesting Fact:

Some married couples want to know, is it good for the wife to stay with husband in the Ashad month? The inauspicious tag attached to Ashada month is due to the fact that the Dakshinayana Punnjaykalam or Karak Sankranti begins in this month. The sun changes its courses in this month and next six months is the night time of Devas (gods), which ends with Makar Sankranti. People avoid undertaking auspicious events this month. Traditionally, as Lord Rama is born in this month, people usually believe that children born in this month will have to face difficulties like him.

Scientific Reason:

As this will be the hottest period in India and it will not be suitable for the health of the mother and child. Today, with modern medical facilities this particular custom is not strictly followed.

In ancient times, in Ashada Masam, newly married couples were not allowed to stay together in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This was because if the woman conceived in Ashada Masam , then she will be giving birth in March or April or May the hottest months in South India. This is the hottest period in India and it is not suitable for the health of the mother and child. Since in ancient times there were no immediate medical facility, elders asked couples to stay apart. The prime reason was that sometimes it was not possible to contain bleeding in hot months.

There are also many who believe that the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law should not stay together in this month. There is no astrological significance to this and there is nothing to fear. And astrology should not be the guide in deciding on crucial matters relating to relationships. 

Significance:

Full Moon day in Aashaada masam known as Guru Pournima is celebrated across the country, symbolically honouring the Gurus and teachers who have taught us the Vidya.  This day is also popularly referred to as Vyaasa Poornima associated with Lord Veda Vyaasa, the Divine Literary incarnation of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu. It is believed that Sri Veda Vyasa was born on this day of Pournami in the Lunar month of Aashaada.  It is also said that it is the day on which Sri Veda Vyasa commenced his work on Brahma Sutras.  Though Chaturmasam starts from Sayani Ekadasi for general public, traditionally, Ascetics start their Chaturmasa Deeksha from this day of Guru Pournima in Aashaada masam.

Aashaada Bahula Panchami, fifth day during the dark fortnight of the month is celebrated as Sri Jayatheerthara Aaradhana.  Popularly known as Sri Teekarayaru, it was the day on which Sri Jayatheertharu, an advocate and great exponent of Dvaita philosophy, entered into Brindavana at Malakheda in Karnataka state during 13^th century.

Food - anna Brahma

Food:

Food is an essential substance having a pleasant appearance, aroma and taste, that which is capable of being digested, absorbed and utilized when consumed in a proper manner and in an appropriate quantity so as to help living organisms to replenish the wear and tear of body tissues, produce new body components and that which imparts energy, strength and happiness.

Plants can manufacture their food from simple chemicals derived from soil, water and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the help of sunlight.

Animals including man do not have the ability to manufacture food from simple chemicals. Hence they use plants or other animals as food. Hence it is mentioned in the shastras that one living organism is the food for another .Substances included in the category of food, vary from animal to animal, e.g. grass is food for a cow but not for man as man cannot digest grass.

Cultural Importance:

The whole universe originates from, sustains on and merges into Brahma. Similarly, all living beings originate from, survive on and merge into food.Lord Vishnu is the deity who controls the production, digestion and utilization of food. In the Vishnu Sahastranam, ‘bhojan (food)’ and ‘bhokta (the one who consumes it)’ are also included in the thousand Names of Lord Vishnu as  That is food as well as its consumer are respected as Lord Vishnu. In the cycle of life and death, an individual is reborn on the earth after experiencing the results of his good deeds in heaven.

Importance of food:

One should follow the regional traditions regarding courses of food. the general guidelines are as follows:

• The first course should consist of sweet, heavy, solid, oily or fatty and hard food items which are difficult to digest.
• The middle course should consist of sour, pungent, salty and soft food items which increase the secretion of digestive juices.
• The last course should consist of pungent, bitter, astringent, light, liquid, dry and soft food items. Pungent, bitter and astringent food items subdue kapha.

One should eat half a stomachful of food, drink one quarter of a stomachful of water and leave the remaining quarter for air. One should have respect for food and should never criticize it. If one consumes excess of hard and dry food, one should drink a lot of water. Heavy substances such as poha and satu, starchy food items such as rice and tubers should not be taken towards the end of a meal or after a meal. Amalaka should be taken in all the three courses. If one takes excess of sour, salty and pungent food, one should drink milk at the end of a meal. Similarly, weak persons and persons with hyperacidity should take milk at the end of a meal. A person who has no control over his tongue should eat his favorite food item at the end of his meal.

Dos and Don’ts:

• One should avoid very hot or very cold food items, food kept overnight, stale, bad, fermented, putrefied, undercooked or overcooked food, burnt, very sticky food items or those which are heated again.
• Eating stale, unclean, putrefied food items and food items which are heated again, leads to infection and can cause vomiting and loose motions. Uncooked and burnt food items are heavy to digest.
• One should select the quality and type of food after considering one’s age, constitution, season, time, digestive power, health, etc.
• Do not drink too much water after food as it dilutes the digestive juices and impairs digestion.
• Do not eat food when you are thirsty or drink water when you are hungry.
• Avoid talking too much or laughing excessively while eating. If one talks or laughs too much or eats food very fast, the food is not chewed properly.
• When one takes food in a greater quantity than required, the stomach becomes heavy and one feels discomfort in the stomach. One suffers from distension of the abdomen and rumbling noises are produced in the stomach due to formation of flatus. When a greater quantity of food is taken for several days, one gains weight and it leads to obesity.
• in diseased states, a person is advised to take a light diet in less quantity because initially the digestive juices from the intestines and the tissues will digest the food.

 Scientific Reason:

At the time of conception, the body of all living beings comprises of a single, minute cell. This cell then undergoes mitotic cell divisions till 50 billion cells are formed. The formation of these cells and their constituents depends on food. After birth, the baby gradually grows into an adult through tremendous increase in the number and the size of the body cells. Additional energy, i.e. extra food is required for extra growth and development.

The lifespan of different cells in the body varies. The white blood cells (W.B.C.s) in blood have a lifespan of a few hours while the red blood cells (R.B.C.s) have a lifespan of 100 days. In an accident, injury or ailment, the cells and the tissues of the body are directly or indirectly damaged. The newly formed cells replace the dead ones and thus the tissues are repaired. This process continues till one dies. The non-functional particles, i.e. molecules from the old cells are converted into waste products. After digestion and absorption, food particles are utilized to form new particles in the cells and replace the old ones.

Every activity of the human body requires some amount of energy. Food is the source of this energy. Food supplies energy for activities like walking, playing, digestion of food, beating of the heart, etc. which are essential to live. In fact in every living cell, energy is utilized as a continuous process. The moment the body or the cell stops utilizing energy, it can be termed as dead. The cells derive energy from food.

Interesting Facts:

The entire process of descending on the earth from heaven can be explained as follows - The subtle body (linga deha) launches itself on the clouds. From the clouds it enters the earth through rain and from the earth it enters the food grains. When an individual consumes food grains, it enters into his body. In males, it enters into one of the sperms in the semen while in females it enters into the maturing ovum. During sexual intercourse if the sperm fertilizes the ovum, it leads to conception only if the sperm or the ovum contains the subtle body. This is the actual birth of a human being wherein the body consists of only one cell. If the subtle body is present in the ovum then a girl is born whereas a boy is born if the subtle body is present in the sperm.

Upanayanam - The Sacred Thread

Upanayanam:

Upanayanam ceremony is a very important tradition among the Brahmins. A sacred thread, called Yagnopavitam is placed around the left shoulder of the boy. This thread is a composite of 3 threads, signifying Goddesses Gayatri (thought), Saraswati (word) and Savitri (deed) respectively. There is also a knot in the middle that signifies the unending Brahman.

Cultural Importance:

According to source, in Hinduism, Upanayana (Sacred Thread ceremony) is performed on boys of at least 7 years of age from the Brahmin varna, of at least 13 years from the Kshatriya varna, and of at least 17 years from the Vaishya varna. The youngster is taught during the ceremony the secret of life through Brahmopadesam (revealing the nature of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality) or the Gayatri mantra. Everyone has a first, biological birth, but when a young man seeks his spiritual identity he symbolically accepts a spiritual teacher as father and the Vedas as mother. At the ceremony, he receives the sacred-thread, usually worn for his entire lifetime. It is replaced at intervals, but never removed until the new one has been put on.

Typically women do not wear the yajnopavita (although they may wear other sacred threads). Girls also have upanyanam according to Yajur Veda. Girls wear the threads around the neck.

Where to Conduct?

Upanayanam is an asset of a Brahmin boy. Parents should not postpone it according to their own wishes and convenience. Upanayanam of a son should not be conducted along with the marriage of his sister. It should be conducted in a Mandapam or in some similar place. It is preferable to conduct Upanayanam at one's own house.

Upanayanam should be conducted in 'Utharayana'. We should not adamant that Upanayanam can be conducted only during vacation of the boy after his exams. We should not postpone the upanayanam on lame excuses as the boy's age is an odd number or even number. It is against 'dharmasasthra' to say the boy's period is 'ahtamasani', 'ezharasani' or effortless GURU on referring horoscope. There is no connection between the time of Upanayanam and the present position of planets. Any position of the planet will stand in the way of conducting Upanayanam at the age of 8. In fact Upanayanam destroy a boy's bad period. 'Sandhya Vandanam' performed at young age will bring him bright future. Upanayanam can keep at distance all the ill effects of the planets.

How to wear the thread?

The sacred thread is made up of nine fibers.

One deity is established in each fiber as follows.

1. Omkar,

2. Agni (deity of fire),

3. Nag (serpent),

 4. Som (moon),

 5. Pitar (ancestors),

6. Prajapati (deity of procreation),

7. Vayu (air),

8. Yama (deity of death) and

 9. Vishvadevata (deity of the universe).

Three strands are created by twisting three of the nine fibers in each strand. The three Vedas - Rig-Veda, Yajurveda and Samaveda are established on each of these strands.

Three fibers are woven into one strand and the three strands are then knotted together. This knot is called the Brahmagatha (gatha means a knot) or the Brahmagranthi (granthi means a gland). [The knot of sacred grass (darbha) tied to a gold ring (pavitrak) is also called a Brahmagranthi.] It is the site of establishing the Atharvaveda. This knot is extremely important and one requires skill to tie it.

The three strands represent the three stages (ashrams) - celibate student (brahmacharya), the married householder (gruhastha) and retired householder (vanaprastha); the three fires, the fire worshipped in the home (garhapatya), the fire placed in the south (dakshinagni) and the sacred fire lit for a specific spiritual purpose (ahvaniya) as well as spiritual knowledge (dnyan), devotion (bhakti) and action (karma).

The one who possesses all these three qualities gets the spiritual experience ofBrahman. Based on 96 items listed below, the length of the sacred thread should be 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul).

Meaning: 15 auspicious dates (tithis) + 7 days of the week + 27 lunar asterisms + 25 principles + 4 Vedas + 3 components (gunas) + 3 time periods (kals) + 12 months = 96. Thus, the length of the sacred thread (yadnyopavit) is 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul).

Mantra for Sacred Thread:

Yagnopaveetham paramam pavithram

Prajapatheryasahajam purasthadAayushyamagryam

prathimuncha shubramYagnopaveetham

balamasthu thejah

Meaning: God has ordained that Yagnopavitha should be donned along with the great deeds. Person with Yagnopavitha should lead a clean and progressive life. Only then Yagnopavitha becomes strong and radiant.

Scientific Reason:

It is a scientifically proven fact that a vein passing through the ear regulates the flow of urine. Therefore, when the boy wears the sacred thread around his ear while passing urine, he is unconsciously helping his urinary system to regulate the urine flow, thus keeping his urinary system, bladder, etc. healthy and free of problems.

Further, we should take into account the fact that the Brahmins of olden days did not lead a very active lifestyle (i.e.) they were mostly conducting Pujas, where their primary role was to be seated and chant Mantras. In this scenario, it would have been difficult to keep their kidneys in top-shape. This is why this alternative system of Yagnopavitam (sacred thread) has been formulated. This practice is not something that is to be done away with, as there are chances of this problem being carried on down the generations.

Interesting Facts:

The thread is changed once a year on the occasion of Shravani Purnima, the full moon day in the month of Shravan. This is also known as Avaani Avittam in Tamil, and coincides with the Raksha Bandhan 

• The sacred thread should never be removed from one’s body.
• If for some reason, the sacred thread is lost or slips off, it should not be reused. A new sacred thread should be worn.
• Bachelors should wear sacred threads with 3 strands. Married men should wear sacred threads with 6 strands. Men whose parents have passed on should wear sacred threads with 9 strands.
• The Gayatri Mantra should be chanted before wearing sacred thread.
• It is the person’s responsibility to keep the thread clean

Dreams

Dream:

Dreams are our ideas, emotions, sensations that occur in mind during our sleep.  Dreams can be extraordinarily vivid or very vague; filled with joyful emotions or frightening imagery; focused and understandable or unclear and confusing. Many dreams involve a level of visual perceptions put forth by your brain while you sleep. These images, in many cases, evolve into some kind of a story.

Why do we dream?

Some researchers suggest that dreams serve no real purpose, while others believe that dreaming is essential to mental, emotional and physical well-being. Many times dreams involve complex emotions and thoughts. If you’ve ever woken up and had a hard time separating your conscious from the dream state, you know how involved dreams can be.

Cultural Importance:

Dreams are considered important, real, and public in some cultures, but absurd, irrational and personal in others.People believe that the gods would demand some pious act, those that contain warnings or revelations, and those that came about through ritual. Whatever category the dream may fall under, however, they  believed that dreams bring messages from the gods. Dreams were a very important, and indeed, sacred part of the culture

Cultures in which dreams are taken seriously accumulate a depth of observations of their dreams, so their beliefs may be of value to understand dreaming. Beliefs people hold about the nature of dreaming ; conventional systems by which people interpret particular dreams; the social context in which dreams are shared (or not shared) and discussed ; and the ways in which dreams are used in practice,especially in curing.

Scientific Reason:

Dreams can take a scary turn. Some people blame dreams on having eaten spicy food before bedtime, but that hasn’t been proven. Fear is the most common emotion involved in dreams however, they can also be coupled with anger, embarrassment or other negative thoughts. Some people feel that if they’ve had an extremely stressful day, that the dreams follow when they fall asleep that night.  Dreams can also affect the sleeper following a traumatic life event. They are more prevalent in children than teenagers and women are more likely to suffer than men.

Common threads that run through dreams are:

• Being in the midst of a major weather event – hurricane, tornado, flood
• Being in danger and being unable to move away from it
• Feeling alone or trapped

Dreams are disturbing because they seem so real and sometimes the memory of them lingers throughout the day. Dreams usually always appear during rapid eye movement sleep. Researchers have found that sleepers who suffer dreams on a recurring, regular basis can suffer ill health effects, such as:

• Suicidal thoughts
• Depression and anxiety
• Sleep avoidance, which can lead to sleep problems
• Disturbed sleep episodes

If you find yourself suffering from restless nights plagued by dreams and dreams, keep a dream journal as well as a log of your daytime activities and stresses. You may find a connection on your own that will speak to the reasons for your dream-plagued sleep. If you don’t, though you might want to speak with your doctor or a sleep specialist and see if there might be another, underlying reason for your sleep disturbances.

Interesting Facts:

• You Forget 90% of Your Dreams. Within 5 minutes of waking half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone
• People who became blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion. Every human being dreams
• Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder). If you think you are not dreaming – you just forget your dreams.  
• our mind is not inventing faces – in our dreams we see real faces of real people that we have seen during our life but may not know or remember. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces throughout our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.
• Not Everybody Dreams in Color
•  Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. Whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.
• The most common emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive ones.
• On average you can dream anywhere from one or two hours every night.
• Studies have been done on many different animals, and they all show the same brain waves during dreaming sleep as humans. Watch a dog sleeping sometime. The paws move like they are running and they make yipping sounds as if they are chasing something in a dream.
• Our mind interprets the external stimuli that our senses are bombarded with when we are asleep and make them a part of ourdreams. This means that sometimes in our dreams we hear a sound from reality and incorporate it in a way. For example you may be dreaming that you are in a concert while your brother is playing a guitar during your sleep.
• Men tend to dream more about other men. Around 70% of the characters in a man’s dream are other men. On the other hand, a woman’s dream contains almost an equal number of men and women. Aside from that, men generally have more aggressive emotions in their dreams than the female lot.
• Results of several surveys across large population sets indicate that between 18% and 38% of people have experienced at least one precognitive dream and 70% have experienced déjà  vu. The percentage of persons that believe precognitive dreaming is possible is even higher – ranging from 63% to 98%.
• You can not only have sex as pleasurable as in your real life while dreaming, but also experience an  orgasm  as strong as a real one without any wet results. The sensations felt while lucid dreaming (touch, pleasure and etc..) can be as pleasurable and strong (or I believe even stronger) as the sensations experienced in the real world.

Muhurtham - The Auspicious time

Muhurtham:

Muhurtham is an auspicious time selected for starting or performing an important event/action in life. Muhurtham is a Hindu unit of measurement for time in the Hindu calendar. A Muhurtham equals 2 Ghadiyas or approximately 48 minutes. It is stated in Manu Samhita that eighteen nimeshas (twinklings of the eye, are one kashtha), thirty kashthas one kala, thirty kalas one Muhurtham, and as many (Muhurthams) one day and night.
It is a natural desire of every one that any of the above events or occasions in our life should be trouble free any unwanted, unpleasant or sorrowful incident should not take place during these important events or occasions.  If these events or occasions are started on a shubha Muhurtham (auspicious time), these events are completed peacefully.

Cultural Importance:

There is an ancient principal told in Ayurveda, “Ashtami Vyadhi nashini” which means that the medicine taken on the 8th day of a lunar month cures illness faster.  The reason behind this is the distance between the Moon & the earth is situated at the greatest distance on the 8th day of every month, because of which the liquid medicine remains stable in the stomach & thereby starts making effect faster & better.

Muhurtham is a tool to harmonize your forces with nature and improve your chances of success. Five elements are chosen carefully for success in any new venture, namely Vara (weekday), Tithi (lunar day), Nakshatra (asterism), Yoga and Karana. These elements are easily determined through the planetary positions and are explicitly listed in Ephemeris or Panchanga. In addition, for selecting a propitious moment or Muhurtham, the Ascendant and Moon must be strong, both at the time selected as well as in relation to the horoscope of the concerned individual.

Scientific Reason:

The gravitational force between the planets of the solar system make a lot of difference on the living & nonliving things on the earth.  E.g. the gravitational force between the Moon & the earth causes the high & low tides in the ocean.Thus Muhurtham is a typical combination of the planets in the sky which make a favorable effect on the human beings.

Astrology has a necessary relation with time. It deals with the effects of planetary motions including the sun and the moon. Its basic tenet is the confirmed scientific fact of the effects of radiation on all terrestrial phenomena. That the Hindus discovered it ages before is a testimony to the intelligence and accomplishments of that generation. The effect of sun’s rays on biological activity and those of the moon on psychological processes is well-established. Agricultural activities like planting, cultivation, growth, maturity and harvest are all dependent upon seasonal changes and solar radiation.

Brahma muhurtham:

Brahma muhurtham the Sun god spreads his rays just as a peacock spreading its feathers. He starts spreading his light and energy throughout the world. The light rays from the Galaxies influence the human brain. The nascent sun spreads thousand arms in the form of rays across the sky, which emit light-blue divine rays. These rays bring to life the cells and the brain. Lord Surya or the sun god is also the god of life. If the man can synchronize his senses with these rays during this hour he will be empowered with unchallengeable energy.

The sages and munis spread the power of penance, which comes out in the form of high powered electrical and magnetic charge, for the upliftment of the living creatures on the earth. If one keep awake during these hours, it is possible to benefit from this charge. The rays of this light affect the human brain positively. These rays are light-blue. The cells in the brain get activated. The rest of nature is pleasant and peaceful during this time. The mind, as has been proved also by Western science, is a powerful tool to awaken and spread electrical and magnetic charges. These uplift the individual who performs meditation and penance during this time. Your mind is working in ideal conditions and you find answers to your problems since the brain is calm. In the night, the atmosphere gets re-charged and in the early morning, the wind is charged with the beneficial rays of the moon and stars. This wind is called ‘Veeravayu’ which is greatly beneficial to us. Our minds are sharpened and inspired and our bodies are filled with a new life-force.

Interesting Facts:

A muhurtham is measured as 30 kalas which is made up of 30 kashthas which in turn is made up of 18 nimeshas (the number of twinklings of an eye is one kashtha).

No.	Name	Quality	Time
1	Rudra	Bad	Sunrise – 48mins
2	Āhi	Bad	2nd  - 48mins
3	Mitra	good	3rd – 48mins
4	Pitṛ	bad	4th – 48mins
5	Vasu	Good	5th – 48mins
6	Vārāh	good	6th – 48mins
7	Viśvadevā	good	7th – 48mins
8	Vidhi	good - except Mondays and Fridays	8th – 48mins
9	Satamukhi	good	9th – 48mins
10	Puruhūta	bad	10th – 48mins
11	Vāhini	bad	11th – 48mins
12	Naktanakarā	bad	12th – 48mins
13	Varuṇa	good	13th – 48mins
14	Aryamā	good - except Sundays	14th – 48mins
15	Bhaga	bad	15th – 48mins
16	Giriśa	bad	16th – 48mins
17	Ajapāda	bad	17th – 48mins
18	Ahira Budhnya	good	18th – 48mins
19	Puṣa	good	19th – 48mins
20	Aśvinī	good	20th – 48mins
21	Yama	bad	21st – 48mins
22	Agni	good	22nd – 48mins
23	Vidhātṛ	good	23rd – 48mins
24	Kaṇḍa	good	24th – 48mins
25	Aditi	good	25th – 48mins
26	Jiva/Amr̥ta	very good	26th – 48mins
27	Viṣṇu	good	27th – 48mins
28	Yumigadyuti	good	28th – 48mins
29	Brahma	very good	29th – 48mins
30	Samudrama	good	30th – 48mins

Rahu Kalam & Yamagandam (death time): 
Even though Rahu and Ketu are not physical bodies, they are sensitive points on the intersection of the ecliptic (the apparent path of motion of the Sun) by the Moon's orbit. Rahu is the northern point and Ketu is the southern point. Ancient astronomers felt that the mighty Rahu and Kethu have the strength to eat the sun, thus causing a solar eclipse. Hence it is considered inauspicious to begin any undertaking during this "Rahukaalam". Every day this Rahukaalam lasts for around 90 minutes, but the duration differs according to the length of the time between sunrises to sunset. Any activity commenced during yamaganda time invites the 'death' of the work or energies relating to that work. At this time there is ecliptic intersection of Sun & moon.

Gulika (blossoming time): Any activity in this period has positive, good and growth-oriented results; gives happiness. Activities (karma) during Gulika time leads to a positive end result. One should try and use this time for starting important activities. 

Shoolam: Heading in the shoolam direction creates a piercing and flowing away of personal energy in all areas of life and activities. To Counteract Shoolam, Avoid all journeys heading towards this direction that day ('Day' is calculated from sunrise to next sunrise.) 

Abhijit Muhurtham:

Abhijit word itself means victorious. Abhijit Muhurtham is the timing at which the event or activity initiated will make the native victorious. The Abhijit Muhuratam becomes more sacred and powerful if it is during shukla paksh, and the day that has other beneficial yogas. This Muhurtham has no dependence on Tithi, Nakshatra, Rasi or month. This Muhurtham is present on every day and its duration is around 48 minutes.
It is believed that, this Muhuratham has special blessings of Lord Vishnu. Also,  during this Muhurat only Lord shiva killed the powerful demon Tripurasura.

The Astrological aspect behind the Abhijit Muhurtham is that, this the time when the Sun locates himself in the 10th house from the lagna during that time and 10th represents the house of Karmas, and placement of the Sun means success. The reason why shastras recommend on this is because at mid-day, the Sun is located three signs (equivalent to 6 hrs.) behind the Lagna and thus will be located in the 10th house from the Lagna (each Rasi is a house with Lagna as the 1st house, the houses are counted in the zodiacal direction, 10th house represents one's karma and the success in it). Thus Sun being in the 10th house is auspicious for any activity.

This muhurat is capable of removing all the doshas prevalent at that time. It is also believe that on this muhurat Lord Shiva killed the demon Tripurasur who captured the three world,Aakash,Prithvi, Pataal with his immense power.

Abhijit Muhurt starts from 1 ghati(equivalent to 24 minutes) before the Local Noon Time (LNT) & remains till 24 minutes thereafter (total duration 48 minutes) for 12-hour duration of daytime. Its duration varies proportionally according to length of day because in Jyotish a day begins from sun-rise to sun set.

Example- To calculate the abhijit muhurat at any place let’s assume
Sunrise at – 0530
Sunset at -1830
Local Noon Time(LNT)=(1830+0530)/2=12hr
Abhijit Muhurat=LNT± (Sun set- Sun rise)/30
=12±(1830-0530)/30 hrs.
=12±13/30hrs
=12±26minutes
In the above example the length of day is 13 hrs. That is why the standard duration of abhijit muhurat changes from 48 minutes to 52(26x2) minutes.

Exceptions : This muhurat loses its beneficence on Wednesday. So avoid selecting it on Wednesday. Secondly traveling in south direction in this muhurat brings inauspicious results. Last but not least this muhurat should be used in emergencies when no other suitable times are available otherwise one may fails to harness the richness of other muhurats available on that day. It is ideal Muhurat to initiate any activity except marriage or Upnayan.