Waking Up at Brahma Muhurtha

Welcome back to my blog after a long time! Hope all of you are doing well. Covid has been a part of our lives for a very long time now and all of you must have got adept with the practices of hygiene and social distancing. As you might have observed prevention is considered as a key to combat the virus.

Did you know that Ayurveda has always advocated the maintenance of health by prevention of ailments? Swasthavritta is a branch of Ayurveda that speaks about the maintenance of the health of an individual. Ayurveda describes daily regimen called Dinacharya which is to be followed by a healthy individual in order to maintain the quality of life.

The first and foremost ritual as mentioned in Ashtanga Hrudaya is to wake up during Brahma muhurtha.

“ब्राह्मे मुहूर्त उत्तिष्टेत् स्वस्थो रक्षार्थमायुषः”

(As. Hr. Su. 2/1)

Brahma refers to knowledge and the time right for perceiving knowledge is known as Brahma muhurtha. A muhurtha is considered to be of 48 minutes. Brahma muhurtha begins at dawn. As such, the beginning of 14th muhurtha of night is called Brahma muhurtha. Thus, a healthy individual may wake up 96 minutes (approximately one and half hours) before sunrise. Arising from sleep at Brahma muhurtha helps in preserving the wholesome lifespan of a person. This auspicious time is considered best for all the spiritual practices because the mind is fresh during this period.

So, let’s gradually make it a habit to wake up during Brahma muhurtha and keep ourselves fit. A healthy body with a sound immune system prevents us from all the ailments.

In the further blogs, I shall slowly introduce you to all the other practices mentioned in dinacharya. Stay safe and stay tuned to Shriphala for further updates.