Brahma Muhurta Time Today: It’s Not 4 AM! Exact Timings for Your City and Every Month
Brahma Muhurta is the second-last muhurta of the night, the period that ends one muhurta before sunrise. Traditional texts recommend waking in it for prayer, meditation and study. It is often quoted as “4 AM to 5:30 AM” or “96 minutes before sunrise”, but neither is exact. In mid-November 2026 Brahma Muhurta in New Delhi runs from 4:57 AM to 5:50 AM; in June it is closer to 4:02 AM to 4:43 AM, because both the time of sunrise and the length of each muhurta change with the seasons.
This guide shows how Brahma Muhurta is calculated, gives the timings for 30 cities and for every month of the year, quotes what the classical texts actually say, and suggests a realistic way to start using it.
- How Brahma Muhurta is calculated
- Brahma Muhurta time in 30 cities
- Brahma Muhurta through the year
- What the shastras say
- What to do in Brahma Muhurta
- How to start waking up for it
- Frequently asked questions
How Brahma Muhurta is calculated
In the Hindu reckoning of time, a full day and night is divided into 30 muhurtas: 15 from sunrise to sunset and 15 from sunset to the next sunrise. On the equinoxes, when day and night are equal, each muhurta lasts 48 minutes, and that is where the popular “48 minutes” comes from. On any other day the night muhurtas are longer or shorter than 48 minutes, because the night itself is longer or shorter.
Brahma Muhurta is the 14th of the 15 night muhurtas. To find it for any place and date:
- Take the length of the night, from the previous sunset to the coming sunrise.
- Divide it by 15. That is the length of one night muhurta.
- Brahma Muhurta starts two muhurtas before sunrise and ends one muhurta before sunrise.
Take Delhi on 15 November 2026. The night lasts about 13 hours 15 minutes, so one muhurta is 53 minutes. Sunrise is at 6:43 AM, so Brahma Muhurta runs from 4:57 AM to 5:50 AM. On 15 June the night is only about 10 hours long, a muhurta is 40 minutes, and with sunrise at 5:23 AM the window is 4:02 AM to 4:43 AM. The fixed “96 to 48 minutes before sunrise” rule would be 16 minutes off in June and 13 minutes off in December.
The last muhurta, from the end of Brahma Muhurta to sunrise, is part of the Pratah Sandhya, the morning twilight used for sandhya vandana and Surya arghya.
Brahma Muhurta time in 30 cities (mid-November)
These timings are for 15 November 2026. They shift by roughly a minute every two or three days, so they are a good guide for the second half of November. For any exact date, use the daily Panchang for your city.
| City | Brahma Muhurta | Sunrise |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 4:57 AM to 5:50 AM | 6:43 AM |
| Noida | 4:56 AM to 5:49 AM | 6:42 AM |
| Gurugram | 4:58 AM to 5:51 AM | 6:44 AM |
| Chandigarh | 5:02 AM to 5:55 AM | 6:49 AM |
| Amritsar | 5:11 AM to 6:04 AM | 6:58 AM |
| Ludhiana | 5:06 AM to 5:59 AM | 6:53 AM |
| Jammu | 5:12 AM to 6:06 AM | 7:00 AM |
| Dehradun | 4:56 AM to 5:50 AM | 6:43 AM |
| Jaipur | 5:01 AM to 5:54 AM | 6:46 AM |
| Jodhpur | 5:11 AM to 6:04 AM | 6:56 AM |
| Lucknow | 4:40 AM to 5:33 AM | 6:25 AM |
| Kanpur | 4:42 AM to 5:35 AM | 6:27 AM |
| Varanasi | 4:30 AM to 5:22 AM | 6:15 AM |
| Agra | 4:52 AM to 5:45 AM | 6:38 AM |
| Patna | 4:22 AM to 5:14 AM | 6:07 AM |
| Ranchi | 4:19 AM to 5:10 AM | 6:02 AM |
| Kolkata | 4:05 AM to 4:57 AM | 5:49 AM |
| Bhubaneswar | 4:13 AM to 5:04 AM | 5:56 AM |
| Guwahati | 3:56 AM to 4:49 AM | 5:41 AM |
| Bhopal | 4:50 AM to 5:42 AM | 6:34 AM |
| Indore | 4:56 AM to 5:47 AM | 6:39 AM |
| Raipur | 4:31 AM to 5:22 AM | 6:14 AM |
| Nagpur | 4:41 AM to 5:32 AM | 6:24 AM |
| Ahmedabad | 5:09 AM to 6:01 AM | 6:53 AM |
| Surat | 5:06 AM to 5:57 AM | 6:49 AM |
| Mumbai | 5:04 AM to 5:55 AM | 6:46 AM |
| Pune | 4:59 AM to 5:50 AM | 6:41 AM |
| Hyderabad | 4:39 AM to 5:30 AM | 6:21 AM |
| Bengaluru | 4:38 AM to 5:28 AM | 6:18 AM |
| Chennai | 4:28 AM to 5:18 AM | 6:07 AM |
Notice the spread. Brahma Muhurta begins at 3:56 AM in Guwahati but at 5:12 AM in Jammu on the same morning, because all of India shares one clock while sunrise moves by more than an hour from east to west.
Brahma Muhurta through the year
The table shows Brahma Muhurta on the 15th of each month from November 2026 to October 2027. The same pattern repeats every year within a minute or two, so you can use it as a year-round guide.
| Month (15th) | Delhi | Mumbai | Kolkata | Bengaluru |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 4:57 to 5:50 | 5:04 to 5:55 | 4:05 to 4:57 | 4:38 to 5:28 |
| December | 5:17 to 6:11 | 5:19 to 6:11 | 4:23 to 5:15 | 4:52 to 5:43 |
| January | 5:27 to 6:21 | 5:31 to 6:23 | 4:34 to 5:26 | 5:05 to 5:55 |
| February | 5:17 to 6:08 | 5:27 to 6:17 | 4:28 to 5:18 | 5:04 to 5:53 |
| March | 4:55 to 5:43 | 5:11 to 5:59 | 4:10 to 4:58 | 4:52 to 5:39 |
| April | 4:27 to 5:11 | 4:50 to 5:36 | 3:46 to 4:31 | 4:35 to 5:21 |
| May | 4:07 to 4:49 | 4:36 to 5:20 | 3:30 to 4:13 | 4:24 to 5:09 |
| June | 4:02 to 4:43 | 4:35 to 5:18 | 3:28 to 4:10 | 4:24 to 5:09 |
| July | 4:11 to 4:52 | 4:42 to 5:26 | 3:36 to 4:18 | 4:31 to 5:16 |
| August | 4:24 to 5:07 | 4:50 to 5:34 | 3:45 to 4:29 | 4:36 to 5:22 |
| September | 4:33 to 5:19 | 4:52 to 5:39 | 3:49 to 4:36 | 4:34 to 5:21 |
| October | 4:42 to 5:32 | 4:54 to 5:43 | 3:54 to 4:43 | 4:33 to 5:21 |
In Delhi the window moves by almost an hour and a half across the year, from about 4:02 AM in June to 5:27 AM in January, and its length changes from 40 to 55 minutes. In Bengaluru, closer to the equator, it hardly moves at all. Anyone who sets one alarm for the whole year is in Brahma Muhurta for only part of it.
What the shastras say about Brahma Muhurta
The best-known line comes from the Ashtanga Hridaya of Vagbhata, a classic of Ayurveda, which opens its chapter on daily routine with brāhme muhūrte uttiṣṭhet svastho rakṣārtham āyuṣaḥ: a healthy person should rise in Brahma Muhurta to protect their life. The Manusmriti (4.92) says that one should wake in Brahma Muhurta and reflect on dharma and on one’s livelihood, and on the work of the body that both require.
“Brahma” here is usually read as brahman, sacred knowledge, rather than only the creator god, which is why the period is linked with study and the recitation of the Vedas. Yoga and Ayurveda describe the hour before dawn as sattvic, calm and clear, and as the time of Vata, the element of air and movement, which is said to make the mind light and alert. These are traditional descriptions rather than medical findings, and the texts themselves add a condition: the advice is for a person who is healthy. Someone who is ill, very old, or has digested poorly is told to rest.
What to do in Brahma Muhurta
- Meditation and japa: the most common use. Chant your ishta mantra, the Gayatri mantra, or the mantra of your birth nakshatra, which you can find with the Nakshatra calculator.
- Study: students traditionally revise or memorise in these quiet minutes, before the household wakes.
- Pranayama and gentle yoga: breathing practice on an empty stomach, in fresh air if possible.
- Reflection and planning: the Manusmriti’s own suggestion, thinking through the day’s duties and decisions.
- Snan and sandhya: many people bathe late in Brahma Muhurta so they are ready for sandhya vandana or Surya arghya at sunrise. The pre-dawn holy baths of Kartik and Magh are taken in this window.
Tradition also lists things to avoid in this period: heavy food, arguments, sexual activity and anything that agitates the mind. Today that list could fairly include the phone. Checking messages first thing turns the quietest part of the day into the busiest.
Brahma Muhurta in muhurta astrology
In electional astrology Brahma Muhurta is treated as good for spiritual and intellectual beginnings: starting a sadhana, a course of mantra japa, or a period of study. It is not the usual choice for worldly events such as weddings, business openings or griha pravesh, which use a full muhurta calculation with tithi, nakshatra, yoga and lagna. Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal are all daytime periods, so they never overlap with Brahma Muhurta. For timing daytime work, use the choghadiya instead.
How to start waking up for Brahma Muhurta
Waking at 4:30 or 5 AM only works if you also go to bed early enough to sleep fully. A few practical steps make the change stick:
- Count back from your target wake-up time and set a bedtime that gives you a full night’s sleep. For a 5 AM start that usually means lights out by about 9:30 to 10 PM.
- Move your alarm earlier by 15 minutes every few days rather than jumping straight to the new time.
- Keep the same wake-up time on weekends for the first month.
- Eat dinner early and light, and keep screens out of the bedroom.
- Have one small, fixed thing to do when you wake: a glass of water, a lamp, five minutes of japa. Habits begin with a small action, not a two-hour routine.
If you work night shifts, have young children who wake you at night, or have a health condition that affects sleep, getting enough rest matters more than the hour you rise. Even the texts make an exception for the unwell.
Some people take up an early routine as a remedy suggested by an astrologer, for example to strengthen the Sun or the Moon in their chart. If you want to know which planet your own chart asks you to work with, a free Kundli is a good start, and our premium reports include remedies matched to your dasha.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Brahma Muhurta time today?
It depends on your city and the date. In mid-November it is about 4:57 AM to 5:50 AM in Delhi, 5:04 AM to 5:55 AM in Mumbai, 4:05 AM to 4:57 AM in Kolkata and 4:38 AM to 5:28 AM in Bengaluru. The daily Panchang gives the exact time for any day.
Is 4 AM Brahma Muhurta?
Sometimes. In Delhi 4 AM is just before Brahma Muhurta in June and well before it in winter. In Kolkata 4 AM falls inside Brahma Muhurta for much of the year. Check the time for your own city and month.
How long is Brahma Muhurta?
One fifteenth of the night. In North India that is about 40 minutes in June and about 55 minutes in December. It is exactly 48 minutes only around the equinoxes.
Can I sleep again after Brahma Muhurta?
Tradition advises against going back to sleep after waking in Brahma Muhurta, and especially against sleeping through sunrise. If you are short of sleep, an earlier bedtime is the better fix.
Is Brahma Muhurta good for studying?
It is the traditional time for study and memorisation, because it is quiet and free of distraction. Many students find a short revision session at this hour useful before exams.
How these timings were worked out: sunrise and sunset were calculated by Nakshatra Finder for each city and date with the Swiss Ephemeris, and Brahma Muhurta was taken as the 14th of 15 equal parts of the night between them, following the method used by standard panchangs. Quotations are from the Ashtanga Hridaya (Sutrasthana 2.1) and the Manusmriti (4.92).
About this guide
- Written by
- Vishal Sharma
- Last reviewed
Astrologer, numerologist and Reiki practitioner who also practises tantra. He writes and reviews the Nakshatra, Kundli and Panchang guides on Nakshatra Finder.
Nakshatra Finder guides draw on classical Jyotish sources and Vedic texts, and the positions, padas and spans quoted here follow the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsha, the same standard our Nakshatra calculator uses. Traits describe tendencies, not certainties: a full reading needs your whole chart.
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Astrology is a traditional system of guidance. It is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
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