Question: What is the significance of holding mangala arati at 4.30 in the morning? Why cannot we do that whenever we get up?

Jayapataka Swami: One and a half hours before sunrise, for 45 minutes is the Brahma muhurta, which is ideal for spiritual things. Half hour, 45 minutes before sunrise is Siva muhurta (?) So if we are just 45 minutes later at 5.15 am, say sunrise is at 6, then it is a problem. Now we standardize it at 4.30 assuming that sunrise is at 6. In Mayapur the sun generally rises at 6 since we are on the Tropic of Cancer. But in places like North America, in the winter the sun rises much later and in the early morning the sun rises much earlier because it is in the temperate zone, out of the Tropics. So generally, starting the day in some temples, they have mangalaarati at 5 or 5.30. But generally we have it at 4.30, kind of the Brahma muhurta. Haribol!
21-JANUARY-2020 CHAITANYA NITAI DESH, CHENNAI, INDIA