The system that's presently followed to subdivide a day is of course :
1 day = 24 hours
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds.

However, according to the Indian system, a day is divided into 60 ghatis or ghatikas or nadis. Two ghatis make a muhurta. Equivalently, a muhurta is 1/30th of a day or 48 minutes. The following equations should give one a clear understanding of the Indian system.
1 day = 60 ghatis
1 ghati = 60 vighatis or palas
1 pala = 60 vipalas
1 asu or prana = 10 vipalas = 1/6th pala
1 nimesha = 1/45th prana .

This system, is of course not based on some crazy person's whim. Its got quite a bit of sanity in it! Tell you what. The units are pretty much related to certain aspects of human physiology. The unit asu is supposed to be the time a normal person takes to complete one full cycle of inhalation and exhalation. And the unit nimesha is believed to be the average time taken for a wink of the eye!

As an exercise you may calculate the time ( in minutes/seconds ) that it would take for a cycle of inhalation and exhalation, the time taken for a wink. For further exercises....

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