Atmakaraka calculator (chara karaka calculator)
This atmakaraka calculator finds the “soul planet” of Jaimini astrology from the date and time of birth: the planet furthest through its sign, and the full order of the chara karakas, in both the seven- and the eight-karaka schemes. If the time is not known, it shows which planet is the atmakaraka through the day.
What the chara karakas are
Jaimini astrology, and a chapter of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, name a set of chara (“movable”) karakas: significators that change from chart to chart, unlike the fixed karakas such as the Sun for the father. They are found by one rule. Each planet’s position is reduced to the degrees it has travelled inside its own sign, and the planets are ranked from the highest degree to the lowest. The first is the atmakaraka, the significator of the self; the last is the darakaraka, the significator of the spouse.
The eight chara karakas and what they traditionally stand for
The names and meanings below follow the Jaimini Sutras and the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. They describe what each karaka is traditionally used to indicate when a chart is read; they are not predictions.
| Place | Karaka | The name means | Traditionally stands for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atmakaraka (AK) आत्मकारक | significator of the self (atma) | the self, the soul; the most important karaka, compared to the king of the chart |
| 2 | Amatyakaraka (AmK) अमात्यकारक | significator of the minister (amatya) | counsel and advisers, career and livelihood |
| 3 | Bhratrikaraka (BK) भ्रातृकारक | significator of siblings (bhratri) | brothers and sisters; some also read the teacher from it |
| 4 | Matrikaraka (MK) मातृकारक | significator of the mother (matri) | the mother |
| 5 | Pitrikaraka (PiK) पितृकारक | significator of the father (pitri) | the father |
| 6 | Putrakaraka (PK) पुत्रकारक | significator of children (putra) | children |
| 7 | Gnatikaraka (GK) ज्ञातिकारक | significator of kinsmen (jnati) | relatives and kinsmen, and also rivals and disputes |
| 8 | Darakaraka (DK) दारकारक | significator of the spouse (dara) | the husband or wife |
Seven or eight karakas
Sources differ on how many planets take part. In the eight-karaka scheme the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Rahu are ranked, and all eight karakas above are used. In the seven-karaka scheme only the Sun to Saturn are ranked, so one karaka drops out. The common modern list leaves out the Pitrikaraka (atmakaraka, amatyakaraka, bhratrikaraka, matrikaraka, putrakaraka, gnatikaraka, darakaraka). The text attributed to Parashara records another view: the matrikaraka also stands for children, and the fifth place is the Pitrikaraka. Both seven-karaka lists agree on the first four places, including the atmakaraka.
The calculator shows the seven-karaka result in the common modern list first, the eight-karaka result next to it, and a line for the other seven-karaka list. Ketu is never a chara karaka.
The Rahu rule: 30° minus its degree
Rahu moves backwards through the signs, so in the eight-karaka scheme its degree is counted from the other end of the sign: 30° minus its ordinary degree. A Rahu early in a sign therefore ranks high, and a Rahu late in a sign ranks low. The rule is the same whether the mean or the true node is used. Retrograde planets are not treated this way: they are ranked by their degree like any other.
Worked example
For Delhi at midnight IST on 15 August 1947, the Sun was furthest through its sign, at 27°59′ in Kark, so the Sun is the atmakaraka in the seven-karaka scheme and in the eight-karaka scheme too. Rahu (mean node) was at 5°05′ in Vrishabh, which counts as 30° − 5°05′ = 24°55′, and takes place 3 of the eight; the true node gives the same order.
| Planet | Sign | Degree counted | Seven karakas | Eight karakas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun सूर्य | Kark | 27°59′ | Atmakaraka | Atmakaraka |
| Jupiter गुरु | Tula | 25°52′ | Amatyakaraka | Amatyakaraka |
| Rahu राहु | Vrishabh | 24°55′ (30° − 5°05′) | not counted | Bhratrikaraka |
| Venus शुक्र | Kark | 22°33′ | Bhratrikaraka | Matrikaraka |
| Saturn शनि | Kark | 20°28′ | Matrikaraka | Pitrikaraka |
| Mercury बुध | Kark | 13°40′ | Putrakaraka | Putrakaraka |
| Mars मंगल | Mithun | 7°27′ | Gnatikaraka | Gnatikaraka |
| Moon चन्द्र | Kark | 3°59′ | Darakaraka | Darakaraka |
How the calculator works
- Convert the birth time to Universal Time with the UTC offset chosen (the place of birth only sets that offset).
- Compute the sidereal (Lahiri) positions of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Rahu in your browser, from a published planetary theory checked against NASA/JPL Horizons to within a few thousandths of a degree. The Moon is the same as on the site’s rashi and nakshatra calculators.
- Keep each planet’s degrees within its sign (Rahu: 30° minus that), and sort from highest to lowest.
- Flag planets level to the arc-minute or within 0.1° of each other, the Moon within about 30 minutes of a change of sign, other planets within 0.05° of the edge of their sign, and any change of atmakaraka within two hours of the time entered. Without a time, work through the whole day and list the atmakaraka for each part of it.
Related tools
- Lagna calculator: the rising sign (ascendant), from the date, time and place of birth.
- D9 chart calculator: the navamsa chart, where Jaimini astrology also reads the atmakaraka’s sign (the karakamsa).
- Rashi calculator by date of birth: the Moon sign, nakshatra and pada, with baby-name syllables.
- Nakshatra calculator by date of birth: the Moon’s birth star used for naming.
- Dasha calculator: the Vimshottari periods from the birth nakshatra.
- Mangal dosha calculator: the house of Mars counted from the Lagna, the Moon and Venus.
- Kaal sarp dosh calculator: whether all seven planets lie on one side of Rahu and Ketu.
Frequently asked questions
What is the atmakaraka?
In Jaimini astrology the atmakaraka (आत्मकारक, "significator of the self") is the planet that has travelled furthest through its own sign at birth, counting only the degrees within the sign. It is the first of the chara (movable) karakas, and the tradition treats it as the most important of them, the planet that stands for the self.
How is the atmakaraka calculated?
Take the sidereal position of each planet from the Sun to Saturn (and Rahu, in the eight-karaka scheme), keep only its degrees within its sign (0 to 30), and sort them from highest to lowest. The highest is the atmakaraka, the next the amatyakaraka, and so on down to the darakaraka. Rahu is counted as 30 minus its degree, because it moves backwards through the signs. The calculator above does this from the date and time of birth.
Can the atmakaraka change with birth time?
Yes, sometimes. The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, so its degree within its sign, and with it its place in the order, can change within a few hours; a planet that moves into a new sign drops back to 0 degrees. The other planets are much slower: Mercury moves up to about 2 degrees a day and the rest less, so their order rarely changes within a day. When the atmakaraka changes within two hours of the time entered, the calculator says so and gives the minutes; with "time not known" it lists the atmakaraka for each part of the day.
Which scheme is right, seven or eight karakas?
Both are traditional and astrologers differ. The text attributed to Parashara gives eight karakas with Rahu, and also records a seven-karaka view; many Jaimini astrologers today use seven planets, the Sun to Saturn. This calculator shows both: the seven-karaka atmakaraka first (in the common modern list) and the eight-karaka result next to it, and says when they agree.
Why is Rahu counted as 30 minus its degree?
Rahu, the Moon's north node, moves backwards through the zodiac. The rule measures how far it has travelled through its sign in its own direction of motion, which is 30 degrees minus its ordinary degree. So a Rahu at 5 degrees of a sign counts as 25 and ranks high, and a Rahu at 28 degrees counts as 2.
Can Ketu be the atmakaraka?
No. Ketu, the south node, is never counted among the chara karakas, in either scheme.
What if two planets have the same degree?
The texts do not agree on how to break a tie, so the calculator does not pick one. When two planets are level to the arc-minute, or less than 0.1 degree apart, it names them and shows that their order, for example atmakaraka and amatyakaraka, depends on a precise birth time.
Does a retrograde planet count differently?
No. A retrograde planet (one that appears to move backwards for a while) is ranked by its degree like any other; the calculator shows which planets are retrograde but does not change the order. Only Rahu, which always moves backwards, is counted from the other end of its sign.
Mean node or true node: which Rahu is used?
Both are in use. Many Indian almanacs use the mean node, which moves steadily; others, including much modern software, use the true node, which swings up to about 2 degrees either side of it. The calculator uses the mean node and also shows the true node, and says whether it would change the eight-karaka order.
Are my birth details saved?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, and the birth details are not stored or sent anywhere. They appear in the page address only if you open or copy the share link.