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Atmakaraka calculator

Your Atmakaraka is the planet furthest through its sign at your birth. Enter your birth details and see it at once, with the full chara karaka table.

Your answer

Your answer will appear here the moment you press the button, with what it means for you.

How this calculator works

The chara (“moving”) karakas come from the Jaimini Sutras and Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (ch. 32). Each of the seven planets from the Sun to Saturn, and in the 8-karaka scheme Rahu too, is ranked by the degrees it has travelled through its sign, whatever the sign. The highest is the Atmakaraka, the significator of the self; then come the Amatyakaraka (career), Bhratrikaraka (siblings), Matrikaraka (mother), Pitrikaraka (father, 8-karaka scheme only), Putrakaraka (children), Gnatikaraka (rivals and kin) and Darakaraka (spouse).

Rahu moves backwards, so it is counted as 30° minus its degree. If two planets are within one arc-second of each other we say so: the texts differ on how to break an exact tie. Because the Moon moves about 13° a day, the birth time matters whenever the Moon is near the top or bottom of the ranking.

Calculated in your browser from the same chart as our free Kundli: sidereal zodiac, Lahiri ayanamsa, whole-sign houses, mean node. The numbers match our free Kundli exactly.

Background

In the Jaimini system, the planet that has travelled furthest through its sign is the Atmakaraka (the self), and the one with the second-highest degree is the Amatyakaraka (AmK), the "minister" who serves it. Astrologers read the AmK for career, counsel and the means of livelihood: the kind of work through which a person tends to fulfil their purpose. Amatyakaraka: The Career Significator in Jaimini Astrology →

Questions

What is the Atmakaraka?

In Jaimini astrology it is the planet that has travelled the most degrees through its sign at birth. It is read as the significator of the self, the planet whose themes run through the whole life.

Should I use 7 or 8 karakas?

Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (ch. 32) counts eight, adding Rahu; many modern authors follow a reading of the Jaimini Sutras with seven (Sun to Saturn). The calculator shows both: switch between them under the answer. Our free Kundli uses the 8-karaka scheme for the Atmakaraka.

Can Rahu be my Atmakaraka?

Only in the 8-karaka scheme. Because Rahu moves backwards, its degree is counted as 30° minus its position in the sign.

Do I need my birth time?

For most charts the karakas come out the same for any time that day, because only the Moon moves quickly. If the Moon is close to another planet in the ranking, the birth time decides it.