Janma Karana Calculator - Birth Karana & Its Meaning
Related Calculators
Frequently asked questions about Janma Karana
What exactly is a karana?
It is half a tithi. A tithi is completed every time the Moon gains 12 degrees on the Sun; split that in half and each 6-degree step is one karana. A lunar month therefore contains 60 karanas, built from just 11 names - seven that repeat eight times each and four that appear once, around the new moon.
I was born in Vishti or Bhadra. Is that unlucky?
Vishti is avoided for choosing an auspicious muhurta, but being born in it is a different matter entirely. Roughly one birth in eleven falls in Vishti. Classically it is read as an intense, forceful temperament that gets things done under pressure, not as misfortune. Being born in a period is not the same as starting something in it.
Why does my birth time need to be exact?
Because a karana lasts only about nine to twelve hours, and the pace varies with the Moon's speed. An hour or two of error can land you in the neighbouring karana, so this is one of the more time-sensitive Panchang readings. Pick the birth city from the dropdown as well, so the calculation runs on the right timezone.
What is the difference between the movable and fixed karanas?
The seven chara or movable karanas - Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti - cycle repeatedly through the month and cover most births. The four sthira or fixed karanas - Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna - occur only once each, clustered around Amavasya, so a birth in one of them is comparatively uncommon.
How does the karana relate to my tithi?
The karana is the finer grain of the same measurement. Your Janma Tithi gives the emotional keynote of the birth; the karana says which half of that tithi you arrived in and adds a shade of temperament to it. To see all five Panchang limbs together, use the Janma Panchang calculator.
What is Janma Karana?
Your Janma Karana is the karana active at birth. A karana is half a tithi: the Moon gains 12° on the Sun for a tithi, so each 6° half is one karana. A lunar month has 60 karanas from 11 names. Seven chara (movable) names - Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti - rotate through the month. Four sthira (fixed) names - Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna - each appear once near Amavasya.
Each karana has a lord, a symbol and an auspicious or inauspicious stamp for starting work. Vishti (Bhadra) is avoided in good muhurtas. The birth karana is a fine shade of temperament inside the birth tithi, not a verdict. A karana lasts about 9-12 hours, so the exact time and city matter.
This is not the full lunar day. Read the tithi on Janma Tithi and all five limbs on Janma Panchang. The Sun-Moon yoga limb is Janma Yoga. For the natal chart use Kundli Maker.
Have a question about your Janma Karana? Our astrologers answer real reader questions.
