What the chara karakas are
Most Vedic astrology gives each planet a fixed meaning: the Sun for the father, Venus for the spouse, Jupiter for children. The Jaimini system adds a second layer. Its chara karakas, the movable significators, are not fixed to a planet. They are given out afresh for every birth chart by ranking the planets according to how far each has travelled through its sign. The planet with the most degrees becomes the Atmakaraka, the significator of the self. The next is the Amatyakaraka, the minister, and the one with the fewest degrees is the Darakaraka, the significator of the spouse.
This calculator names the Amatyakaraka and the Darakaraka first, since those are the two most often asked about. It uses the same method as the Atmakaraka calculator, which shows the full ranking of all eight karakas, so the two pages always agree.
How the result is worked out
From the date, time and place of birth the tool finds the moment in universal time, with the time zone in force at the birth place. It reads the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn from the Swiss Ephemeris tables on this site, in the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa. For each planet it takes the degrees within its sign, from 0 to 30, and ranks them. The sign itself does not count, only how far into it the planet stands. The ranking gives the karakas in order: Atmakaraka, Amatyakaraka, Bhratrukaraka, Matrukaraka, Putrakaraka, Gnatikaraka and Darakaraka, with Pitrukaraka added in the eight planet scheme.
The tool uses the eight planet scheme, the same one as the Atmakaraka calculator, which adds Rahu. Rahu moves backwards through the zodiac, so its degrees are counted from the end of its sign, as 30 minus its position. That scheme has eight karakas and adds a Pitrukaraka for the father. Many teachers use only the seven planets from the Sun to Saturn, so the tool also shows that result, and tells you if the Amatyakaraka or the Darakaraka changes.
Reading your Amatyakaraka
The Amatyakaraka is read as the minister of the chart. Jaimini astrology links it with work, skills, the way you give advice and the support you get from others. The reading uses the planet, its sign, the house it occupies and the planets with it. A planet gives its own colour: a Mercury Amatyakaraka suggests a mind for analysis and communication, while a Saturn one suggests steady, patient work. These are descriptive tendencies, and they do not decide a career. The calculator on this page names the planet; the rest is for a chart reading.
Reading your Darakaraka
The Darakaraka is the planet with the fewest degrees, and tradition reads it for the qualities one looks for in a spouse and for the style of committed partnership. Venus, the natural significator of marriage, is not always the Darakaraka, and that is the point of the system. Treat the result as a theme to reflect on, not a forecast. Many people enjoy discussing it with a partner, and nothing in it is a verdict on a relationship.
Where traditions differ
Teachers disagree on three points. The first is the scheme, seven or eight planets, as above. The second is whether the Moon counts: here it does, as in most modern books. The third is the case of a tie or a near tie, where a small difference in the birth time can swap two planets. When two planets are within a quarter of a degree, the tool says so. Ayanamsa choices also move degrees by a fraction. Classical sources for the system are the Jaimini Sutras and the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, which mentions the chara karakas, and later commentators vary in detail.
What it does not do
It does not interpret the Navamsa or the Karakamsha, which Jaimini astrologers use with these karakas. For more, see the Atmakaraka calculator, the Navamsa calculator, the planet position calculator and the free kundali. For a reading, you can book a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
↳ How is the Amatyakaraka found?
Rank the planets by the degrees they have covered in their sign. The planet with the second highest number is the Amatyakaraka.
↳ Is the Darakaraka always Venus?
No. It is the planet with the fewest degrees in its sign in your chart, and it can be any of the planets. Venus remains the natural significator of marriage in the fixed system.
↳ Why is Rahu left out of the main table?
Many teachers use seven planets, and the tool shows that result as well. The headline uses the eight planet scheme, as the Atmakaraka calculator does, with Rahu counted from the end of its sign.
↳ Does the birth time matter?
Yes, especially for the Moon. If two planets are close in degrees, a few minutes can change the order, and the tool warns you when that happens.
↳ Does my Darakaraka say who I will marry?
No. It is a theme for reflection in a tradition, and it predicts nothing about a person or an event.