In the Jaimini system of Vedic astrology, every planet in your chart carries a Karaka (कारक) — a significator role assigned by degree. The planet with the highest degree becomes the Atmakaraka, the soul's primary indicator. The next six planets by descending degree each take one of the remaining Karaka roles. Together these seven planets form a complete map of your soul's agenda — what it came to achieve, who it came to meet, and what karma it carries forward.
Free · Chara Karakas
Enter your birth details. The system identifies all 7 Chara Karakas — Atmakaraka through Darakaraka — and explains each one's role in your chart.
Swiss Ephemeris · Lahiri Ayanamsa · Sub-arc-second precision · Free forever
Atmakaraka · Amatyakaraka · Bhratrukaraka · Matrukaraka · Putrakaraka · Gnatikaraka · Darakaraka
Chara means movable — unlike the fixed Sthira Karakas (where Jupiter always signifies children, Venus always signifies wife), the Chara Karakas shift from chart to chart based on planetary degrees. Every planet except Rahu and Ketu is ranked by its degree of longitude within its sign, from highest to lowest. The ranking produces seven roles, one per planet.
NAKSHATRA computes all seven Chara Karakas automatically to arc-second precision from your Swiss Ephemeris positions. When two planets share the same degree, the arc-minute and arc-second break the tie.
The Atmakaraka (आत्मकारक — self-maker) is the planet with the highest degree of longitude in the chart. It represents the soul itself — its primary karmic agenda for this incarnation, the lessons it chose before birth, and the qualities it most needs to confront. Jaimini's Sutras treat the Atmakaraka like a king: other planets assist or obstruct its agenda, but the agenda belongs to the AK alone.
The Amatyakaraka (अमात्यकारक — the minister) is the second highest degree planet. It signifies the mind's primary occupation, the career path the soul uses to fulfil its mission, and the key advisors and colleagues who shape professional life. Where the Atmakaraka is the king, the Amatyakaraka does the actual work of implementing the soul's agenda.
In practice this is the most useful Karaka for career direction. Its sign, house placement, and strength in D1 and D10 (Dasamsa) reveal the work the soul is equipped for. A strong Amatyakaraka in D10 is a reliable indicator of professional authority. A weak or afflicted one signals career instability or misalignment between the native's work and their soul's actual purpose.
The Bhratrukaraka (भ्रातृकारक — sibling-maker) is the third highest degree planet. It governs siblings, co-born relatives, close friends who function like siblings, and personal courage. A strong Bhratrukaraka in D1 and D3 (Drekkana) indicates supportive siblings and genuine initiative. A weak or afflicted one suggests friction with siblings or difficulty asserting personal will when it counts.
Mars is the fixed karaka for siblings in the Parashari system, but in Jaimini the Bhratrukaraka can be any planet. This is why two people with Mars in entirely different states can have very different sibling dynamics — the Chara Karaka adds a layer the fixed karaka alone cannot explain.
The Matrukaraka (मातृकारक — mother-maker) is the fourth highest degree planet. It governs the mother, the home, property, emotional security, and the foundations laid in early life. The quality of the Matrukaraka describes the native's relationship with the mother and the emotional environment that shaped the psyche.
To analyse mother and home fully, the Matrukaraka is read alongside the 4th house of D1 and the D4 (Chaturthamsa). A strong Matrukaraka and strong D4 indicates stable domestic life and supportive maternal influence. An afflicted Matrukaraka often correlates with emotional instability in the home, maternal health issues, or early separation.
The Putrakaraka (पुत्रकारक — children-maker) is the fifth highest degree planet. It governs children, students, disciples, and the fruits of creative intelligence. The term Putra literally means son, but classically it includes all who carry your lineage forward — biological children and also intellectual lineage through students and disciples.
The Putrakaraka is read alongside Jupiter (fixed karaka for children), the 5th house of D1, and the D7 (Saptamsa). A strong Putrakaraka in a supportive house with a strong D7 indicates ease with children and a legacy through teaching or mentorship. A weak or afflicted Putrakaraka suggests delays, obstacles, or karmic lessons through children.
The Gnatikaraka (ज्ञातिकारक — extended-family-maker) is the sixth highest degree planet. It governs extended family, rivals, enemies, diseases, and the obstacles the soul agreed to confront. It is the chart's primary indicator of karmic competition — the areas where you are forced to struggle, defend, and refine yourself.
In practical terms, the Gnatikaraka is one of the best indicators for litigation, conflict, and chronic challenges. It is read alongside the 6th house of D1 and the D6 (Shashtamsa) when available. When Gnatikaraka is strong and well placed, the native defeats enemies and rises through competition. When weak or afflicted, obstacles feel overwhelming until discipline is developed.
The Darakaraka (दारकारक — spouse-maker) is the planet with the lowest degree of longitude in the chart. It represents the spouse, long-term partner, and the soul's primary one-to-one relationship. Of all seven Karakas, the Darakaraka is the most directly applicable to marriage prediction — it describes the nature of the partner and the quality of the bond from the soul's perspective.
Where the 7th house of D1 shows the promise of partnership and the D9 7th house shows how it feels from inside, the Darakaraka shows who the partner is — their character, the role they play in the soul journey, and the karmic purpose of the union. The Darakaraka's placement in D9, its aspects, and its Navamsa sign are the primary Jaimini tools for marriage quality assessment.
Venus remains the fixed karaka for the wife in a man's chart, and Jupiter for the husband in a woman's chart in the Parashari system. The Darakaraka does not replace these — it adds the Jaimini layer alongside the fixed karakas, not instead of them.