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Karana: half of the lunar day
A karana is half a tithi, one of the five limbs of the panchang. There are 11 karanas: seven movable ones that go round in a cycle and four fixed ones that come once a month around the new Moon. Below are all 11 with where they fall and what they are traditionally good for.
In short
- Each tithi has two halves: a karana changes every 6° of Moon–Sun separation.
- A lunar month has 60 karanas: 56 from the seven movable ones, 4 fixed.
- Vishti, also called Bhadra, is traditionally avoided for beginnings.
- Vanija favours trade, Bava and Balava good beginnings.
| Karana | Kind | In the lunar month | Favours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimstughna | fixed | first half of Shukla Pratipada | good deeds, rituals |
| Bava | movable | eight times a month | beginnings, steady affairs |
| Balava | movable | eight times a month | study, religious affairs |
| Kaulava | movable | eight times a month | friendship, socialising |
| Taitila | movable | eight times a month | home, building, adornment |
| Gara | movable | eight times a month | farming, household |
| Vanija | movable | eight times a month | trade, deals |
| Vishti | movable | eight times a month | unfavourable; not for starts |
| Shakuni | fixed | second half of Krishna Chaturdashi | healing, private matters |
| Chatushpada | fixed | first half of Amavasya | animals, rites for ancestors |
| Naga | fixed | second half of Amavasya | harsh tasks; not for starts |
How the karana is calculated
A tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12° on the Sun. Each tithi is split into two halves of 6°, and each half is a karana, so a lunar month holds 60 karanas. The first half of the first tithi of the bright fortnight is the fixed Kimstughna; then the seven movable karanas — Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti — repeat eight times; the last three halves of the month, before and at the new Moon, are the fixed Shakuni, Chatushpada and Naga.
What each karana is good for
The karana refines the character of its tithi. Bava, Balava and Kaulava are counted good for auspicious beginnings, Taitila and Gara for home and land, Vanija, “the trading one”, for trade. Vishti, also called Bhadra, is the best known: tradition avoids it for beginnings, and festivals such as Raksha Bandhan and Holika Dahan are timed around it. The four fixed karanas, falling around the new Moon, are counted unfavourable for new undertakings.
How much weight the karana carries
For ordinary matters the karana changes little: it is the finest of the five limbs. It matters most when you choose a time for something important and want to avoid Vishti, or when a festival rule names it. The day panchang gives the current karana and the time it ends in local time, with a link to its row below.
Questions
How many karanas are there?
What is Bhadra?
How long does a karana last?
Why are four karanas called fixed?
See also
Positions and tables: sidereal zodiac, Lahiri ayanamsha — the same as professional Jyotish astrologers use, and the same calculation as the charts in JyotiSoft. Updated 2026-10-17.
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