The Eleven Karanas: Lunar Half-Days The Karanas are taken from the Kar-Tsi, that part of Tibetan

astrology derived from Indian astrology, where they are much used. A Karana is one half a lunar day (tithie) or six degrees of solunar angular separation. Keep in mind that a lunar day is the time it takes the Moon to travel (in relation to the Sun) 12 degrees of arc. There are thirty lunar days in a month and thus sixty Karanas. There are eleven types of Karana, four of them occur just once a month and are called the Fixed Karanas: Kintughna, Chatushpada, Sakuni, and Naga. The other seven are movable and follow one another in strict rotation: Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti. Each of the Karanas is said to have a particular influence and interpretation, with Vishti being the most inauspicious of the group. Nothing of importance is done during the hald lunar day of Vishti. In the Tibetan almanacs the Karana is usually listed for each day as it exists at sunrise, about 5am of the current calendar day. On the next page is a list of the sixty Karanas, beginning with the moment of the New Moon and extending to the next New Moon.

Vishti Karana Said not be a good karana for any activity other than being aggressive and attacking enemies and obstacles. This is the bad karana and nothing positive should be undertaken
Panchaga is the technical word used to denote the 5 limbs of time that is very popular throughout india. The word Panchanga means 5-limbs (of time), but in general the word is treated to mean the same as ephemeris for all practical purpose. In india Panchanga is another name for ephimeris along with detailed tables for 5-limbs of time for each day and also with the planetary longitudes of all planets for every day. Use of these 5-Limbs in Muhurta determination for various actions is very popular. Apart from this in natal chart result derivation and Hororay astrology (Prashna) also the 5limbs of time are extensively used for result derivation. The 5-limbs of time are - 1. Tithi, 2. Nakshatra, 3.Nityayoga, 4. Vara, 5. Karana. The use of these 5-limbs is well pupular from the Vedic period itself. Let us look into this giving special importance to Karana and its use in Jataka, Prashna and Muhurta. What is the meaning of the word Karana? The word Karana points to actions that can be done, i.e. Karaneeya Karma. That is, Karana is a pointer towards the work or actions that can be executed in that specified period of time; actions that would yield positive or beneficial results if done in that time. Philosophical background This clearly shows that - just like any other limb of time, Karana is also used to evaluate the quolity of time to do specific actions. Note that evaluating the quolity of time becomes important only when we accept the predictive astrology. The quolity of time at which a work is started or an event took place determines its future; or better as per oriential belief, quolity of time (Muhurta) is one of the parameters which determines how the future will unfold. Naturally enough other parameters being - environment, own effort and so on. Astrology is not always fatalistic as is thought to be - it leaves plenty scope for environment and effort as well. Fate and Free-will are considered 2 wheels of the same chariot - without

one the other is useless. With this basic understanding about the philosophical background of influence of time and the use of 5-limbs in selection of time for performing actions let us look into the details of Karana division and its use in predictive astrology. The 11 Karanas There is a total of 11 Karanas - 7 Chara Karna and 4 Sthira Karana. Chara means moving and Sthira means fixed. Possibly Chara Karanas got that name because they repeat cyclically, and Sthira Karanas got that name because they dont repeat. Chara Karanas 1. Bava, 2. Balava 3. Kaulava, 4. Titila, 5. Gara, 6. Vanija, 7. Vishti Sthira Karanas 1. Sakuni, 2. Chatushpat, 3. Naga, 4. Koustubha. What does these Karna names mean? Are these words of Sanskrit origin? Does they provide some clues regarding the result derivation? These doubts would be clarified in the next section.

Karana Names and their word meaning

For this section on Karana names and their word meaning, I am much indepted to the exposure of the same by Maharshi Abhaya Katyayan in his extensive Hindi commentry on Adharva vedanga Jyotisha (Adharva Vedeeya Jyotisha). After expressing my regards to that great scholar, I am proceeding with explaining the same. 1. Bava In south india this is also know as Simha karnam (Lion). Anyway the word Bava has nothing to do with Lion. This word originated from the Sanskrit word Vapa, which means testacies, sperm, flush, creativity and so on. So naturally as you could expect this karana is good for all Chara deeds (such as journey, daily duties, business etc) and also for Stira deeds (such as sawing seeds, sexual intercourse, for putting foundation stone, worship, temple creation and so on). 2. Balava In south india this is also known as Puli karanam (Leopard). Anyway the word Balava has nothing to do with leopard. This word originated from the Sanskrit word Vadava, which means brahmin lady, female horse (mare), slave girl, prostitute and so on. The major meaning considered here is Brahmin lady. That is why this karana is good for Yajna, Homa (fire worship), study of Veda, for reading epic and puranas etc. It is good for all kinds of Santi karma.

3. Kaulava In south india this is also known as Panni karanam (Pig/Swine). Anyway the word Kaulava has nothing to do with Pig. This word originated from the Sanskrit word Kulapa or Kudava. Kudava is a kind of measurement vessel (also known as Nazhi in south india). 1 Kudava = 32 Tola. Kula means traditional family. so the word Kaula can refer to anyone who follows a traditional path, or traditional job. For example Kulala is the one who creates mud vessels, and Kaulalam is mud vessel. Kaulika is weaver and is also another name for people who follow the traditional SivaSakta tantric path of worship. Also remember the word Kaul, popular especially among Kashmiri pundits essentially pointing to Kaulachara (Kaula system of siva-sakti worship). Thus essentially Kaulava karana is related to family, tradition and any thing worldly. Thus naturally it is good for all Sthira karma (such as friendship, compromise, agreement or anything which we want to stay for long).
4. Taitila In south india this is also known as Kazhuta karnam (Donkey). Anyway the word Taitila has nothing to do with Donkey. This word originated from the Sanskrit word Titir, which means getting awards, rewards or respect. Titir is a word with great history. Remember the sage Titir based on whom the Taitireeya banch of vedic knowledge got its name. It could be because of the reverence to him that the word Titir got the meaning respect or reward. Titiksha means patience. There is one very popular English word which originated from the same root word i.e. Title. Apart from the meaning heading, the word Title also means entitling, giving a special name out of respect as a award, reward. Remember the Sir title awarded in medieval periods to many, and also the titles Lord, Dr etc. Thus naturally Taitila karana is good for all activities related to king, authority, ornamentation, ornamenting the idols and revered ones and so on. Of course, to be near the kings or people in power and authority without losing head demands a lot of patience as well. For pledge taking,

receiving position, charge taking etc usually Taitila karana is preferred. 5. Gara In south india this is also known as Gaja karana (Elephant). Anyway the word Taitila has nothing to do with Elephant. Here the root word itself is Gara meaning hard, difficult, demanding more effort and so on. Remember the words Garima (proud beauty), Gurutva (essence fullness), Garishta (most dense, most valuable), Gareeyan (most revered, great). Actually this word has a better history. In the ancient past the jobs that are considered difficult are cattle/horse/elephant breading, agriculture and rural business of grains, vehicle related and so on; they demand much effort from the villager. Hriha is a word that points to any type of house. The jobs that comes under the category of difficult jobs and the word gara points to is cattle shed, horse shed, elephant shed and so on. For example Aswa-gara (horse shed). The vehicle of ancient period is horse, and the place to land the vehicle is Garage as per English language. Note that English is also a language of Indo-European language family. The point to note is that it is just due all this that Gara karana is very auspicious for any hard and difficult jobs, whether it be related to vehicle, cattle, house, machinery, rural business and so on. 6. Vanija In south india this karana is known as Surabhi karanam (Cow). Anyway the word Vanija has nothing to do with Cow. This word originated from the Sanskrit word Panija or Pani meaning Phoenician, businessman or market. Remember the word Vanijya (business) which too is a related word. The word Pani or Pany means Phoenician or business (In the vedic past the Phoenicians did business with India). Note the presence of this word in the modern day English word company (company) thus company essentially means group business. Looking at the history of this word it is clear that Vanija or Panija is a word essentially related to business. Thus naturally this Karana is good for starting a business, selling plot or building or anything of the like and so on. 7. Vishti In south india this karana is known with this self same name, and it is assumed that the shape of Vishti is similar to a dog. Anyway the word Vishti has nothing to do with dog. Here the root word itself is Vishti meaning effort without benefit, work without payment; in short wastage of time, money and energy. Vishiti is Vi-Ishti. Ishti is yaga or work. Vi-Ishti is useless Ishti or useless work; i.e. work that got wasted. In short vishti means waste both words (vishti and waste) originated from the same root. Thus naturally this karana is not good for beneficial or good deeds and also for deeds for which we expect some benefit (even punya) in return.

Are We calculating Karanas Correctly?

It is believed that the Panchanga at birth is important in deriving results related to natal chart as well. There are some special techniques used by good astrologers for correlating Panchangas with the result derivation concerning natal chart. But the prime importance of Panchanga (5 limbs of time; such as Tithi, Nakshatra, Nitya yoga, Vara and Karana) is related to Muhurta dertermination. Associating Karana results generally with the native and especially with the Sun DasaMoon Antara is a common practice. A special point to remember is that we might be calculating Karanas wrongly right now - Because as per modern books Karana is half of Tithi (Tithyardham Karnam) - but the question arises - if Karana is just half of Tithi, why should we consider it as indipendent at all? Why should we attribute a special limb to it? Mere use of the word Purvardha of Tithi, and Uttarardha of Tithi must have been sufficient. If Karana has a constent 6 degree span, and is just the half of Tithi, then sinerely speaking there is no new limb such as Karana at all! So what is the clue? What is the idea hiding behind? What is the bit of lost knowledge? Yes, there is some! As per Adharva vedeeya jyotisha, Karana is NOT half of Tithi - but it is the special name attributed to day time part of the tithi and night time part of the tithi - means their duration is NOT constent (such as 6 degree) - and this is what makes Karana an independent limb! Like the day and night which is associated with Solar day, Day time karana and Night time Karana are the day and night of the Lunar day (i.e. Tithi)! Karana as an indipendended limb of time How to use Panchanga in Result derivation There is no need of Jugglery provided one understands the basics well. The fundamental and trustworthy point in associating Panchanga with natal chart is to consider ruler of concerned limb and not its position in the natal chart and arrive at a solid conclusion - it is a popular nadi methodology as well. As you know 1. Nakshatra - has a lord and you can not the position of the nakshtra lord in chart, and provide a related sold derivation. Nakshatra is a pointer towards the mind. 2. Nitya yoga - is essentially associated with Nakshatras and has a lord, and a solid system of result derivation, and you can not the position of the nakshtra lord in chart to provide a related solid derivation. Nityayoga is also a pointer to the proximity of Sun and Moon - which makes it all the more important. 3. Tithi - does not have a lord, but Tithi is considered the body. Tithi is considered the most important limb among the 5limbs (Panchanga) and as such the we can expect that similar to Nakshatra or better than nakshtra the tithi results should match to the native. In arriving at deities of for worship etc Tithi is considered with importance, and as such definitely you can arrive at many useful derivations based on Tithi - since it also a pointer to the proximity of Sun and Moon. 4. Vara - Vara has a lord and its position in natal chart is important and certainly helps us to reach some defenite derivations. Vara is 24 hours and Sukshma vara is 1 hour each. That means Sukshma vara is nothing but Kala hora - and Vara sputa is nothing but Lagna sputa! I hope, it is not necessary to describe the importance of the same. Without any jugglery it provides many definite results for sure. 5. Karana - Karana is the day and night of the Lunar day (Tithi). It is said that Karnat Karya siddhichaH (Karana indicates fullfillment of work); or in other words Karana can be considered as a pointer to the type of work under taken by an individual. Definitely all these are DASA DEPENDENT even though they can be applied or expected to be true in a general sense as well. Thus NO JUGGLERY is needed but instead all of them helps the learned astrologer to arrive at many solid results. I am not interested in going into the details of the above methods as of now, because these methods are not as fundamental to result derivation as 7-fold approach. some say that - jugglery is necessary to derive results using

Panchanga; It is NOT SO; there are systematic approaches available to arrive at solid results based on Panchanga as well. As Renu ji, one of my good friends in ancient_indian_astrology yahoo group remarkedIf the placement of planets also support such good/bad qualities indicated by karana, I suppose one can make a fair enough judgement of the native. A point well stated! That itself is the secret behind the use of Panchanga to make dependable derivations! But first - what are these good/bad quolities (of the native) indicated by Karana? I will explain.

How to use Karana in Natal chart result derivation

In my opinion the approach behind Karana names and co-relating it with the natives nature is simple. The results be Similar to meaning of Karna names :) Some example description is given below. I am giving the other poplar names of those karana (duty; proper for word) names in bracket for the people who are not familiar with the original name to understand the same. 1) Kausthubha (Kimstukhna/Puzhu) = Kausthubha means sandel, gem or elephant. Anyway this is a Karana proper for sages and saints; especially those who follow traditional tantric worship. The nature of the native born in this karana would be similar to the same. 2) Bala (Vapa/Simha) = Highly creative; desire filled; able; artistic; In essence Rajasik - good for kings and worldly individuals with a practical mind. 3) Balava (Vadava/puli) = Brahmanic; good for worship and worldly acts; able. 4) Kaulava (Varaha/panni) = Traditional jobs; people who follow traditional jobs and traditional tantric worship; normal society people; villagers who value tradition. Good for common people. 5) Taitila (Khara/Kazhuta)= Title; good for awards and rewards; good for celebrities; good for govt. servant; creative, famous. 6) Gara (Gaja) = Hard working; technicians; people to who specialize in different areas of work with needs continuous training and talent. 7) Vanija (Surabhi/Pasu) = Business men. 8) Vishti = Useless people - who waste the time, money and energy of themselves and others. 9) Sakuni (Pullu) = Sharp mind; interested in speculation; clever; Politicians. 10) Chatushpad (Nalkali/Quadruped) = Normal people; vehicle related jobs. 11) Naga (Pampu) = Chance for deformed body at birth; Rebels; dont value society accepted paths - but instead creates their own paths - or follow traditional tantiric paths not accepted by current society. Angry, destructive, able. Fire like. Hope this brief description would be helpful in understanding the people born in those Karanas. [Pending - Elaborate this section with subjects such as "Use of Karana in Prashna", "Use of Karana in Muhurta" etc]

Important Point to Remember

Use of Karana names in result derivation is not a major path, but a common, one similar to other 4 limbs of time (such as Vara, Nakshatra, Tithi and Nityayoga), and could be useful. Dont give too much importance to such derivations - but of course they too are useful, in understanding the quolity of time (including birth time).

References:
* Adharva Jyotisha - Hindi commentry on Adharva vedanga Jyotisha by Maharshi Abhaya Katyayan, Published by Choukhamba Surbharati Prakashan, Varanasi. The references to the use of 5-limbs of time present in this book is as old as the Vedas - and deals with the system of astrology practiced and praised in ancient vedic past of BC 3000 - BC 1500. But the book itself seems to be of AD origin considering the style of language used - but defenitly the knowledge contained in it is in tune with the other available Vedanga Jyotisha texts such as Rig Jyotisha and Yajush Jyotisha. * Adharva Jyotisha - Hindi commentry on Adharva vedanga Jyotisha by Girija Shankar Sastri, Alahabad. * Various Sanskrit Dictionaries * Jataka-alankara of Dundi Raja. * Deva Prasnaanushtana Pradeepam by Sreenadh OG, Published by Bhagya Book house, Trivandrum; A text written in Malayalam language containing a collection of numerous ancient sanskrit quotes with commentry as could be used in Deva Prashna (Temple Prashna); a system of horory astrology popular in South India.