Sun
Sun as Darakaraka is traditionally read for a partner with visible authority, pride, or a father-like presence. It does not by itself describe appearance or guarantee marriage.
Free Atmakaraka & Chara Karakas
Free Darakaraka Calculator
Discover your Darakaraka (spouse significator), Atmakaraka (soul significator), and all seven Jaimini Chara Karakas using your birth date, time, and birthplace.
Free · No signup requiredLahiri AyanamsaTrue Rahu
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Date, exact time, and place generate Darakaraka and Atmakaraka.
Free · No signup required · Sidereal Zodiac · Lahiri Ayanamsa · True Rahu
Darakaraka Planet
Atmakaraka Planet
7 Chara Karakas
◇ D1 & D9 Placements
Worked example
Sample Darakaraka Calculation: 7 vs 8 Karakas
If you already calculated, your result is above. The degrees below are a fixed teaching example, not a personal chart.
These in-sign degrees are hypothetical, not a birth chart. They show why two websites can name different Darakarakas: seven-karaka tools ignore Rahu; eight-karaka tools reverse Rahu’s degree and insert Pitrikaraka.
PlanetDegree in sign7-Karaka rank
Sun26° 10′Atmakaraka
Jupiter23° 20′Amatyakaraka
Mars18° 30′Bhratrikaraka
Moon14° 10′Matrikaraka
Venus12° 00′Putrakaraka
Mercury7° 40′Gnatikaraka
Saturn3° 15′Darakaraka
If Rahu is at 29°10′, its eight-karaka ranking value is 30° − 29°10′ = 0°50′—the lowest in this set. Darakaraka becomes Rahu, Saturn slips to Gnatikaraka, and Venus becomes Pitrikaraka. Saturn remains DK only in the seven-planet ranking.
PlanetDegree in sign7-Karaka8-Karaka
Sun26° 10′AtmakarakaAtmakaraka
Moon14° 10′MatrikarakaMatrikaraka
Mars18° 30′BhratrikarakaBhratrikaraka
Mercury7° 40′GnatikarakaPutrakaraka
Jupiter23° 20′AmatyakarakaAmatyakaraka
Venus12° 00′PutrakarakaPitrikaraka
Saturn3° 15′DarakarakaGnatikaraka
Rahu29° 10′ → 0° 50′—Darakaraka
Jaimini significators
What Is Darakaraka in Vedic Astrology?
In Jaimini, the spouse significator is not always Venus. It is whichever classical planet holds the lowest degree inside its sign.
Darakaraka (DK) is a movable significator in Jaimini Vedic astrology associated with marriage and partnership themes. In the seven-karaka system, it is the planet with the lowest degree within its zodiac sign among the seven classical planets. Its sign, house, and Navamsa placement are traditionally considered alongside the rest of the birth chart.
Parāśara practice often keeps Venus as a fixed marriage karaka. Chara Karakas do not work that way: the same graha can be Darakaraka in one chart and Atmakaraka in another. Ranking in-sign degrees is the method; looking up a single named planet is not.
After the planet is identified, readers still place it in the D1 house and the D9 sign, and they still weigh the 7th house. DK names a partnership significator. It does not describe a future spouse or forecast a wedding.
In-sign degrees, highest to lowest
How Is Darakaraka Calculated?
Each planet is ranked by its degree inside the current sign. Sort those degrees from highest to lowest. Atmakaraka is first; Darakaraka is last. A planet at 29° of Aries outranks a planet at 2° of Leo, even though Leo sits later in the zodiac. Do not rank planets by their place in the full 360° circle.
The seven classical planets in this ranking are Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Ketu is never used. Charts here use the sidereal zodiac with Lahiri Ayanamsa and True Rahu. Rahu enters the list only in the eight-karaka scheme, described next.
Birth time still matters. Degrees move through the day—the Moon especially—and D1 houses need the Ascendant. Date of birth alone is not a complete, precise result.
- 1Find sidereal positions
Use the birth moment, place, historical time zone, and Lahiri Ayanamsa for each graha.
- 2Take the degree in sign
Use the degree inside the current sign (0° to 30°). Do not rank by position around the whole zodiac.
- 3Rank highest to lowest
Assign AK through DK in that order. The sample earlier on this page walks through a full list.
Why two sites disagree
7 vs 8 Chara Karakas: What's the Difference?
This calculator defaults to seven Chara Karakas. Some Jaimini schools add Rahu as an eighth planet, insert Pitrikaraka as a fifth role, and can therefore name a different Darakaraka. Ketu is omitted in both schemes. You can switch methods in your result without entering your details again.
OrderKarakaTraditional theme
1Atmakaraka (AK)Soul / self significator
2Amatyakaraka (AmK)Career and counsel
3Bhratrikaraka (BK)Siblings and courage
4Matrikaraka (MK)Mother and home
5Putrakaraka (PK)Children and creativity
6Gnatikaraka (GK)Obstacles and kin
7Darakaraka (DK)Spouse and partnership
Eight-karaka ranking measures Rahu by how much of its sign it has yet to traverse. Because Rahu is always retrograde, that remainder is 30° minus its in-sign degree. A Rahu at 29°10′ therefore ranks as 0°50′—often last, which is why it becomes Darakaraka in the sample above.
OrderKarakaWhat changes
1–4AK, AmK, BK, MKSame four roles as in the seven-karaka list
5Pitrikaraka (PiK)Father / paternal significator — the extra role
6Putrakaraka (PK)One rank lower than in the seven-karaka list
7Gnatikaraka (GK)One rank lower than in the seven-karaka list
8Darakaraka (DK)Last of eight, so Rahu can be Darakaraka
This site uses True Rahu (the true lunar node). Mean Rahu can sit about a degree and a half away—enough to swap a close ranking even when both tools claim “eight karakas.” Lahiri versus another ayanamsa, and a different birth time or time zone, produce the same kind of mismatch. Switch to 8 Karakas in your result if you need to compare with a site that includes Rahu.
Traditional planet notes
What Does Your Darakaraka Planet Mean?
The planet names a tone. The D1 house shows where that tone tends to appear; the D9 sign shows how it matures. None of this is a portrait of a future partner, and it should be read with the 7th house.
Moon
Moon as Darakaraka is traditionally read for a caring, changeable, or emotionally central partnership. Treat it as a tone for relating, not a forecast of the spouse’s mood.
Mars
Mars as Darakaraka is traditionally read for drive, heat, and decisive energy in partnership. It can describe a vigorous bond without promising conflict or a soldier-spouse.
Mercury
Mercury as Darakaraka is traditionally read for a communicative, youthful, or commercially minded partner. Speech and shared learning matter more here than a single personality label.
Jupiter
Jupiter as Darakaraka is traditionally read for counsel, dharma, and a partner associated with teaching or guidance. It is a significator of tone, not a promise of wealth or piety.
Venus
Venus as Darakaraka is the most familiar marital significator in this list: affection, taste, and the wish to pair. Even then, Venus is one factor beside the 7th house and Navamsa.
Saturn
Saturn as Darakaraka is traditionally read for delay, seriousness, age difference, or a duty-heavy bond. It can describe endurance in partnership without predicting hardship.
Rahu can be Darakaraka only in the eight-karaka scheme. Tradition then often reads an unconventional, foreign, or hard-to-classify partnership—not a verdict that marriage will be chaotic.
Two ends of the same ranking
Darakaraka vs Atmakaraka
They are the two ends of one ranked list.
Atmakaraka (AK) is the highest-ranked planet by degree within its sign in the Jaimini Chara Karaka system. Darakaraka is the lowest-ranked. This calculator identifies both and shows the complete planetary ranking.
Tradition reads AK as the soul or self significator; its Navamsa sign is called Karakamsha. DK is the partnership significator. Between them sit Amatyakaraka (career and counsel) and the other Chara Karakas. Amatyakaraka is second in that ranking and is shown in the same table.
One chart, one ranking. Switching from seven to eight karakas can move AK as well as DK if Rahu’s reversed degree sits at either extreme. For the D9 view of either planet, use the Navamsa (D9) Chart Calculator.
Common questions
Darakaraka Calculator FAQ
What is my Darakaraka?
Enter your birth date, exact time, and birthplace above. This calculator ranks the seven classical planets by degree within their signs. Darakaraka is the planet with the lowest degree—the last of the seven Chara Karakas. The result also names Atmakaraka, the highest-ranked planet.
How do I calculate my Darakaraka?
Use each classical planet’s degree inside its current zodiac sign, then sort those degrees from highest to lowest. The first planet is Atmakaraka; the last is Darakaraka. This page does that ranking for you from a Lahiri sidereal chart. Do not rank planets by their place in the full 360° circle.
Can I find my Darakaraka by date of birth?
Date of birth is not enough for a complete, precise result. Planetary degrees move with time, and D1 houses need the Ascendant from an exact birth time and place. If the Moon sits close to another planet in degree, a small timing error can change the karaka order. Use date, recorded time, and birthplace together.
What is the difference between Atmakaraka and Darakaraka?
Atmakaraka is the planet with the highest degree within its sign; Darakaraka is the planet with the lowest. In Jaimini practice AK is the soul or self significator and DK is the spouse or partnership significator. This calculator identifies both and shows the full ranking between them.
Which house is my Darakaraka in?
After you calculate, the Darakaraka card and ranking table show the D1 whole-sign house. The D1 and D9 charts in your result highlight that house so you can see Darakaraka in the birth chart and in Navamsa.
Why is my Darakaraka different on another website?
The usual causes are seven-karaka versus eight-karaka schemes, whether Rahu is included and reversed, Lahiri versus another ayanamsa, True Rahu versus Mean Rahu, and birth-time or time-zone differences. This site defaults to seven Chara Karakas, Lahiri Ayanamsa, and True Rahu, and lets you switch to the eight-karaka ranking on the same chart.
Can Rahu be my Darakaraka?
Only in the eight-karaka scheme. Seven-karaka ranking uses Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Eight-karaka ranking adds Rahu with a reversed in-sign degree (30° minus Rahu’s degree) and inserts Pitrikaraka. Ketu is never ranked. Switch to 8 Karakas in the result to see whether Rahu takes DK in your chart.
Is this Darakaraka Calculator free?
Yes. There is no signup and no charge. You enter birth date, time, and place; the chart is calculated the same way as the other tools on this site, then the Chara Karakas are ranked from those positions. Birth details are not saved.