Karana Today
A karana is half of a tithi — every tithi contains two of them. The other four limbs of the Panchang are given in full below.
What this page tells you
This gives today’s karana — the fifth limb of the panchang, and the least understood. A karana is half a tithi.
How it is calculated
The same Sun–Moon difference, but taken in steps of 6° — two karanas to each 12° tithi. A full cycle holds sixty karanas, but only eleven names. Seven are chara (movable) — Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija, Vishti — repeating eight times over, and four are sthira (fixed) — Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna — each occurring once per cycle.
How to read it
The karana is given with the time it changes. The one most discussed is Vishti (Bhadra), during which the tradition advises against beginning something auspicious. The others are held suitable for different kinds of work. But a karana alone decides nothing; it is one of the panchang’s five limbs.
Common questions
How many karanas fall in a day?
Usually two, since each tithi holds two. But because tithis and days differ in length, a day can occasionally touch three.
How bad is Vishti or Bhadra?
The tradition advises against starting something new during it — that is all. It recurs several times a month, so treating it as a calamity is not what was intended.
Why do the four fixed karanas occur only once?
Because fifty-six of the sixty slots are taken by eight repetitions of the seven movable karanas, leaving four slots — around the new moon — for the fixed ones.
All the calculation happens in this browser — your city and date are never sent anywhere. Sunrise and sunset come from astronomical computation; Rahu Kaal, Choghadiya and Hora are traditional divisions built on top of them. This is offered as guidance, not as a promise of any outcome.