How karana is calculated

A karana is half a tithi, covering six degrees of the Moon’s longitude relative to the Sun.

A lunar month contains thirty tithis and sixty karanas. The sixty positions are named using a sequence of seven repeating karanas and four fixed karanas.

The eleven names

The seven repeating karanas are Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti. Their sequence repeats eight times, accounting for fifty-six positions.

The four fixed karanas are Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna. Each appears once, near the new moon. Together, these complete the month's sixty karanas.

Vishti or Bhadra

Vishti is also known as Bhadra. In traditional muhurta selection, this period is generally avoided for auspicious beginnings. The daily page identifies the karana present at sunrise and gives its ending time.

Reading the ending time

Half a tithi means half its angular interval. It does not necessarily mean half its duration in hours, because the Moon's speed varies. Karana ending times are calculated separately at each six-degree boundary.