Darakaraka calculator
Find your darakaraka, your spouse planet. Of the seven planets, it is the one at the lowest degree in its sign. Classical astrology reads it for the spouse, so its nature tends to colour your partnerships: what you look for in a partner, and what the two of you build together. Your result also names your atmakaraka and your amatyakaraka, from the same ranking.
Your date and place of birth. Add the time if you know it. On about two birthdays in three, the Moon changes the answer during the day, and the time adds the house your darakaraka sits in.
What is the darakaraka?
Classical astrology ranks the seven planets, the Sun to Saturn, by how far each has travelled through its own sign. The highest is the atmakaraka, the next is the amatyakaraka, and so on down.
The last one, at the lowest degree, is the stree karaka, the planet for the spouse. Darakaraka is the later name for it, from dara, which means spouse.
Darakaraka and atmakaraka: how are they linked?
Both come from one ranking, so one calculation gives you both.
- The planet furthest through its sign is the atmakaraka, read for the self.
- The one that has travelled least is the darakaraka, read for the spouse.
Your result names both, with the amatyakaraka, the planet read for work, and the four in between. Each of the three has its own page, with what it is read for.
Atmakaraka calculator: your soul planet, and what it is read for
Which house, nakshatra and navamsa sign is my darakaraka in?
Your result places your darakaraka four ways:
- its sign and degree
- its nakshatra, which of the 27 stars along the Moon's path it stands in
- its house
- the sign it falls in when the chart is redrawn as the navamsa (D9)
The navamsa is there because classical astrology reads the spouse from it, beside the birth chart. The house needs your birth time. The rest does not.
What does my darakaraka planet mean?
Each planet brings its own nature to partnership. The middle column gives the planet's meaning in classical astrology. The last column is our reading of what it tends to bring to yours.
| Darakaraka | Its classical meaning | What it tends to bring to partnership |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | the soul | Respect: a partner you look up to, and who sees you clearly. |
| Moon | the mind | Someone who notices your moods, and a home kept warm. |
| Mars | strength | Courage: a partner with backbone, and the two of you on the same side. |
| Mercury | speech | A partner you can talk to for hours, and messages through the day. |
| Jupiter | knowledge and happiness | Growth: a partner you learn from, and judgement you both trust. |
| Venus | desire and beauty | Affection: someone who makes an ordinary evening lovely. |
| Saturn | grief, and what endures it | A partner who stays through the slow years and keeps their word. |
None of these is a better darakaraka than another. Each one points to what tends to matter most to you in a partnership.
Where does classical astrology look for marriage?
The darakaraka is one of three places:
- The 7th house is the place in the chart for marriage, and in our reading, for your closest one-to-one partnerships.
- Venus is the planet classical astrologers named for marriage and for the spouse.
- The darakaraka is the planet picked by degree, so it changes from chart to chart.
When two planets tie for the lowest degree, later astrologers fall back on Venus. We read all three together.
What does the darakaraka say about my partner?
Classical astrology reads the spouse through this planet. So its nature tends to colour the person you choose and the partnership you make. A Moon darakaraka leans towards care and a warm home. A Saturn one leans towards loyalty that grows over the years.
What it can't give is a name, a face or a date. No chart can, so we don't offer one.
Why does the birth time matter?
The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day. So within hours it can overtake another planet in the ranking. And when it enters a new sign, it drops to the lowest degree and becomes the darakaraka itself.
On about two birthdays in three, the answer changes during the day. Without a time, we show each possible darakaraka with the hours of birth it holds for. With a time, the result also shows which house your darakaraka sits in.
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Open the sample readingWhich house is my darakaraka in?
Add your birth time above, and the result shows it, counted from your rising sign. Without a time, we can name the planet and its sign, but not the house.
Can I find my darakaraka without a birth time?
On about one birthday in three, yes: the date and place settle it. On the others, the Moon changes the ranking during the day, so we show each possible darakaraka with the hours of birth it holds for. If you know you were born in the morning or late at night, that is often enough. The house always needs the time.
Where is my darakaraka in the D9 chart?
Your result names the navamsa (D9) sign your darakaraka falls in. Classical astrology reads the spouse from the navamsa, beside the birth chart, so it is worth knowing where this planet sits there.
Is this an atmakaraka and darakaraka calculator?
Yes. One ranking gives all seven karakas. So your result names your atmakaraka, your amatyakaraka and your darakaraka together, with the full order in a table.
What does my darakaraka say about my future spouse?
Classical astrology reads the spouse through this planet, so its nature tends to colour the person you choose and the partnership you build. Venus points to affection, Saturn to loyalty that grows with time. The table above has all seven. It can't give a name, a face or a date.
Is the darakaraka the same as the 7th house?
They are different. The 7th house is a place in the chart, and the darakaraka is a planet picked by its degree. Classical astrology reads both for marriage, along with Venus.
Do Rahu and Ketu count?
We use the seven-planet scheme, the Sun to Saturn, so they don't count here. Some astrologers add Rahu to make eight karakas, and classical astrology knows both schemes.
Why is my darakaraka different on another site?
Usually because the other site counts eight karakas, with Rahu, or uses a different ayanamsa. The ayanamsa is the setting that fixes where the Vedic zodiac starts. We use seven planets and the Lahiri ayanamsa.
What are my atmakaraka and amatyakaraka?
They are the first and second planets in the same ranking. Your result names them under your darakaraka. Each has its own free page: the atmakaraka calculator and the amatyakaraka calculator.
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