Karana in the panchang: half of a tithi
A karana is half of a tithi: six degrees of Moon minus Sun elongation. A lunar month holds 60 karanas. Eleven names appear: seven repeat through the middle of the month and four are fixed at the edges.
You'll learn
- How karana relates to tithi
- Seven repeating karanas
- Four fixed karanas at month edges
- How 60 half-tithis fill a lunar month
- Vishti or Bhadra naming
Seven repeating
- Bava
- Balava
- Kaulava
- Taitila
- Gara
- Vanija
- Vishti
Cycle through most half-tithis; spelling varies by region
Four fixed
- Kimstughna
- Shakuni
- Chatushpada
- Naga
Appear once each at set positions in the month
Six degrees, twice per tithi
If a tithi spans 12 degrees of Moon minus Sun, each karana spans 6 degrees. Two karanas make one tithi.
60 karanas per lunar month
Thirty tithis times two halves equals sixty karanas. Software finds the karana index by dividing Moon minus Sun by six degrees and reading the name from the traditional table.
Karana end times appear on detailed panchangs because a half-tithi can change within a civil morning or afternoon.
How the seven repeat
After the opening fixed karana Kimstughna, the seven movable karanas cycle in order through the waxing and waning halves until the last three fixed karanas close the month.
Position table varies by publisher
Kimstughna occupies the first half of shukla pratipada. Then Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti repeat in order, eight times over, from the second half of shukla pratipada to the first half of krishna chaturdashi (56 half-tithis in all).
The last three half-tithis of the month are fixed: Shakuni is the second half of krishna chaturdashi, Chatushpada is the first half of amavasya and Naga is the second half of amavasya. Exact indexing is standard in siddhanta software but rarely memorised by beginners.
Some writers spell Gara as Garaja. Skybond's API uses Gara. Treat spelling as varies by tradition.
Vishti or Bhadra
Vishti is the seventh repeating karana. Many North Indian almanacs also call it Bhadra and mark it as a half-tithi traditionally avoided for starting new work.
Neutral almanac note
Vishti is not a separate limb. It is one name in the seven-fold cycle. Regional calendars highlight it with a warning symbol for muhurta.
Skybond records the name and time without telling you to fear a day. Traditional texts discuss karana quality in muhurta chapters; this lesson stops at identification.
Check yourself
How many degrees in one karana?
Show answer
Six degrees of Moon minus Sun, half of a tithi.
How many karanas in a lunar month?
Show answer
Sixty half-tithis, using eleven names.
What is another name for Vishti?
Show answer
Many almanacs call the same karana Bhadra. The name varies by region.
Key takeaways
- Karana is half a tithi, six degrees of Moon minus Sun.
- A lunar month has 60 karanas.
- Seven names repeat; four are fixed at month edges.
- Vishti is also called Bhadra in many almanacs.
- Karana end times can fall mid-day like tithi end times.
Next lessons
Conventions and sources
- Sidereal zodiac
- Sunrise to sunrise day
- Location-specific times
Panchang nakshatra uses the Moon's sidereal longitude. See ayanamsa for how the zodiac gap is set.
Sources for this page
- vedaksha-vedic panchanga.rs (open source karana table) (11 names and 6° span)
- ePandit panchang karana references via standard tables (cross-check movable names)
FAQ
What is karana in a panchang?
Half of a tithi, spanning six degrees of Moon minus Sun elongation.
Why are there eleven names for sixty karanas?
Seven names repeat in a cycle and four appear once each at fixed positions in the lunar month.
Is Vishti the same as Bhadra?
Many North Indian sources use both names for the seventh repeating karana. Other regions may spell the cycle differently.
Drafted with AI from verified sources, fact-checked and edited by Skybond before publishing. Read more.