Karana: The Half-Tithi, Explained

A karana is the smallest moving part of the Panchang. The plainest way to picture it is this: take a tithi, the lunar day, and cut it in half. Each half is one karana. So if a tithi is the Moon's daily step away from the Sun, a karana is the first or second part of that step. Two karanas fit inside every tithi.

What It Means

Because each of the 30 tithis holds two karanas, a full lunar month carries 60 karanas. That sounds like a lot, but there are only 11 karana names, and most of them simply repeat through the month. A karana is a finer dial than a tithi. When people want to time something more precisely than a whole lunar day, they look at the karana running at that exact hour.

How It Is Calculated

A karana covers 6 degrees of the Moon's gain on the Sun, which is half of a tithi's 12 degrees. As the Moon moves through its monthly path, the Panchang notes the moment each karana ends and the next begins. The eleven names fall into two sets. Seven are movable and cycle again and again through the month: Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti. Four are fixed and appear only once each, around the new Moon: Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna.

Why It Matters

One karana stands out, and that is Vishti, also called Bhadra. By tradition, Vishti is kept aside for auspicious starts. People avoid beginning weddings, journeys or important new ventures while Vishti is running, and simply wait for it to pass. This is a timing custom, not something to worry about. You note when Vishti is active, plan around it, and carry on. The other movable karanas and the fixed ones do not carry the same caution.

How To Use It

For everyday life, the karana matters most when you are picking a precise moment for something meaningful, like signing, travelling or starting a project. The simple approach is to check whether Vishti Bhadra is running at your chosen hour. If it is, shift your start a little later to a clearer karana. If it is not, you have one less thing to think about. You can check today's tithi, karana and the day's good and bad windows free in the Muhurat tool.