The karanam is the smallest of the five panchangam elements. Where a tithi spans 12° of Sun–Moon angular separation, a karanam spans exactly 6°, making each tithi contain exactly two karanams. A typical karanam lasts around 10 to 12 hours, though this varies with the Moon's speed.
Of the 11 named karanams, 7 are movable (chara) and repeat in a fixed cycle throughout the lunar month, while 4 are fixed (sthira) and each occur just once per lunar cycle, placed at specific junctions near the new and full moon. The four fixed karanams are Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga, and Kimstughna.
The karanam provides the finest granularity in classical panchangam — a practitioner who has confirmed the tithi, nakshatra, and yogam may still check the karanam to see which half of the tithi is more suitable for the proposed muhurtham window.
All 11 Karanams
The first 7 are movable (chara) and repeat through the month. The last 4 are fixed (sthira), each occurring once per lunar cycle.
| # | Name | Tamil | Type & Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bava | பவம் | Movable — generally favorable |
| 2 | Balava | பாலவம் | Movable — generally favorable |
| 3 | Kaulava | கௌலவம் | Movable — generally favorable |
| 4 | Taitila | தைதுலம் | Movable — generally favorable |
| 5 | Garaja | கரஜம் | Movable — generally favorable |
| 6 | Vanija | வணிஜம் | Movable — generally favorable |
| 7 | Vishti (Bhadra) caution | பத்ரை | Movable — treated cautiously in muhurtham selection |
| 8 | Shakuni fixed | சகுனி | Fixed — occurs once per lunar cycle |
| 9 | Chatushpada fixed | சதுஷ்பாதம் | Fixed — occurs once per lunar cycle |
| 10 | Naga fixed | நாகம் | Fixed — occurs once per lunar cycle |
| 11 | Kimstughna fixed | கிம்ஸ்துக்னம் | Fixed — occurs once per lunar cycle |
Vishti (Bhadra) — the Cautious Karanam
Vishti, also called Bhadra, is the seventh of the movable karanams and the one most consistently noted in classical texts as unfavorable for initiating new activities. It appears eight times in every lunar month: the 7 movable karanams cycle 8 times across the 56 movable half-tithis (56 ÷ 7 = 8), so Vishti — the seventh in that cycle — lands eight times before the four fixed karanams close out the month's 60 half-tithis. The Rasi & Rise scoring engine treats Vishti as a soft negative factor: a date window that begins during Vishti will score lower than an equivalent window that begins during one of the other six movable karanams, all else being equal.
The caution around Vishti is focused specifically on the start of an activity — much like Rahu Kalam, it is the moment of initiation that matters. Completing ongoing work, traveling, or attending routine obligations during Vishti is not traditionally prohibited.
How Karanams Are Used in the Date Finder
The Rasi & Rise date finder checks the karanam active at the start of each candidate muhurtham window. Vishti triggers a scoring penalty; the four fixed karanams are evaluated neutrally. Because karanams last only half a tithi, even a date with an otherwise strong tithi and nakshatra can have one good half-day window and one less favorable window — the engine identifies the better slot.
For a complete picture of panchangam elements, see our guides on tithis, yogams, and the 27 nakshatras. The glossary defines all key terms used in muhurtham selection.