What is Karana?

Karana (करण) is half a tithi, covering each 6° advance of the Moon's longitude ahead of the Sun.

There are 60 karana periods in a 30-tithi lunar cycle, but only 11 distinct names. A karana is not a fixed half-day: its duration follows the changing motion of the Sun and Moon.

Why names repeat

Seven names repeat eight times through most of the cycle:

Name	Devanagari
Bava	बव
Balava	बालव
Kaulava	कौलव
Taitila	तैतिल
Gara	गर
Vanija	वणिज
Vishti	विष्टि

Four fixed karanas occupy the boundaries of the lunar cycle:

Name	Place in the cycle
Kimstughna (किंस्तुघ्न)	First half of Shukla Pratipada
Shakuni (शकुनि)	Second half of Krishna Chaturdashi
Chatushpada (चतुष्पाद)	First half of Amavasya
Naga (नाग)	Second half of Amavasya

Starting after Kimstughna, the seven recurring names run from Bava through Vishti eight times. Shakuni, Chatushpada and Naga then finish the cycle. These 56 recurring and four fixed periods account for all 60 halves. “Fixed” describes their place in the cycle, not their duration.

How to read the row

For Delhi on 2 October 2026, the sunrise karana is Vanija until 10:15, then Vishti. That boundary also ends Shashthi tithi: Vanija is its second half and Vishti begins the next tithi.

At other transitions, only the karana changes while the tithi continues into its second half. The dashboard shows the first ending time after sunrise and the next name; it is not a list of every karana throughout the day.

Vishti and Bhadra

Vishti is also called Bhadra (भद्रा) in calendar usage. Traditional muhurta rules restrict its use for auspicious beginnings, with exceptions that depend on the activity and convention. For a festival, read its specific Bhadra rule rather than treating the karana name as a complete decision.

The Bhadra tithi group is a separate classification. Sharing a name does not make those tithis Vishti karana.

The general Now verdict does not incorporate karana or Bhadra; it uses the daily time windows. Its Good label is not a full assessment of every part of the Panchang.

The interpretation guide follows a change from Vanija to Vishti. See today's karana on the Delhi dashboard.