Char Karak seven or eight!

Char Karaka Seven or Eight!

There is much dispute at this point regarding the astrological concept. Most of the savant of astrology accepts only seven Char Karaka but there are some, who believe in the Eight Char Karaka scheme. They also include the shadowy planet Rahu for this purpose.

Some say to use the seven Char Karaka schemes for mundane affairs and eight Char Karak schemes for natal astrology!

The book ‘Jaimini Sutram’ fully devoted to this system written by an expert on this system sage Jaimini, has listed only seven Char Karaka and this book is not related to mundane astrology at all.

The related Sutra is  

The word ‘Saptanamstanam’ suggests seven or eight. But it does not depend upon someone’s fancy whether he uses seven or eight planets for this purpose! The suggestion of ‘eight’ was made by sage for special conditions as when two planets have equal longitude and both became the same Karak then there is a loss of one planet so to fulfill the void use eight planets including Rahu. Later the Sage listed only seven Char Karak. So his motive is clear and doubtless, he is in the favor of using only seven planets for seven Char Karak.

The controversy arises due to ‘Parasar Hora’. It listed eight Char Karak including one more Karak as a ‘Pitra Karak’. But it is only for those who believe in the eight Char Karak schemes.

The motive of Sage Parasar is also in the favor of seven Char Karak schemes. Observe the related Sloka-

“ The seven planets without Rahu and eight with Rahu if two planets having equal longitude then wise includes Rahu though there is only seven Char Karak some use eight.”

The word ‘Kechidastou’ suggests the sage himself is not in the favor of using eight Karak.

The basic book of astrology and the author of these both are in the favor of using the seven Char Karak schemes. So we must follow them.

There may be some school at the time of sage Parasar who believes in the eight Char Karak schemes but it was timed out due to its feeble concepts as we don`t find any authentic and clear, literature related to it.

The modern scholar Dr.Raman is also in the favor of seven Char Karak schemes in his book studies in jaimini astrology.

There are also some logical points in the favor of seven Char Karak schemes.

1-    The Parasar did not provide any part or Dhatu of the human body to the shadowy planet. How can it be a Karak for Atma!

The Moon stands for the body and the Sun for the soul other five planets represent the five senses. Here too it is exempted. So its value in significance over a human entity is clear. How it can be Karak for Atma!

2-    In the seven Char Karak scheme the distribution of Karaks made in such a way that is more logical and according to the significance of certain houses, except Amatya Karak as Bhatra (brother) Karak is 3^rd  in sequence and the 3^rd house stands for brother, Putra (son) Karak 5^th in sequence and the 5^th house stands for son, and so on. The 2^nd house is a trine from the 10^th house so it is also logical to Amatya Karak.

If we accept eight Char Karak schemes the whole logical process gets disturbance and Putra Karak may get a relation with the 6^th house and the Dara Karak with the 8^th house.

3-    If two planets get equal longitude then both became the same Karak and there is a loss of one planet. To fully fill this void we must have an extra planet. The planet Rahu can fill this void in the scheme of seven char Karak. So it is wise to leave a planet for this kind of emergency.


-- reproduced from MODERN ASTROLOGY, January 2012.

                                         -Raghvendra Khare