Chara kāraka · the changeable significators

The chara kārakas are the movable significators of Jaimini, set within each chart by the degrees the planets hold. Ranked from the highest degree down to the lowest, they run from the Ātmakāraka, the significator of the self, to the Dārākāraka, the significator of the spouse, with significators of counsel, siblings, mother, children, and kin between them.

They are called movable, chara, because they shift from chart to chart. This sets them apart from the naisargika kārakas, the natural significators fixed to each planet’s own nature, which never change. A planet can hold a natural role and a chara role at once.

Schools count either seven or eight. The eight-kāraka scheme adds a separate significator for the father, the Pitṛkāraka; the seven-kāraka scheme folds that role in and stops at seven. The codex keeps both counts, since the choice changes which planet lands on which significator.