Yoga and karana are the two limbs of the Panchang that people often skip over, yet both are regularly consulted when choosing a muhurat.

Yoga: the Sun and Moon added together

Here yoga does not mean the physical practice. It is calculated by adding the sidereal longitudes of the Sun and the Moon and dividing the total into steps of 13°20′ — the same span as a nakshatra. That gives 27 yogas, beginning with Vishkambha, Priti, Ayushman, Saubhagya and Shobhana and ending with Brahma, Indra and Vaidhriti. A yoga typically lasts close to a day.

Nine yogas are traditionally avoided for starting important work:

  • Vishkambha
  • Atiganda
  • Shula
  • Ganda
  • Vyaghata
  • Vajra
  • Vyatipata
  • Parigha
  • Vaidhriti

Some texts are stricter only for the first few hours of certain yogas; others avoid Vyatipata and Vaidhriti entirely. Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention.

Karana: half a tithi

A karana is half of a tithi — the time it takes the Moon to gain 6° on the Sun. A lunar month of 30 tithis therefore has 60 karanas. There are eleven karana names:

  • Seven movable (chara) karanas: Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Garaja, Vanija and Vishti. They repeat in this order eight times (56 half-tithis), from the second half of Shukla Pratipada to the first half of Krishna Chaturdashi.
  • Four fixed (sthira) karanas, which occur once a month: Kimstughna in the first half of Shukla Pratipada, and Shakuni, Chatushpada and Naga covering the second half of Krishna Chaturdashi and the two halves of Amavasya.

Vishti and Bhadra

The seventh movable karana, Vishti, is popularly called Bhadra. It occurs eight times a month and is traditionally avoided for auspicious beginnings, although some activities are considered acceptable during it. Its rules — including the Moon's sign and the "face" and "tail" of Bhadra — are explained in Bhadra explained.

How this platform calculates it

Yoga and karana are computed from the same sidereal positions as the other limbs (Lahiri ayanamsa by default), with exact end times for your location. See them on the Panchang page, or read the overview of the five limbs.