Jaimini — Karakas and Atmakaraka

Everything you've learned so far belongs to the Parashara school. Vedic astrology has another interpretive tradition with a different grain — Jaimini. It reads the same chart through a different lens, so it's good to meet it lightly as a separate elective.

Jaimini's most famous tool is Chara Karakas (moving significators). The method is unique — instead of which Rashi a planet is in, it measures how many degrees into its own Rashi it sits (its degree) and ranks the planets by that. Then it assigns seven life roles in that ranked order.

1st place is the Atmakaraka (Ātmakāraka), the soul's significator. It's treated as the most important in Jaimini because it shows the theme you wrestle with most deeply this lifetime. 2nd place, the Amatyakaraka, is helpers and work, and after that come Karakas for siblings, mother, children, rivals, and spouse.

There's one more — the Arudha Lagna (AL). If the Lagna is the real you, the Arudha is your image in others' eyes. It's a fun concept pointing out that reality and image can differ.

(For reference, Glowy calculates using the 7-Karaka method, excluding Rahu and Ketu. Some schools include Rahu for an 8-Karaka system, so results may differ slightly.)