Pitrikaraka

The pitrikaraka is the fifth planet by degree in Jaimini’s scheme of eight chara karakas. It shows the father, older patrons and mentors, and also a person’s attitude to authority and to what they have received from their lineage.

How the pitrikaraka is determined

In the Jaimini system the roles are not permanently fixed to the planets: in each chart they are distributed by the planet’s degree within its sign. The planet with the highest degree becomes the atmakaraka, the next the amatyakaraka, and so on down the list; the fifth in line turns out to be the pitrikaraka. So in one chart it is Mars that tells about the father, in another Venus or Rahu. This is a personal indicator, and it does not cancel the natural karaka of the father, the Sun, or the 9th house and its lord: all three sources are read together.

What it shows

• the figure of the father, his character and how one’s relationship with him develops;
• elders who take on the role of a support: managers, patrons, teachers;
• beliefs and values inherited from the family, and the attitude to tradition;
• how the person behaves when they themselves have to be the elder and answer for others.

How to read the sign, house and navamsha

The sign of the pitrikaraka describes the style in which the paternal theme arrives. Fire signs give an active and direct elder, earth signs a practical and demanding one, air signs one inclined to reasoning and conversation, water signs one who is sensitive and attached to home. Dignity matters: in its own sign or in exaltation the pitrikaraka usually gives tangible support; in debilitation the relationship calls for more understanding and patience on both sides.

The house from the lagna shows the area through which the influence of the father and mentors shows itself: in the 10th through profession and status, in the 4th through home and upbringing, in the 9th through one’s worldview. A position in the 6th, 8th or 12th house speaks of distance or trials in this theme rather than of any verdict. It is useful to compare the pitrikaraka with the 9th house and the Sun: if the indicators agree, the conclusion is more reliable.

The navamsha reveals the inner quality of the bond: the sign of the pitrikaraka in D9 and the planets next to it show what the person ultimately takes in from their elders. The periods of this planet in the Vimshottari dasha, and also the period of its sign in the chara dasha, often bring the themes of the father, mentoring and responsibility to the fore.

The pitrikaraka and the planets

Each planet colours this role in its own way: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Rahu. The general principle of distributing the roles is described in the overview of chara karakas.

Which planet has become your pitrikaraka can be seen in the karaka table after the birth chart calculation.