Finding your darakaraka can be one of the most important parts of a Vedic astrology reading. In some forms of Jyotish there are seven Karaka’s or significators that you will look at in a Querent’s astrological chart:
Atmakaraka: the Self, considered the strongest planet this Karaka is about the person whose chart you are looking at.
Amatyakaraka: the Career
Bhratrukaraka: the Siblings (brothers and sisters)
Matrukaraka: the Mother
Putrakaraka: the Father
Gnatikaraka: the Cousins and other Relations
Darakaraka: the Husband/Wife or sexual partner
You look for your Darakaraka, not to learn where you might meet your spouse, but more importantly what kind of person your spouse or partner will be. Your wife or husband is the person you will be spending your adult life with and in order to spend those years happily, you need to have an understanding of what sorts of qualities and personality traits your ideal partner will or should have. These are expressed in the Darakaraka of your Vedic astrological chart. It goes deeper than the physical appearance and focuses on things like their personal inclinations, how they would judge different situations, and also how they would respond to a situation based on their judgments.
Though similar, the Darakaraka is not the same as the 7th House Lord. The position of your 7th House Lord tells you when you might meet your spouse and achieve the fulfillment of marriage. The Darakaraka is focused on the characteristics of the spouse, with a focus on who they are more than what they look like. You can determine which planet is your Darakaraka by figuring out which of your planets sits in the lowest degree on your chart. You don’t need a Darakaraka calculator to figure it out! Get a copy of your Vedic natal chart and look at the location of the planets. Note the degrees; the planet with the lowest degree is your Darakaraka.
Darakaraka Breakdown
Here is a quick break-down of what traits you could expect in your spouse depending on the planet of your Darakaraka:
Sun Darakaraka: Egotistical, demanding, but loyal and trustworthy.
Moon Darakaraka: Emotional and sentimental, but flexible and giving
Mars Darakaraka: Dominating and aggressive, but quick-witted and goal-oriented
Venus Darakaraka: Emotional and romantic, but highly artistic and sensual
Jupiter Darakaraka: Loyal and optimistic, inclined towards religion and spirituality
Mercury Darakaraka: Friendly and loving, very fun loving but occasionally careless
Saturn Darakaraka: Serious and committed, but a bit antisocial
It is also important to take in the relationship to the different houses when considering the benefits of your spouses’ personality. While it may seem to be a difficult marriage if you’re matched with someone who is anything other than a Jupiter or Venus, that is not necessarily true when the effects of the different houses are also taken into consideration! Plus, the placement of the Darakaraka in retrograde can negatively effect the relationship while a Darakaraka that is Vargottama will increase the positive aspects of the relationship or decrease the negative ones.
Houses of Darakaraka
- 1st House: You will have a spouse that is independently successful but also supports you in your successes.
- 2nd House: Your spouse will have a mind for money and a job that will increase the wealth of the household.
- 3rd House: This spouse will be creative and an energetic communicator
- 4th House: A darakaraka in this house signifies a happy, prosperous marriage for the couple
- 5th House: You will find your spouse is educated, very talented in a number of different skills and very loving
- 6th House: This spouse will be very responsible but may be quarrelsome
- 7th House: Your spouse will be business-minded, have management skills and be a very popular and influential person
- 8th House: This spouse may be trouble; they will have an interest in unwanted activities and may bring disharmony
- 9th House: You will have a spouse that is religious and very spiritual, honest and decent. They will bring happiness and monogamy.
- 10th House: This is a career oriented spouse with a comfortable business position, decent salary, and social influence
- 11th House: This spouse comes from a family with wealth or will bring your family wealth quickly; plus they will bring friendship and harmony to the marriage
- 12th House: Your spouse may come from a completely different culture or religion but will love to travel with you and enjoy all the best physical pleasures the world has to offer
