What is your ultimate desire? Listen to your Atma Karaka’s advice and achieve your goals!
Atmakaraka. Pronounce it slowly with love and respect. Why? Because it is the reason you were born into this world. Atma means soul, and Karaka is the doer or activator. The planet with the highest degree in the birth chart is Atmakaraka (AK).
There is a reason a planet assumes the highest degrees in a horoscope: it is teaching you important life lessons. It is your guide and philosopher, your soul’s voice and desire, and you are advised to heed its counsel. Atma Karaka is the invisible hand that guides you to fulfil your destiny.
AtmaKaraka Lesson No 1: What is the purpose of your birth?
Of all the questions we ask ourselves, the one that deserves constant repetition is: ‘What is my purpose in life?’ You were not born by accident, and your birth is a decision by the Fates. Vedic philosophy says every birth results from pending desires, another chance to fulfil them. But do you know what these deep-seated desires are? It could be making money, making a name for yourself, tasting the ultimate romance or God-realization.
There are thousands of sub-genres in these desires, and sifting through them to find the real McCoy is what life’s journey is about. And who helps you find the needle in the haystack? Your Atmakaraka. It enables you to find your true North and transcend your material pursuits to discover your spiritual purpose. Why is this important? Because it saves you from committing the same mistakes again and again.
Atma Karaka Lesson No 2: How to understand its language
Atmakaraka speaks in a clear tone. You need to be tuned to receive it and make the mental and spiritual space in your head to allow the signals to come through. It may be a garbled transmission if you clutter your mind with material wants.
Are you yearning for something and feeling it is always out of grasp? Your Atmakaraka will tell you if you are chasing straws in the wind. Sometimes, you must clear the dross to find the hidden treasure. For example, you are obsessed with getting a job overseas and spend all your time and energy chasing that goal to the exclusion of your current job, family, and well-being.
Consult a reliable Vedic Astrologer and get an informed view of your AK; you will be amazed at what you learn. Your Atmakaraka may upend your notions about what you are chasing. Will going aboard solve your problems? Are you better off evolving where you are? Is your job your touchstone, or is there something else that will help you find fulfilment?
Think of the most significant events in your life, pleasant and unpleasant. Is there a pattern? Are they telling you something? What can you learn anything from them? The more you contemplate these questions, the more you heed your Atma Karaka’s voice.
Atma Karaka Lesson No 3: The difference between natural AK and chara karakas
The natural Atmakaraka is the Sun or Surya per Vedic Astrology, and it symbolizes identity, power, authority, ego, and the true self. But to divine the meaning of your search for fulfilment, you must find your chara Atma Karaka. Chara means moving or movable because it depends on which planet has the highest degree in your chart, and that planet will be your AK.
A point to note is Rahu and Ketu have different yardsticks. They are constantly moving retrograde, so whatever their degree is in your chart, you need to subtract it from 30º to get their actual degrees. If Rahu’s degrees are the highest, then it is your AK. There are different perspectives on the inclusion of Rahu in Atmakarakas, and I will come to that.
Ketu is not considered in this category because it is a Moksha-giving planet and cannot be associated with desires and fulfilment.
Atma Karaka Lesson No 4: How to tackle the face-off between material and spiritual.
The Atma Karaka planet holds the answers to your innermost nature: the source of your being. We are oblivious to this most of our lives as we chase the outer impulses triggered by money, fame, and ego. The more we chase them, the longer the road to Karmic Debt Reduction. Atma Karaka helps you take the short route to shrink your karma footprint.
It does not mean living the good life is wrong; if your destiny has blessed you with wealth and fame, that’s great. But it’s not the be-all and end-all. You must discover your true purpose and read AK’s Best Practices manual. So, even amidst the most joyous experiences, keep listening to the voice of your higher self. It is the only way to head in the right direction – self-realization.
Atmakaraka Lesson No 5: Every planet, as AK, has a different playbook
Sun: With Sun as your chara Atmakaraka, humility and the need to listen to others is the predominant motif. These natives can suffer from inflated egos and an expansive sense of self that can become a karmic stumbling block.
Moon: It makes the native an emotional victim. Moon is about emotions and vulnerability, and these natives must learn to rise above obsessing about attachments that can mire them in karmic entanglements.
Mars: Excessive aggression, violence and aggressive impulses can drag these natives down a slippery slope. It is a sure-fire road to Karmic purgatory.
Mercury: Think before you talk is the mantra for natives with Mercury as Atma Karaka. It is said the tongue can cut sharper than a scissor. These natives can rack up huge karmic debts if they don’t watch their language.
Jupiter: Self-importance is a common failing in natives, and Jupiter teaches them the value of respect, restraint, and humility.
Venus: Rein in the lust and hedonism. Period.
Saturn: A taskmaster, Saturn as Atma Karaka, teaches the native to ignore their sufferings and reach out to those who need a hug and help. Saturn, as AK, can make the native face many headwinds.
Rahu is the planet of illusions and makes the natives work hard to separate the grain from the chaff. Deception is a running motif, and the person with Rahu as AK must learn to move on and gain spiritual poise rather than nurse the desire to get even.
Want to learn more secrets about the Chara karakas 👇🏽
Atma Karaka Lesson No 6: Perspectives on Rahu as AK
There are two schools of thought in Vedic Astrology regarding Rahu as AK. Some astrologers exclude it as Rahu is a planet signifying illusion and deception. Remember how it deceived the gods during the Amrit Manthan (Churning of the Celestial Ocean) and drank the nectar meant for them? But I am from the school of thought which gives Rahu equal status in the AK line-up.
Rahu is ultimately the most Karmic planet of all: it can hurtle you into the pit of illusion, completely loosening your grasp on reality. It is intertwined with your past lives’ desires and will continue to mess with you until you realize the mountain of gold you desperately try to climb is a heap of dust. It can also help you transcend the dross and gross and receive Light and Enlightenment. What can be more Karmic?
Rahu’s double-edged power is unparalleled.
Atma Karaka Lesson No 7: It’s the only meaningful rewards system in life
How to be the best student in the AK Classroom?
Know your Atma Karaka. Which planet is your AK, and which house in the horoscope does it occupy? It is your road map.
Study the highs and lows in your life and capture the pattern. It holds clues to your fulfilment.
Having material desires is part of your karmic journey, but it is not the destination.
Remember that every birth you take is another incarceration for your soul. Work to free the soul once and for all; it may take many lifetimes, but each life is an unmissable opportunity. Use it well.
If you have any questions about Atma Karaka, I am happy to answer them.
ॐ नमः शिवाय
