Information and Results pertaining to different Karanas of Panchanga

A Karana is considered to be half of a Tithi and there are 11 Karanas in totality. A Tithi gets formed every time the Moon moves 12 degrees away from the Sun and half of a Tithi is a Karana which is 6 degrees. Hence there are 60 Karanas in total (360°/6) which are however further categorized into 11 as 7 of the karanas are movable and repeat 8 times in a cycle making up 56 and there are remaining 4 fixed karanas all together making up the sum total of 60.

It is said that Knowledge of Karanas leads to success. There is also a popular saying stating 'Karanam Thappinal Maranam' meaning Karanam is so powerful that it can even save you from the clutches of death. It is also said to be the 'Karya Siddhi' that translates as 'granting of success'. A Karana can indicate means of work getting accomplished and providing a direction towards life by putting in the required efforts. Since it is directly dealing with Karma and Saturn is the forebearer planet of the same, Karanas in general are said to be governed mainly under the auspices of Saturn with it also being the natural 10th Lord of the Kalapurusha.

Herewith sharing few snippets about the 11 different Karanas obtained from various Tamil speeches and informatory materials. In general the movable Karanas which are 7 of them that repeat 8 times in the cycle are said to be favorable and the 4 fixed karanas which get formed during the last half of Krishna Chaturdashi Tithi, full Ammavasya and former half of Shukla Paksha Pratipada (or Pratamai) are said to be inauspicious.

1) Bava:

✔Planetary Ruler: Chevvai - Mars

✔Animal: Singham - Lion

✔Deity: Narasimha (The Lakshmi Narasimhar temple located in Namakkal especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Punnai Mara Poo - White flower (Calophyllum Inophyllum)

✔Prasad: Neivedyam, Annam - Food Grains (Offering of food on Bava Karana is really auspicious)

✔Application / Wearing: Kasthuri - Wild Turmeric

✔Ornament / Ring: Manikkam - Ruby

✔Vessel: Ponnu - Gold

✔Cloth: Venmai - Pale White cloth

✔Offering: Pala Pazham - Jackfruit

General Information:

- Natives born in Bava Karana are said to be magnanimous and do not tend to have any greed.

-Since their animal is Lion, they are mostly very brave and tend to be in dominant professions such as police, sports, Government Authorities etc.

- Any work performed in Bava Karanam can last up to 48 years and hence all good things can be performed in this Karana

- Most auspicious marriages that have been long lasting would have taken place only in Bava Karana

- Women born in Bava Karanam keep their husbands with honor and they always get praise from family. They are also equivalent to men in every way and have similar earning potential

- People born in this Karana always win and wherever they go will return victorious. They also tend to be respected people in life

2) Balava:

✔Planetary Ruler: Raghu - Rahu

✔Animal: Puli - Tiger

✔Deity:  Ayyappa, Sastha, Gramathu Deivangal (village Gods) (The Ayyappa temple in Sabari Malai especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Shenbaga Malar - Fragrant flowers

✔Prasad: Payasam - Kheer

✔Application / Wearing: Sandhanam - Sandalwood

✔Ornament / Ring: Muthu - Pearl

✔Vessel: Velli - Silver

✔Cloth: Sivappu - Red cloth

✔Offering: Nellika - Gooseberry

General Information:

- One should not upset people born in this Karana. These people will play their cards strategically

- Any task that they get into they will go ahead with plenty of confidence and might

- Said to possess plenty of intelligence (buddhi) and they will be musically inclined and sporty

- Any work done in Balava Karanam lasts for 16 years. All good work can be performed in Rahu Kaalam because Rahu is the planet of this Karana

- 2nd - family, 5th - children, 7th - marriage, 8th - marital bond (mangalyam) - they say if Rahu/Ketu sits in these houses it casues Dosham but if born in Balava Karanam such issues don't normally occur

3) Kaulava:

✔Planetary Ruler: Shani - Saturn

✔Animal: Pandri - Pig

✔Deity: Varaha Murthy (The Bhu Varaha temple in Shri Msuhnam especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Mahilam Malar - Yellow flower (Spanish Cherry) 

✔Prasad: Paniyaram or Paddu - Rice lentil dumplings

✔Application / Wearing: Kungumam - Vermilion

✔Ornament / Ring: Velli - Silver

✔Vessel: Sembu - Copper

✔Cloth: Kandangi - Cloth made from cotton or silk threads

✔Offering: Kothamali Sadham - Coriander Rice

General Information:

- Saturn is the karaka for profession. These people are usually research oriented and any studies based on research is good for them

- People born in this karana should not do betrayal to their animal and hence shouldn't consume pork

- Even if Saturn is in 6,8,12 it won't cause problems and planets sitting in upachaya from Saturn tend to do good

- Bore work, all land related things will come under this Karana. In villages any well fitting work is done in this karana

4) Taitula:

✔Planetary Ruler: Sukran - Venus

✔Animal: Kazhudhu - Donkey

✔Deity: Jyeshta Devi, Moodevi (Alakshmi) - Known as the elder sister of Goddess Mahalakshmi (The Jyeshta Devi temple in Brahmapureeshwar, Perunagar especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Malligai Poo - Jasmine

✔Prasad: Appam - Pancake

✔Application / Wearing: Korochanam - Oxbile (Fel Borinum Purifcatum)

✔Ornament / Ring: Vairam - Diamond

✔Vessel: Irumbu - Iron

✔Cloth: Manjal - Yellow cloth

✔Offering: Neer Pushnika, Manga, Keerai - Ash Gourd, Mangoes, Spinach

General Information:

- Most auspicious karana for ladies. For marriage related things it is very good. In those days for seeing girls it used to happen in Taitula Karanam

- They are very concerned about their family and sacrifice themselves for every cause. Also happen to very hard working and slog a lot

- People struggling to get married also can pray to Jyeshta Devi on a Taitula Karanam day

- Sugar, diabetes, lungs related issues all pertain to Venus - Getting treated for these on Taitula Karana helps in getting relief

5) Garaja:

✔Planetary Ruler: Chandran - Moon

✔Animal: Yannai - Elephant

✔Deity: Vinayak or Pillayar (The Vinayaka temple in Pillayar Patti especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Sembaruthi - Hibiscus

✔Prasad: Paal - Milk

✔Application / Wearing: Kaasu Katti - Ayurvedic herb resin

✔Ornament / Ring: Manikkam - Ruby

✔Vessel: Eeyam - Lead

✔Cloth: Karuppu Niram - Black colour cloth

✔Offering: Thengai - Coconut in any form

General Information:

- Because animal is elephant, these people tend to have very good memory. They will tend to keep secrets about themselves

- This Karana is good for agriculture and Government related work. These people tend to know high profile influential personalities

- Wherever they go they will earn. They also tend to leave their family and live alone. The ancestors of these natives will be high personalities and tend to come from a distant land

- They tend to face a lot of humiliation, all these will be lessons and they will succeed later on

- They have extra compassion and affection which leads them to face lots of problems. They are even termed as ''Paasa Muttal'' meaning Affectionate fools

- They never think only for themselves, always look at things from a common cause

- They find it difficult to have a house of their own and always tend to have land, house related issues

- All things come in their life only after significant delays

- Mostly love marriage tends to happen, some issues in family always takes place, also female children are associated. Also these karana natives are known to face marriage issues in general.

6) Vanisai:

✔Planetary Ruler: Suriyan - Sun

✔Animal: Nandhi - Bull

✔Deity: Nandi Keshwar (The Nandeswar temple in Thirumalapadi especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Neela Lochanam - Blooming Blue/Purple Lotus

✔Prasad: Thayir - Curd

✔Application / Wearing: Manjal Podi - Turmeric

✔Ornament / Ring: Pavalam - Coral

✔Vessel: Panchalokam - 5 metal alloy mix

✔Cloth: Kambali - Blanket material

✔Offering: Narathai - Orange

General Information:

- Favorable for Government related job, meeting important personalities and politics

- Bava and Vanija are supposed to be most auspicious and hence any work performed in these 2 karanas are very good especially for house construction activities

- Most temples were constructed on Vanija and that’s why these are spoken till this day.

- These people tend to face marriage related issues. It is preferable if they have late marriage

7) Vishti / Bhadrai:

✔Planetary Ruler: Kethu - Ketu

✔Animal: Kozhi - Cock

✔Deity: Muruga or Karthikeya (The Murugan temple in Tiruchendur especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Gundumani Poo - Arabian Jasmine

✔Prasad: Chitrannam - Lemon based rice

✔Application / Wearing: Karpooram - Camphor

✔Ornament / Ring: Pushparagam - Yellow Sapphire

✔Vessel: Venkalam - Bronze

✔Cloth: Thozh - Skin based material

✔Offering: Murungakka - Drumstick

General Information:

- People born in this karana should not do betrayal to their animal and hence shouldn't consume chicken

- This karana translates to poison, these people have high resistance power to ward off evils.

- This is very convenient for Agriculture related work, also for house painting because Ketu is multi colour

- Wherever they go they will come out victorious and are especially smart in winning their enemies. There will be some mystery about them

- They will be very devoted to family and especially ladies will sacrifice themselves for family

- People born in this karana can be medical practitioners, astrologers, spiritual related persons

8) Shakuni:

✔Planetary Ruler: Shani - Saturn

✔Animal: Kaagam - Crow

✔Deity: Saneeshwara or Shani Bhagwan (The Shani temple in Tirunellar especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Shenbaga Poo - Magnolia Champak

✔Prasad: Vellam - Jaggery

✔Application / Wearing: Seru - Sludge / Mud

✔Ornament / Ring: Karuppu Nool - Blackish ornamentation

✔Vessel: Kal Pathiram or Kal Kattu - Vessel made of stone

✔Cloth: Karuppu Niram - Black cloth material

✔Offering: Kothamalli - Cilantro or coriander based items

General Information:

- Giving food to crow on a daily basis is very good

- They work against usual force of nature and against Dharma and this creates problems for them with others. They know to play tricks well

- They tend to be the leader of the pack, they work with lot of jewelry like Gold, Silver Business etc. These people tend to keep mortgage of jewelry

9) Chatushpada:

✔Planetary Ruler: Guru - Jupiter

✔Animal: Naayi - Dog

✔Deity: Bairavar, Rudran (The Kala Bairavar temple in Kshetrapalam especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Kondrai Malar - Golden flowers (Cassia Fistula) 

✔Prasad: Then - Honey

✔Application / Wearing: Thiruneer - Sacred Ash

✔Ornament / Ring: Sphadik Mala - Crystal Quartz

✔Vessel: Mara Pathiram - Brass vessel

✔Cloth: Manja Niram - Yellow color cloth

✔Offering: Aapil - Apple

General Information:

- Chatush indicates 4 types of Veda - Rig, Yajur, Adharva and Sama. Guru indicates leadership position and reputation

- People born in this karana will achieve from a young age and they get money, properties, honour, influence etc

- However Jupiter should not be the 8th lord as it will not be favorable and Jupiter should especially not be in Bharani Nakshatra. Also Guru should not be Tithi Shoonyam

- These people usually get skin/nervous disease like leprosy and they can be ignored even by their own children

10) Nagava:

✔Planetary Ruler: Raghu - Rahu

✔Animal: Paambu - Snake

✔Deity: Nagaraj (The Nagaraja temple in Nagerkoil especially is considered auspicious)

✔Flower: Olai Poo - Coconut leaf flower

✔Prasad: Nei Kalandha Porul - Items made with ghee

✔Application / Wearing: Sambrani - Benzoin

✔Ornament / Ring: Vaidhuryam - Cat's Eye

✔Vessel: Marathodu Pathiram - Tree wood vessel

✔Cloth: Karu Neelam - Dark blue cloth material

✔Offering: Nellikai - Gooseberry

General Information:

- These people are known to settle in far off or foreign places usually

- They will go out of their way to earn for themselves and family. They will earn wherever they go

- Balava Karana is known as Amritha (sweet) Rahu whereas Nagava Karana is Visha (poison) Rahu

- For others they will go and do things out of their way. Also known to do every thing in a major big way

- Nobody can run or hide from them as they have very sharp vision. They also tend to get angry quickly

- Skin problems these people tend to have regularly. They also tend to have lots of desires

- These people can do work in fields such as marketing, medicine, press, media, cameraman, magician

11) Kimstugna:

✔Planetary Ruler: Budhan - Mercury

✔Animal: Pulu - Worm

✔Deity: Dhanvantri (The Dhanvantri temple in Sri Rangam especially is considered auspicious) 

✔Flower: Kongu Malar - Decorative flowers

✔Prasad: Sarkarai Kalandhu Porul - Items made with sugar

✔Application / Wearing: Javadhu - Herbal paste made from Sandal

✔Ornament / Ring: Muthu - Pearl

✔Vessel: Moongil - Bamboo

✔Cloth: Ven Pattu - White silk cloth material

✔Offering: Thakkali - Tomato based items

General Information:

- This is a karanam for medicine, herbs (mooligai), doctors and hospitals. These people even tend to grow worms

- These people tend to oscillate and are pretty fickle minded when it comes to making any decision

- 3rd place from Lagnam causes issues - ears, nose, tongues get affected. 7th place if Mercury is placed there can be issues in marriage as Mercury denotes dual tendencies

- Astrology, communication, Documents, multi level marketing, bookshop, lawyer all come under work of this karana

- These people can donate green grams, help transgenders and those having mind related troubles

                                                          P.S: Picture obtained from Net

Satan (Saturn) Personified!

There mostly tends to be one very important or dominant planet in each of our horoscopes. It has a redoubtable influence on you in a way that you cannot really escape from it's presence during the whole of your lifetime.

When I look back at the planet which has had the maximum impact on me, it's undoubtedly and most certainly Saturn. The reasons attributed are as below:

1. Saturn is Vargottam in my horoscope. (Occupies same sign of Scorpio in Rasi and Navamsa)
2. Saturn itself is posited in it's own ruler ship star Anuradha Nakshatra as per Vimshottari Dasa sequence.
3. Saturn happened to be the 'Hora' that I was born in. (Hora is an hourly order in a day ruled one after another by 7 planets)
4. My entire education happened only in Saturn Dasa. It surely was the fulcrum in ensuring that I end up clearing some tough professional courses. Yes I was pretty unlucky on the relationship front which is not really a Saturn thingy but in general it did mold and make me mentally tougher.
5. It is also most auspicious 9th Lord in Rasi chart and also placed in the 9th in Navamsa.
6. 4 of my planets sit in rasis owned by Saturn and Saturn himself also happens to aspect his own Rasi. (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter all sit in the Saturnian signs of Capricorn & Aquarius).
7. The 'Yoga' I was born is Vishkumba which again is controlled by Saturn. (The Yogi planet is said to denote prosperity as per the Panchang).
8. My Moon sub Lord is Saturn which also means my Vimshottari Dasa sequence begins at birth from the Antar Dasa of Saturn only.
9. The Shadbala of Saturn happens to be the maximum among all other planets (Shadbala is a six fold technique established to find the strength of all planets)
10. As per Ashtakavarga scores, the sign in which Saturn is sitting in my natal chart Scorpio gets the maximum points. (Ashtakavarga is a point based tool to estimate the score of each houses based on planetary relation between one another)

Thus Saturn plays an indomitable part in my life proceedings and I just can't imagine a life without it Hence it goes without saying that I'm well and truly Satan (Saturn) personified 😎.

Jupiter Transit Libra to Scorpio 2018!

When seeing transits, we need to see 2 things. Lagna or Ascendant (body) and Moon (mind). Sun (soul) should also be considered but it's at an elevated plane so let's leave that. But there should definitely be a sync between body and mind viz physically and mentally. Just looking at Moon sign alone (mental well being) isn't good enough if physically things don't work out and vice versa. So we need to tweak results based on how effective both are. If both are positive will be excellent, if both negative it won't be good. If one is favorable you can expect mixed results. Apart from Guru (Jupiter), you need to also factor Shani's (Saturn) placement in the scheme of things as it is the planet which stays in a sign for the longest period of time. Ideally even Rahu/Ketu should be considered but since it's going to move in a couple of months time, we can consider it separately later. Just a small breakdown of how long approx planets transit in a sign.

Saturn 2.5 years
Rahu/Ketu 1.5 years
Jupiter 1 year

All others planets such as Venus, Mercury, Sun, Mars transit approx every 1-2 months time and moon moves every 2 and quarter days. That's why we don't ascertain transit for these planets since they are constantly moving.

Now let's see what the zodiac signs point out based on this transit.
Mesha (Aries) Lagna/Rasi : Not good. Jupiter in 8th and Saturn in 9th both which don't seem to be ideally placed.
Rishaba (Taurus) Lagna/Rasi : Mixed. Jupiter in 7th is quite favorable but Saturn in 8th will give stumbling blocks.
Mithunam (Gemini) Lagna/Rasi : Not good. Jupiter in 6th is not favorable and Saturn in 7th is known to cause delay.
Katagam (Cancer) Lagna/Rasi : Good. Jupiter in 5th is auspicious and Saturn in 6th is also good placement especially for competitiveness.
Simha (Leo) Lagna/Rasi : Mixed. Jupiter in 4th isn't bad but Saturn in 5th isn't really favouring things.
Kanya (Virgo) Lagna /Rasi : Not good. Jupiter in 3rd is very weak and Saturn in 4th house of comfort/lifestyle isn't a nice placement to have.
Thula (Libra) Lagna/Rasi. Very good. Jupiter in 2nd house of family/wealth/income is strong and Saturn in 3rd is also helpful.
Vrischika (Scorpio) Lagna/Rasi. Mixed. Though Jupiter is in 1st house which is said to be auspicious but Saturn sitting in 2nd isn't really good. Also last phase of 7.5 yrs Sade Sati is currently undergoing.
Dhanus (Sagittarius) Lagna/Rasi. Not good. Jupiter in 12th in house of losses and Saturn in 1st which indicates peak 7.5 years Sade Sati
Makara (Capricorn) Lagna/Rasi. Mixed. Jupiter in 11th in house of gains and desires is fortunate but Saturn in 12th indicates 7.5 years Sade Sati has started which will bring in some hurdles.
Kumbha (Aquarius) Lagna/Rasi. Very good. Jupiter in 10th and Saturn in 11th. Jupiter in 10th is not supposed to be very favourable and can give changes on professional front. Its kind of a mixed placement but is aided by a strong Saturn placed in 11th which can confer blessings.
Meena (Pisces) Lagna/Rasi. Very good. Jupiter in 9th in house of blessings and Saturn in 10th house of work/profession which seems to be a good combo.

Best to worst from top to bottom:
Meena (Pisces)
Katagam (Cancer)
Thula (Libra)
Kumbha (Aquarius)
Makara (Capricorn)
Rishaba (Taurus)
Vrischika (Scorpio)
Simha (Leo)
Mithunam (Gemini)
Mesha (Aries)
Kanya (Virgo)
Dhanus (Sagittarius)

Ascertaining Gulika and Mandi in Horoscope

Before getting into the computation of these 2 Saturnian Upagrahas Gulika and Mandi, it is good to know a few basics. There are 7 weekdays beginning from Sunday and ending with Saturday. Each of these weekdays are further divided into 2 halves viz Day time (Sunrise) and Night time (Sunset). The day time and night time portion get further sub divided into 8 equal parts and each of these 8 parts are ruled by 7 planets and the remaining part is governed by Rahu.

The order of day time starts from the ruling planet of the particular weekday. For eg if it's a Sunday first part is always given to Sun since it lords Sunday and the second part is Moon, third is Mars, fourth Mercury, fifth Jupiter, sixth Venus, seventh Saturn and 8th portion will be blank and given to Rahu. For night time, the first part happens to be ruled by the 5th planet from the lord of the weekday. Taking same Sunday as eg, night time starts from the 5th planet of the lord of the weekday which in this case is Jupiter followed by Venus, then Saturn, blank (Rahu) followed by Sun, Moon, Mars and Mercury respectively.

Computation of Gulika and Mandi in a Horoscope Chart:

1) Ascertain whether a person was born during day time (sun rise to sun set) or during night time (sun set to next day sun rise)

2) If day time born, note the sun rise and sun set time of the day and if born in night time, note the sun set time and next day sun rise time.

3) Next check the week day in which the native was born which could be any day between Sunday to Saturday.

4) See the portion ruled by Saturn which will be one among 8 equal parts (Saturn never rules 8th part)

Sunday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part

Monday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part

Tuesday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part

Wednesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part 

Thursday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part

Friday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part

Saturday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part

5) Figure out the time frame period ruled by Saturn which will be an average approx 90 minute time period.

6) Mark the start time, middle time and end time of this time slot ruled by Saturn.

7) Cast the horoscope for all these 3 time slots and note where the Ascendant (Lagna) falls.

8) Gulika rises at the beginning of Saturn's portion and Mandi at the middle of Saturn's portion.

P.S : There are different opinions with regard to Gulika and Mandi. Some opine that they both are one and the same. Another belief is that they happen to be 2 different son's of Shani Devata (Planet Saturn). Also, opinions are divided on when Gulika and Mandi rise and there are varied views supporting beginning, middle and end point of Saturn's ruling time period.

Illustration 1 : Day time birth

Native born on Sep 13th 2018 in Chennai, India at 9.30 AM. Find position of Gulika and Mandi

1) Person born time : Day time

2) Since day time born : Sun rise time 6:01 AM and Sun set time 6:08 PM

3) Check weekday : Thursday

4) Part ruled by Saturn : 3rd part

5) Figure time period ruled by Saturn : 9:10 AM to 10:41 AM

6) Mark start time, middle time and end time : Start time 9:10 AM, Middle time 9:56 AM, End time 10:41 AM

7) Check Ascendant for all three times : Start time - Libra 12 degrees, Middle time - Libra 23 degrees, End time - Scorpio 3 degrees

8) Establish Gulika and Mandi position : Gulika in Libra 12 degrees and Mandi in Libra 23 degrees

Computation Notes:

Time between sun rise to sun set = 12 hours and 7 mins = 727 Mins

Divide 727 into 8 parts = 90.875 mins rounded to 91 mins per part

Time of Saturn is 3rd part and computed as below;

First part = 6:08 AM + 91 MINS = 7:39 AM

Second part = 7:39 AM + 91 MINS = 9:10 AM

Third part = 9:10 AM + 91 MINS = 10:41 AM

Alternatively since we know 3rd part is end of 2nd part to end of 3rd part, start point is 6:08 AM + 182 mins (91 mins * 2 parts) = 9:10 AM and end point is 6:08 AM + 273 mins (91 mins * 3 parts) = 10:41 AM.

Start time = 9:10 AM

End time = 10:41 AM

Middle time = Start time 9:10 AM + 46 mins (Part of 91 mins divided by 2 = 45.5 rounded to 46) = 9:56 AM or End time 10:41 AM - 45 mins = 9:56 AM

Illustration 2 : Night time birth

Native born on Sep 11th 2018 in Bangalore, India at 8.45 PM. Find position of Gulika and Mandi

1) Person born time : Night time

2) Since night time born : Sun set time 6:20 PM and next day Sun rise time 6:12 AM

3) Check weekday : Tuesday

4) Part ruled by Saturn : 1st part

5) Figure time period ruled by Saturn : 6:20 PM to 7:49 PM

6) Mark start time, middle time and end time : Start time 6:20 PM, Middle time 7:05 PM, End time 7:49 PM

7) Check Ascendant for all three times : Start time - Aquarius 24 degrees, Middle time - Pisces 8 degrees, End time - Pisces 21 degrees

8) Establish Gulika and Mandi position : Gulika in Aquarius 24 degrees and Mandi in Pisces 8 degrees

Computation Notes:

Time between sun set to sun rise = 11 hours and 52 mins = 712 Mins

Divide 712 into 8 parts = 89 mins per part

Time of Saturn is 1st part and computed as below

First part = 6:20 PM + 89 MINS = 7:49 PM

Start time = 6:20 PM

End time = 7:49 PM

Middle time = Start time 6:20 PM + 45 mins (Part of 89 mins divided by 2 = 44.5 rounded to 45) = 7:05 PM or End time 7:49 PM - 44 mins = 7:05 PM

Note: It should be noted from this that at no point exact time of birth is taken for computation of Gulika and Mandi. In essence, any person born on a particular day and place at whatever time but within the day time portion or night time portion will end up having Gulika and Mandi in the same position in the horoscope chart.

Also, for Mandi computation, the classics opine a method based on Ghatika's (1 Ghatika=24 minutes) elapsed from sun rise/sun set time to arrive at the Mandi time for which the corresponding Lagna degree should be ascertained. This method will tally almost exactly to what has been computed above. The order given is as above:

Sunday - 26 Ghatikas after sun rise, 10 Ghatikas after sun set

Monday - 22 Ghatikas after sun rise, 6 Ghatikas after sun set

Tuesday - 18 Ghatikas after sun rise, 2 Ghatikas after sun set

Wednesday - 14 Ghatikas after sun rise, 26 Ghatikas after sun set

Thursday - 10 Ghatikas after sun rise, 22 Ghatikas after sun set

Friday - 6 Ghatikas after sun rise, 18 Ghatikas after sun set

Saturday - 2 Ghatikas after sun rise, 14 Ghatikas after sun set

Explaining this method with the same illustrations as listed earlier, for Illustration 1 we find that for day birth Thursday, Mandi is 10 Ghatikas after Sun rise. 10 Ghatikas = 240 minutes (10 Ghatika*24 minutes per Ghatika). Sun rise time is 6:01 AM. Adding 240 minutes to it, we get 10:01 AM which will fall in around 23-24 degrees of Libra similar to what we have witnessed above. In Illustration 2, for night birth Tuesday, Mandi happens to be 2 Ghatikas after Sun set. 2 Ghatikas = 48 minutes (2 Ghatika*24 minutes per Ghatika). Sun set time is 6:20 PM. Adding 48 minutes to it, we get 7:08 PM which will fall around 8 degrees in Pisces as seen above as well.

This working is only for Mandi and does not hold good for Gulika unless of course they both are reckoned as one and the same. Whether we employ the method 1 or method 2, the most sensitive point happens to be at the mid point of time frame ruled by Saturn or the respective end Ghatika time marked after Sun rise or Sun set as the case maybe. 

Inauspicious Time Period Computation!

Many of us would have been alerted about un-favourable time periods during a day and not to perform any auspicious activities during these time periods. The time frames commonly highlighted happen to be the Yama Ghanta, Gulika Kaala and Rahu Kaala. All these stem from the panchang and attributed to specific planets assigned.

The Panchang element that needs to be seen is the 'Vara'. The Vara is basically the solar day transiting which starts at sun rise time and ends when the next day sun rise commences. There are 7 Vara's obtained from the 7 week days and each of them are represented by a particular planet as seen below:
Sunday - Sun
Monday - Moon
Tuesday - Mars
Wednesday - Mercury
Thursday - Jupiter
Friday - Venus
Saturday - Saturn

Now, every day of week comprises of two parts viz sun rise (day time) and sun set (night time). It is generally presumed that most important activities take place only during the day and hence only sun rise viz day time portion is considered for computing inauspicious time period.

Hence let us take the sun rise portion of the day which runs from when the sun rises till the time it begins to set. This portion is divided into 8 equal parts and it is believed that one of the parts is headless. Remember there are 7 weekdays and 8 parts, hence 7 of these parts will be assigned to a particular planet with the 8th given to Rahu.

The order starts from the ruling planet of the particular Vara (weekday). For eg if it's a Sunday first part is always given to Sun since it lords Sunday and the second part is Moon, third is Mars, fourth Mercury, fifth Jupiter, sixth Venus, seventh Saturn and 8th portion will be blank and given to Rahu. In case it's a Thursday it starts from Jupiter, second part will be Venus, third will be Saturn and 4th will be Rahu. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th will be Sun, Moon, Mars and Mercury respectively.

One disclaimer I would like to mention here is that it is generally presumed in most panchangs and calendars that sun rise always starts at 6 AM and the sun set begins at 6 PM. Hence the day time comprises of 12 hours divided into 8 parts with each part occupying a space of 1 hour and 30 minutes (1.5 hours). But in reality in many places sun rise can be much later or earlier causing the calculations to go for a toss.

However for convenience sake, the respective times of Yama Ghanta, Gulika Kaala and Rahu Kaal is explained with reference to the sun rise day time comprising of 12 hours in the range of 6 AM to 6 PM.

Yama Ghanta:
This is represented by planet Jupiter. For every day of the week, check the part that is owned by Jupiter and this will be the time frame occupied by Yama Ghanta. For eg on Wednesday Jupiter rules the 2nd part from 7.30 AM to 9 AM and that is the Yama Ghanta time and likewise on Friday it'll be 4.30 PM to 6 PM which is the time represented by Jupiter. For easy reference, all of the Yama Ghanta time parts owned by Jupiter is coloured in Yellow in order to quickly spot it. Also some food for thought, if you closely check Jupiter rules all parts in different days except for the 6th part from 1.30 PM to 3 PM.

Gulika Kaala:
This is represented by planet Saturn. For every day of the week, check the part that is owned by Saturn and this will be the time frame occupied by Gulika. For eg on Thursday Saturn rules the 3rd part from 9 AM to 10.30 AM and that is the Gulika time and likewise on Saturday it'll be 6 AM to 7.30 AM which is the time represented by Saturn. For easy reference, all of the Gulika time parts owned by Saturn is coloured in Blue for quick navigation. Also like Jupiter, Saturn rules all parts except for the 8th part spanning from 4.30 PM to 6 PM.

P.S : For horoscope purposes, even sunset time will be taken and this also has a say in determining as to where Gulika will be placed in the vedic rasi chart.

Rahu Kaala:
This is represented by planet Rahu but the computation differs. Here time slots are put forth for each day of the week and Rahu Kaala is obtained based on the same. It must be remembered however that the first part of the day can never be Rahu Kaala. Also in addition to Rahu, other planets such as Sun, Moon and Mars also have a say in determining the Rahu kaal portion. They are marked in Red in the table to quickly catch attention. Listed below are the time parts assigned for Rahu Kaala in each of the days.
Day 1 Sunday - 8th part - Rahu
Day 2 Monday - 2nd part - Mars
Day 3 Tuesday - 7th part - Sun
Day 4 Wednesday - 5th part - Rahu
Day 5 Thursday - 6th part - Moon
Day 6 Friday - 4th part - Sun
Day 7 Saturday 3rd part - Sun

Colour Code:
YAMA GHANTA - YELLOW - JUPITER
GULIKA KAALA - BLUE - SATURN
RAHU KAALA - RED - RAHU, SUN, MOON, MARS

Note: You might be wondering as to why other planets also come into the equation when deducing Rahu Kaala. This is because Rahu Kaala is propounded based on the theory of ultraviolet rays falling on earth during specific time intervals on each day of every weekday which is considered to be highly inauspicious. This also ends up scrambling the usual week day order and hence you find other planets also coming in the fray when figuring out the Rahu Kaala time period. This can however be avoided if the Kaala order is followed which is practised especially in Kerala. Here planets are assigned numbers and they follow the same order with the first part beginning from the weekday lord. The order given is as below:
Sun - 1
Mars - 2
Jupiter - 3
Mercury - 4
Venus - 5
Saturn - 6
Moon - 7
Rahu - 8

Adopting this order based on the running weekday, you'll always end up with Rahu falling in the 8th part if it's a Sunday, 2nd if Monday, 7th if Tuesday, 5th if Wednesday, 6th if Thursday, 4th if Friday and 3rd if it's Saturday. However I wouldn't advise to follow this order as this methodology can get jumbled and would not work when finding out Yama Ghanta and Gulika Kaala. However it would make sense to just remember the number coding 8275643 as each of the digits signify the parts during which Rahu Kaala takes place from Sunday to Saturday.