What it means
Among the chara karakas - the shifting significators of Jaimini astrology - the Atmakaraka is simply whichever planet holds the highest degree within its sign, regardless of which sign that is. Every chart has exactly one, and it can be any graha, including Rahu in some conventions.
How it is read
It is read as the planet carrying the central theme of the life: the lesson the chart keeps returning to. The Darakaraka, the planet at the lowest degree, is read for partnership by the same logic, and both are commonly examined in the Navamsa alongside the Karakamsa.
What to watch for
This is a Jaimini technique rather than a Parashari one, and the two systems answer different questions with different rules. Mixing them without saying which is in use is a frequent source of confusion, and conventions differ on whether Rahu is counted at all.
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