Shadbala — Planetary Strengths
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Shadbala — the six sources a graha's strength is added up from, and what each one measures.
0What shadbala is
Shadbala is six strengths, added. A graha is not simply strong or weak: it can be exalted and still powerless because it is in the wrong direction, or in a sign it dislikes and still forceful because it is retrograde. The report prints one number; these are the six it was added from.
The six
- Sthana Bala
- position — exaltation, own sign, moolatrikona, and the divisional charts
- Dig Bala
- direction — each graha is strongest in one of the four angles
- Kala Bala
- time — day or night, the paksha, the year, month and hour of birth
- Cheshta Bala
- motion — retrograde and stationary grahas score high, fast direct ones low
- Naisargika Bala
- nature — a fixed ranking from the Sun down to Saturn, the same in every chart
- Drik Bala
- aspect — what benefics and malefics throw at it from elsewhere
Naisargika, in full
The one strength that is the same in every chart — a fixed ranking, highest to lowest.
- Sun
- 60
- Moon
- 51.43
- Venus
- 42.85
- Jupiter
- 34.28
- Mercury
- 25.7
- Mars
- 17.14
- Saturn
- 8.57
If you want to act on this
A remedy in jyotish is an act, not a purchase — a fast, a mantra, a donation on the right weekday. Where a formal ritual is called for, these are the three that apply: a puja performed on your behalf, a chadhawa offered at the temple, or an abhimantrit article energised with the mantra of the planet involved.
Not sure what this means for your own chart?
Ask the astrologer — it reads your chart, not a general rule, and answers in plain words.
Common questions
- What are the six balas?
- Sthana Bala, Dig Bala, Kala Bala, Cheshta Bala, Naisargika Bala, Drik Bala
- Can an exalted planet still be weak?
- Yes — exaltation is only part of sthana bala, one of six. A graha exalted but in its weakest direction, in an unfavourable part of the day, aspected by malefics, adds up to less than a plainly placed graha with the other five in its favour.