SHADBALA AND VEDIC

ASTROLOGY
By Admin

The Grandfather of Vedic Astrology, Parasara, in his heady tome,

Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, names six strengths of planets in the
29th chapter. In evaluating the character of a person, these
strengths are of immense importance and MUST be evaluated
BEFORE house and sign position of the planets are taken into
consideration. A good analogy would be one of an elephant or a
mouse. If the planet has the strength, according to Shadbala, of an
elephant, then that planet will be able to fend off tremendous
adversity. But, if according to Shadbala, the planet has the strength
of a mouse, then that planet will fall under the adversity of bad
house and sign placement. A planet that is weak in Shad bala will
need remedies to strengthen it.

Parasara calls the Shad Bala “Spashta Bala” which means distinct
strength. This gives light to the fact that each strength should be
evaluated individually and that the sum total of the “Shad Bala” of
the planets is less important than each distinct strength on its own.
The mathematical calculations of each planetary strength are
beyond the scope of this article and will not be included here. Most
astrology softwares calculate the strengths, so in this age of
computers, the astrologer is saved the tedious task of calculation.

It must be kept in mind that when reading the planets’ distinct

strengths as regards to an individual’s character, the planets are
grouped. Each group represents a theme so if one planet does not
meet the requirement for a certain strength, another planet in the
group will make up for it.

Jupiter, Mercury and the Sun form one group:

Jupiter, Mercury and the Sun have to do with identity, learning,
communicating, management, confidence, faith and hope. When
one of these planets is weak in one of the strengths, another planet
of this group can help to salvage the damage done by weakness.

Venus and the Moon form another group:

These are the female, receptive planets and they have to do with
comfort mainly, finding what is worthwhile to do and happiness.
Venus evaluates and decides what will make a person the happiest,
so Venus is the decision maker. Venus’ moolatrikona (root trine)
sign, its source of power, is Libra, the Scales. The Moon is
consciousness and as such will act on the decision making of Venus
to make the consciousness comfortable.

Mars and Saturn form the third group:

These are the planets we need to have strong if we are to deal with
the adversities of life effectively. Mars flies into action when faced
with a problem and takes care of it, pronto. Mars is the planet that
deals with problems that can be and need to be solved. Saturn deals
with problems we can do nothing about and must suffer through,
like when someone dies or we are in an accident or something that is
cause by circumstances out of our control. When Saturn is high in
strength we have a high tolerance for suffering and can weather the
storm, so to speak.

The planetary strengths and their practical meanings are as follows:

Sthana Bala (Position Strength):

Sthana literally means “stance” or “standing”. When we look at a

person, how they stand automatically tells us a lot about their
character. Their stance is how they face the world. In martial arts,
the first thing they teach you is a stance. This is how you face your
opponent. The planet which has the highest points in Sthana Bala is
very apparent in a person’s character. This strength is ruled by
Mercury. Mercury is the planet a person uses to manage their life
and in the classical texts, Mercury is called “the consciousness
spoken”. Thus, the planet that has the highest points in Sthana Bala
will be communicated by the native and the person will have trouble
communicating through the planet that is weakest in Sthana Bala.

Sun highest in Sthana Bala: The person is extremely confident and is

a natural leader. The person likes to be in charge and there is a
natural authority radiating from them. The person is highly creative
and acts on their inspirations. What inspires them is what guides
their life and how they manage their life.

Jupiter highest in Sthana Bala: Their stance is one of learning,

wisdom, happiness and faith in the greater good. The person will
manage their life with higher knowledge and love to learn and
dispense what they have learned. The person will be a natural with
children. To others, they will appear to be highly intelligent. Faith in
life will give them a natural optimism.

Mercury highest points in Sthana Bala: The person will be able to get
things done effectively and manage their life very well. They are a
great communicator and a great friend. He or she likes doing for
other people. The person is easily able to practically manifest goals
and ambitions. Mercury is the planet representing Lord Vishnu and
he wants to help everyone. Mercury is also the most important
planet to analyze when looking at Sthana Bala, so its strength will
tell a lot about how a person manages their life.
Venus highest points in Sthana Bala: The native will manage their life
through taking care of themselves and their body. They will enjoy
beautiful things and gravitate towards relationships where there is
mutual sharing. Their stance is one of the lover and they will be
flirtatious and sensual. Venus looks for the worth in everything, so
this native will always be calculating the worth of everything they do.
Venus is the guru of the demons and was given the boon of bringing
life back into the body, or rejuvenating. So this native will be able to
revive lost causes and keep situations alive with vigor.

The Moon highest points in Sthana Bala: The Moon is the

consciousness, changes and the comfort we feel. The native will be
able to make changes in his life that will give him comfort,
satisfaction and happiness. He will appear to change quite often to
others. But in every change he makes, he will be very happy with the
outcome. The Moon likes to feel comfortable and live in the moment.
Others may see the person as “flaky” or a “drifter”, but this is how
the native will manage their life, by constantly changing.

Mars highest points in Sthana Bala: The stance will be a Martian one.
The native will manage their life by attending to crises with fervor
and gusto. The person is no-nonsense and harsh. They get to the
point of any issue right away and deal with it effectively. They are
very logical and enjoy the thrill of adversity. Frivolity and luxuries are
shunned and are of no use to this native.

Saturn highest points in Sthana Bala: The person will be a loner and
love nature. He or she works very hard and is usually meticulously
clean. They will have a humble stance and be uncomfortable with
positions of authority. The native may appear psychologically
wounded in some way. Stoicism and seriousness are very present in
the personality.

The Components of Sthana Bala (Positional Strength):

1. Ucca Bala (Exaltation Strength): Assesses the strength of the

planet by how close it is to its exaltation or debilitation point in the
Rasi (birth chart).

2. Saptavarga Bala (7 Divisional Chart Strength): Assesses the

strength according to dignity of the planet in 7 Vargas (divisional
charts).

3. Sama/Visama Bala (Odd/Even Strength): Assesses the strength of

planets as to whether feminine planets are in feminine signs and
masculine planets are in masculine signs in the Rasi (birth chart) and
navamsa (marriage chart).

4. Kendradi Bala (Angle Strength): Assesses strength based on the

position of planets in angular, succedent, cadent houses.

5. Dreskana Bala (Decanates Strength): Assesses strength based on

position of masculine and feminine planets in Decanates
(drekkanas).

All of these components are based on the “position” of the planet

within the horoscope and divisional charts. Thus, the name
“Positional Strength: Sthana Bala”.

Dig Bala (Directional Strength):

The planet with the highest dig bala points will be the planet that
most guides the person towards what they want in life. If a planet
does not meet the minimum requirements for this strength, then
that planet cannot guide the person towards fulfillment and there
will be regrets in the end. Venus rules dig bala as Venus being desire,
assesses the worth of any situation and then makes a decision. The
decision then guides in the direction you want to go.

The Sun and Mars get their maximum dig bala when they are in the
10th house. The 10th house is the house of action and power. The
Sun is the King and Mars is the warrior; these masculine planets
perform the best when they are the most visibly seen as the 10th
house is directly overhead when we look at the sky. Who can follow
the King when he is invisible and how can a warrior lead others to
victory if he is invisible? This is why these planets get no dig bala
strength when they are in the 4th house, which is directly beneath
the earth and cannot be seen. When the Sun and Mars are strong in
dig bala, they are able to effectively guide the person to achieving
his ambitions and goals, and will give a lot of power.

The Moon and Venus get maximum dig bala when they are in the 4th
house and no dig bala points when they are in the 10th house. The
Moon and Venus are female planets and as such are planets of
being, not doing. They are planets of receptivity. The 4th house,
among other things, represents happiness. The Moon is the planet
of consciousness so it does best when it is in the place of happiness.
Venus is the desire planet. As desire, Venus makes choices in life
that will lead us to happiness and comfort. Venus asks, “What’s
more worth it?” Venus is also the comforter and the nurse. The
closer Venus is to the 4th house, the more it is able to provide
comfort to the emotions (4th house). When the Moon and Venus are
strong in dig bala, these planets will guide the person to be able to
roll with the changes and change gracefully according to necessity.

Jupiter and Mercury get the maximum dig bala when placed in the
1st house. The first house is the individual person. Jupiter and
Mercury are planets of individuality because they are planets of
learning and speech. Jupiter as the planet of higher knowledge and
faith distinguishes the person and gives these traits to his
personality. When Jupiter is in the 7th house, he gets no dig bala,
meaning that the person has faith not in himself, but in others, and
optimism and higher knowledge is based on other people. Mercury is
the planet of speech or “the consciousness spoken”. When Mercury
is low in dig bala, then the person has a hard time expressing himself
through word. It will take a long time for other people to get to really
know the native, because he cannot effectively express what is in his
consciousness. When Jupiter and Mercury are strong in dig bala,
they guide the person to higher knowledge that will benefit the
personality and towards communicating and managing their life
effectively.

Saturn gets its highest dig bala in the 7th house. Saturn is the planet
of suffering, but more specifically, it is the planet that gives us the
ability to weather suffering. The 7th house is what is most unknown
as it is the farthest from the 1st house. Saturn is also the planet of
time and of death or longevity. The 7th house is a maraka or death
inflicting house. When placed in the 7th house, Saturn gives a
tremendous ability to weather whatever adversities life throws at us.
When high in dig bala, Saturn will guide the person towards building
security and staying steadfast.

Kala Bala (Time Strength):

This strength is based on the time a person was born and the planets
gaining strength because of that time. Some planets are stronger
when born during the day and some are stronger at night. The lord of
the year, month and day also come into play. Time is the force that
brings events to pass, thus the planets that are strong in Kala Bala,
exert the strongest force in the horoscope while running their
periods (dasas and antardasas). The native will feel the effects of
these planets more than others and remember them throughout life.
Saturn rules Kala Bala as Saturn in Kronos or Time personified and
Saturn rules longevity, the individual’s time here on Earth.

The Sun: the person will take note of and remember those things
having to do with power and authority, with inspiration and
leadership. Events transpiring that have to do with the government
and politics will mark the native very strongly.

Mars: events involving sports, prowess and logic will mark the
native. The siblings and competition will also be remembered more
than other things.
Jupiter: Events involving learning, religion, philosophy and children
will strongly mark the native.

Mercury: Events involving humor, management, friendship and

business will be remembered and will mark most strongly the native.

Moon: Life changes and emotional states will be most recalled by the
native.

Venus: Comfort, luxuries, romantic partners and the give or take of

partnership will strongly mark the native.

Ayana Bala

Ayana means course and more specifically, the course of the Sun.
There are two courses of the Sun which are Uttara ayana , when the
Sun moves north and the Southern course, Dakshinayana, when the
Sun moves South. There is also a distinction pertaining to whether
the Sun is in the Northern Hemisphere or in the Southern
Hemisphere. According to Hindu mythology and the Surya
Siddhanta, the Northern Hemisphere is the realm of the gods and
the Southern Hemisphere is the realm of the Asuras which translates
roughly as demon, but is not the demons we think of in Christianity
holding pitchforks and burning in hell. The Asuras are rather like the
Titans of Greek mythology for a more accurate comparison. Some
planets, namely, the Sun, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter are happier in the
realm of the devas or gods and other planets, namely the Moon and
Saturn are happier in the realm of the Asuras or demons. Mercury is
happy in both. The reason for these preferences will be explained
shortly.

Ayana bala is the strength that measures the personality trait of how
one navigates through conflict and adversity.

Two different methods exist to calculate Ayana bala, the way of

Parasara and the way of Sri Pati. The Sri Pati method is the most
commonly used method. In this method, the declination of the planet
is taken, meaning how far north or south a planet is from the
celestial equator. Parasara tells us to pay more attention to the Rasi
or Sign placement of the planet. This will give a different value.
Ayana bala can only be calculated with the tropical Zodiac. Most
Vedic astrological softwares calculate ayana bala with one or two
calculating this bala in the Parasara method.

Due to the fact that Ayana bala distinguishes how a person deals
with conflict, the planetary ruler of Ayana bala is Mars. In addition,
Vedic myth states that Mars was born of the Earth and Mars rules
over all minerals that come from the Earth. Since Ayana bala is the
strength that has to do with each planet’s longitudinal relationship to
the Earth, it makes perfect sense that Mars would rule this bala.

The minimum requirements for each planet in Ayana Bala are as

follows:

Sun: 30 virupas
Moon: 40 virupas
Mars: 20 virupas
Mercury: 30 virupas
Jupiter: 30 virupas
Venus: 40 virupas
Saturn: 20 virupas

The Sun is the king and has to do with our ability to lead and be
steadfast and honorable. In conflict, the Sun does well when he acts
honorably, just like when the king acts dishonorably he loses the
esteem of the people. Being honorable means being steadfast and
committed to something even though it does not give us what we
want. The Sun has to be virtuous and noble all the time. If the Sun is
in the Southern hemisphere, in the realm of the Asuras or demons, it
is easy in times of conflict and adversity for a person to act
dishonorably. When difficult things come, it is easier for the person
to follow the path of the Asuras. When the Sun is in the Northern
hemisphere, in the realm of the devas, and faced with obstacles, the
person can more easily be steadfast in their course of action and
stick to their guns. This is the reason why the Sun prefers to be
Northern hemisphere in the realm of the devas.

One would think that Mars would enjoy frolicking with the demons in
the Southern Hemisphere. But no, he prefers to remain in the realm
of the devas as well, so what gives? Mars rules logic and what is
logical and the ultimate goal of logic is the search for truth. When
Mars is too far South, he can get too wrapped up in bloodlust and the
thrill of the fight. We must not forget that only when Mars is afflicted
does he rule rage. In his pure form, he is righteous anger. In the
realm of the devas, he can use logic to see if a fight is necessary. In
the realm of the Asuras, he can only see the fight and will fight for no
other reason than to destroy. If Mars is in the North in the land of the
Devas, then his logical approach can kick in and lead him to the
truth. Mars can move South just a little as long as he sees the noble
goal. In effect, Mars can somewhat allow that the end justifies the
means.

How does Jupiter deal with conflict? By turning towards the higher
purpose. When Jupiter has enough ayana bala, the person is able to
gain in understanding and see the higher purpose of the conflict.
They can see the greater good. If Jupiter is in the Southern
hemisphere, the person cannot see how and why they got into the
conflict and very often the conflict can overcome them because they
don’t have the understanding to see the greater good. Jupiter is the
planet of forgiveness and acceptance, and in conflict, forgiveness is
very important. Jupiter with low ayana bala will find it difficult to
forgive. They won’t be forgiving in times of conflict and will find it
very difficult to wish a person well after the adversity has worked
itself out.

Venus needs to be in the North as well. This is odd because Venus is

the guru of the Asuras. Venus’ goal is to teach us that every
opportunity has a price and that price needs to be worth the
opportunity. And only the good things in life are worth the price we
have to pay. In the context of conflict, Venus in the North can
understand that the price that needs to be paid is way too high.
When Venus is in the Southern hemisphere, Venus cannot see that
the price is too high and will end up regretting the decision,
whatever that may be. Venus’ job in conflict is too smooth conflict
over, this being attributed to Venus’ role as the great diplomat and
comforter. His job is to negotiate a peace treaty. His job is to
evaluate what is worth fighting for and what can be let go. If the
peace treaty is so bad, it may be worth it to continue fighting. When
Venus is in the South, he cannot see if it is worth fighting for or
keeping peace. This is in the context of all conflictual things. Venus
is always the 2nd most important planet in resolving conflict as
Venus always works closely with Mars. It’s important for Venus to
have enough Ayana Bala so that he knows when its more auspicious
to fight and when its more auspicious to make peace. If he is stuck in
the world of nastiness, then he cannot properly evaluate the worth
of a fight or making peace. Venus being desire is also our decisions
that bring those desires closer. If we desire to smoke cigarettes
because it feels good, then we cannot see that farther down the line
we will end up paying a huge price for this action, a bigger price than
the worth of the comforting feeling of smoking. This is just one
example of how Venus works.

Saturn is a servant. Understandably, he feels comfortable in the

realm of the Demons because Saturn is our ability to bear suffering.
No one can win every conflict, so throughout the course of life, we
must periodically endure loss. If Saturn has a strong ayana bala or
the farther south he is, the more he is able to see the concepts of “I
can handle losing” and “I can handle the harsh reality”. If Saturn
does not have sufficient ayana bala or is too far North, the person
cannot handle the harsh realities of life and will lament, “It’s just not
fair that I’m suffering”. The person gets frustrated because they do
not want to pay their dues. When we have to lose, when we have to
pay our dues, then Saturn helps us realize that that is just a part of
life. If Saturn has low ayana bala and is in the Northern Hemisphere
with the devas, he is a slave that wants to be the king. Saturn with
the Devas gets very frustrated and impatient in getting to where he
needs to go in life.

Moon wants to be far South. Moon needs to be in the realm of the

Demons to be happy. One would not think that the Moon would want
to associate with demons as the Moon represents the Mind. But we
must look at this in terms of how a person handles conflict. The
Moon is a receptive planet, it is not a doer, so when adversity and
conflict presents itself to the consciousness which is the Moon, the
consciousness must absorb the adversity because it cannot do
anything to make it better. The consciousness is happier to become
one with the conflict and then the conflict disappears. This concept
of becoming one with something is talked about in the Tao Te Ching.
When the Moon is in the North, then the Moon drowns in “shoulds”.
Things should be this way and I must do something to change them.
The Moon is not a doing planet, it is receptive and is most effective
at doing nothing. People with the moon in the South do much better
with children. Raising children is very conflictual and a Moon with
high ayana bala is tolerant of the everyday conflicts that arise with
raising children. When the Moon is in the South, it does not have an
agenda when dealing with conflict, the Moon adapts to its
environment. The Moon in the South with the demons has empathy
and tolerates the conflict. The Moon in the North cannot tolerate any
stupidity or irrationality. If the Moon is empathetic it can heal the
conflict. No matter how painful it is, if we open ourselves up to it,
then it naturally goes away, and can become a blissful experience. It
Saturn or Mars are on the Moon in the natal chart, then the person
will naturally have more conflict and suffering, but if the Moon has
high ayana bala, then the native can open themselves up to these
things, and accept them, and even find bliss from them.

Mercury always has 30 points of ayana bala so it is never lacking.

The more north or south he is, the more points he gets. Mercury is
happy in the North or South, he wants to go to the extreme. Mercury
is the manager, the guy who runs the corporation, the president’s
chief of staff. To manage, he has to look at the statistics and make
things better. The further North Mercury is, the better he is able to
see how to make something better. The other part of management is
dealing with problems. The further South Mercury is, the more he is
able to manage his way past the obstacles, the more he is able to
solve problems. Mercury tries to negotiate himself out of the
conflict. When in the North, he negotiates with the goal of making
things better, when in the South, he negotiates with the goal of just
getting through the problem.

The planet with the lowest ayana bala score is the planet the person
gets most conflicted about. It is the planet that is very difficult to use
when called upon to solve conflict.

Drig Bala

Requirements for Drig Bala are that the planet should have a positive
value and not a negative value. Drig Bala is the aspectual strength.
This is measured by the benefic or malefic aspects to the planet. The
Moon rules Drig Bala because the Moon rules receptivity, and the
planet is being receptive when receiving aspects. Drig Bala lets us
see the help or hindrance the planets are receiving when they try to
manifest. Circumstances help or hinder the person from the
effective use of the planet.

The most important planet to have with positive Drig Bala is the
Moon. The Moon will make us suffer if it has a lot of cruel aspects to
it. With many malefic aspects, we are receptive to more cruel and
negative things. When someone has a lot of planets with negative
drig bala, it seems that whatever they try to do is blocked and many
obstacles present themselves. Drig Bala lets us see all the obstacles
a planet meets with when it tries to do its thing. Sun, Mars, Saturn
will have a higher drig bala than Mercury, Jupiter or Venus because
there are more malefics then benefics. This all means when that
when we try to express our malefics, these malefics have an easier
time doing what their job rather than benefics.

Cruel planets are concerned with doing the very difficult things.
When we try to do very difficult things, we find more help from
others than if we try easier things. An example: If you see a man on
the street corner holding a sign that says “Please give, I have
cancer” and then farther down the road you see a guy holding a sign
that says “Please give, I want cable”, who are you going to give
money to? Look at all the money given to victims of Katrina. What if
everyone in New Orleans got together and put out a national bulletin
with the message, “Please help us, we want to send our kids to
college”. Would they receive more money for that or for the suffering
they endured from the hurricane? The point is that when we try to do
more difficult things, we get more help.

If a planet has a high negative Drig Bala, as the person pursues those
things ruled by that planet, then they will have a lot of frustration. A
planet with a positive number will have an easier time of it.

If Sun has negative Drig Bala, then every time the person tries to do
something career or leadership oriented, they will have many
obstacles. Their self-esteem will suffer. When Drig Bala of the Sun is
positive, then the person will fulfill their responsibilities easily, but if
low, the person will have trouble fulfilling their responsibilities.

If the Moon has negative Drig Bala, the person’s mental outlook and
attitude will suffer a lot more because the Moon is our perception of
our lives. If the Moon has high Drig Bala, then the person will see
their life a lot better than it really is. The Moon really is so important
to have positive Drig Bala. It’s the feeling we get from everything. If
we get help from somewhere, but the Moon is negative Drig Bala,
then we will perceive the help negatively. A person may help us get a
job but they may do it in such a way as to make us feel bad about
ourselves.
When we have a challenges to overcome, when there are conflicts to
be resolved, then positive Drig Bala Mars will be able to do it without
added stress. Just the opposite for negative Drig Bala Mars. A
negative Drig Bala Mars will be given obstacles when it tries to
assert its will power. Logic will go far for a person with a positive Drig
Bala Mars and for a negative Drig Bala Mars, the person’s use of logic
will be met with irrationality and frustration.

Mercury is the ability to concretely manifest. When we need to get

the job done, Mercury is the one to do it. Mercury with positive Drig
Bala will be able to easily get the job done and manifest goals.
Craftsmanship type things will also go well because Mercury rules
craftsmanship. In communicating, it there is negative Drig Bala for
Mercury, then the person will meet with adversity when trying to
communicate his views.

Jupiter rules learning and knowledge. When Jupiter has negative

Drig Bala, then when we try to study or learn, we will encounter a lot
of obstacles and stresses. Jupiter is children, philosophy and
wealth. If Jupiter has negative Drig Bala, then a person will
encounter stress and conflict when dealing with these things.

In encountering and managing relationships, if Venus has negative

Drig Bala then it will be a rough road in the love life and the partner
will provide much stress. High Drig Bala of Venus will reduce the
stress of the break-up and the partner will not be a source of stress.

Saturn is used when we have to weather the adversities of life.

Positive Drig Bala for Saturn will find a lot of peace and harmony
when he surrenders and suffering through difficulties will be easier.
Negative Drig Bala Saturn will have a difficult time of it in
surrendering to suffering. In this case, the person should take the
path of Mars and use their will power to overcome obstacles and
challenges.

Events and situations ruled by planets with positive Drig Bala with go
a lot more smoothly and with less stress and obstacles. Events,
situations and people ruled by planets with negative drig bala will
cause a lot more stress and provide more adversity for the native. If
you want a stress free life, then concentrate on positive Drig Bala
planets. When in the dasa of a positive Drig Bala planet, life will feel
less stressful and happier.

Charts that don’t have a lot of conjunctions usually have higher

values for Drig Bala. If you have a chart where the planets are spread
out and across from each other then the aspectual values will
increase.

Remedial measures are good for any planet that is low in Drig Bala.
Take the Bach Flower remedy for that planet. If for gems, wear the
color of that planet’s Moolatrikona Rasi.