How to read Shadbala
Shadbala ("six-fold strength") is Parashara's way of measuring how much power each planet has to give its results. A well-placed planet with little strength promises a lot but delivers little; a strong planet delivers what it promises, good or bad. The six sources are:
- Sthana bala (position): exaltation, the dignity in seven divisional charts, odd or even signs, kendra placement and drekkana.
- Dig bala (direction): Jupiter and Mercury are strongest in the 1st house, the Sun and Mars in the 10th, Saturn in the 7th, the Moon and Venus in the 4th.
- Kaala bala (time): day or night birth, the Moon's phase, the part of the day, the year, month, day and hour lords, and the planet's declination.
- Cheshta bala (motion): retrograde and slow-moving planets gain strength; for the Sun it is its Ayana bala.
- Naisargika bala (natural): a fixed order, from the Sun (strongest) to Saturn.
- Drik bala (aspects): benefic aspects add strength and malefic ones take it away, so it can be negative.
The total is measured in rupas (60 virupas each) and compared with each planet's classical minimum: Sun 6.5, Moon 6, Mars 5, Mercury 7, Jupiter 6.5, Venus 5.5, Saturn 5. At 100% or more the planet is strong. The strongest planet by this percentage often shapes the life most, and a dasha of a strong planet usually brings clearer results. Read it together with your houses in the free Kundli and the house scores in the Ashtakavarga calculator.
Calculated with the classical method of Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra on the same sidereal chart (True Chitra Paksha ayanamsa) as our other calculators. Different software can differ by a few virupas, mostly in Kaala and Drik bala.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shadbala?
Shadbala means six-fold strength. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra measures how strong each of the seven planets is from six sources: Sthana bala (position), Dig bala (direction), Kaala bala (time), Cheshta bala (motion), Naisargika bala (natural strength) and Drik bala (aspects). Rahu and Ketu are not included.
What is a good Shadbala score?
Each planet has a classical minimum in rupas: Sun 6.5, Moon 6, Mars 5, Mercury 7, Jupiter 6.5, Venus 5.5 and Saturn 5. A planet at or above its minimum (100% or more) is strong enough to give its results; below it, the planet struggles to deliver even if it is well placed.
What are rupas and virupas?
They are the units of Shadbala. 60 virupas make one rupa, so a planet with 390 virupas has 6.5 rupas.
Which planet is the strongest in my chart?
Compare each planet's total with its own minimum, not the raw rupas: the planet with the highest percentage of its minimum is the strongest. The calculator ranks all seven this way.
What are Ishta and Kashta bala?
They show whether a planet tends to give good (Ishta) or difficult (Kashta) results, each on a 0–60 scale. They come from the planet's exaltation and motion strength; a planet with more Ishta than Kashta leans favourable.
Does Shadbala need the exact birth time?
Yes. Dig bala, Kaala bala and the house-based parts change with the birth time. With an unknown time the results are only a rough guide.