Planetary Strength
Two charts can hold the same planets and give entirely different results. Shadbala measures how much force each graha actually has behind it, across the six traditional strengths.
What is Shadbala Planetary Strength?
Shadbala is the classical system of measuring how much actual force a planet has behind its promises. Two charts can hold the same planet in the same sign and produce entirely different results, and the difference is usually strength rather than placement.
The word means six strengths. Sthana Bala comes from position — the sign held and the house occupied. Dik Bala comes from direction, the angle at which a planet naturally becomes powerful. Kala Bala comes from timing, including day or night birth and the lordship of the weekday. Cheshta Bala comes from motion, with retrograde planets counted as highly charged. Naisargika Bala is the natural brightness inherent to each graha. Drik Bala is the aspect received from planets positioned opposite.
Each of the six is scored here from 0 to 100, giving a total out of 600. Because several components carry a generous floor, real totals fall between roughly 300 and 480 — which is the range the strength bands on this page are calibrated across. The value of the exercise is not the ranking but the pattern: a planet strong in position yet weak in aspect is being undermined from within, while one weak by placement and strong in motion will still assert itself when its period arrives.
How to Use This Tool
Follow these simple steps to get your personalized analysis.
Enter the date, exact time and place of birth to compute the strengths.
Read the ranked bars first — the order shows which grahas carry the chart and which are along for the ride.
Select any planet to see its six components individually, each with the reason for its score.
Use the comparison table to spot which kind of strength the chart as a whole runs short of.
Weigh the weakest planet against its dasha period: a difficult transit lands lightly on a weak graha and heavily on a strong one.
How It Works
The science and methodology behind the calculations.
Sthana and Dik Bala
Positional strength begins with the sign: exaltation scores highest, then own sign, friendship, neutrality, enmity and debilitation. House placement is added on top, with kendras (1, 4, 7, 10) and trikonas (5, 9) supporting the planet and dusthanas (6, 8, 12) costing it. Directional strength then measures distance from the angle where that graha is naturally master — the tenth for Sun and Mars, the fourth for Moon and Venus, the seventh for Saturn.
Kala and Cheshta Bala
Temporal strength is borrowed from the hour of birth. Sun, Jupiter and Venus gain by day; Moon, Mars and Saturn by night. A waxing Moon adds to the Moon's own score, and the lord of the weekday gains where it also rules the ascendant. Motional strength treats a retrograde planet as internally concentrated and therefore strongly placed, and a direct planet as operating at a normal baseline.
Naisargika and Drik Bala
Natural strength is fixed rather than calculated — it follows the traditional order of luminosity, with Saturn first and the Sun last among the seven. Aspectual strength is then assessed from the opposition: benefics looking across add support, while malefics add strain. The six are summed to a single figure out of 600, with the components kept visible so the total is never taken on trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this tool.
The six components are each scored out of 100, giving a ceiling of 600, but in practice totals land between about 300 and 480 because several components have generous floors. On this site's scale, above 430 is dominant, 390 to 430 is strong, 350 to 390 is adequate, 310 to 350 is below par, and below 310 the planet needs support from dasha, aspect or remedy before it can be relied upon.
Frequently because of house placement rather than sign. A planet in the sixth, eighth or twelfth loses positional points even in its own rasi. This usually describes an area of life that must be worked at rather than one that is missing, and the component breakdown will show exactly where the loss occurred.
Yes. Cheshta Bala treats retrogression as concentrated internal energy and scores it at the top of the range, which follows the standard Vedic view that a retrograde planet is powerful but operates in its own timing rather than on schedule.
No. The six balas are traditionally assessed for the seven visible grahas. The nodes are judged instead by the company they keep, the charts they occupy and the aspects they receive.
Mostly to decide what to promise a client. A strong planet in a difficult dasha can be worked with; a weak planet in a good dasha underdelivers. Shadbala also guides remedial choice, since strengthening a graha that is short of temporal support calls for different measures than one being aspectually afflicted.
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