The Strengths and Weakness of Your Leading Planet

Calculating the Shabala is like grading the planets on the basis of points - the more points a planet scores, the stronger it is.

Planets rule our character. They add or subtract to our strengths depending upon their state and position. Every planet is assigned specific points. If they fulfill the minimum requirement, they are strong and deliver auspicious results on the native. If planets have low Shadbala points, then they are either inauspicious or deliver zero results.

1. Sthana Bala

2. Dig Bala

3. Kala Bala

4. Cheshta Bala

5. Naisargik Bala

6. Drig Bala

Sthana Bala is the positional strength. Here, the planet's power depends upon which zodiac sign it occupies. Sthana Bala operates much like human temperament.

We feel happy when we are at our friend's place, but are miserable when we visit our enemy's house or someone we don't like. In the case of planets too, when they visit a friendly sign, they feel exalted, but in the enemy's house, they are depressed and deliver results accordingly.

In Sthana Bala, the position of the planets influences their mood and strength. For instance, Sun governs power and authority. When Sun scores the highest point in the Sthana Bala, the person will be a natural leader, ambitious, creative, fearless, and energetic, and an excellent communicator.

But on the contrary, if Sun does not fulfill the minimum requirement of the Sthana Bala points, then the person might be submissive, lack ambition, and have low creative intelligence.

Dig bala is the directional strength of the planets. East, West, North, and South are four major directions. Direction plays an important role in strengthening or weakening the planet. In Dig Bala, the location of planets in the houses plays an important role.

The four houses of the Kendra

1st or the ascendant house, 4th, 7th, and 10th are crucial for determining the Dig Bala strength of the planets. Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn are assigned certain houses in which they exert the highest Dig Bala strength.

Dig Bala in the House of Ascendant - 1st house is the house of the ascendant. This house is located in the East and denotes the 'self.' It represents our personality, character, physical appearance, and temperament.

Jupiter and Mercury get their highest Dig Bala in the house of ascendant. Jupiter is the planet of growth and expansion, while Mercury rules intelligence, knowledge, and perception. Both these planets represent individuality.

Jupiter, located in the 1st house, will enhance your confidence, and Mercury will enable you to express your feelings clearly. But, these planets, when placed exactly 180 degrees opposite, in the 7th house, you may lose your confidence and might not be able to speak up what you feel.

Dig Bala in the 4th house - Moon and Venus gain their maximum Dig Bala strength in the 4th house. 4th house is located in the South and governs relationships, family values, mental peace, emotional satisfaction, and material security.

In order to achieve all these basic factors for healthy living, we need a combination of a stable mind and 'disciplined desires.'

Moon represents the mind, and Venus governs our desires. In the 4th house, both Moon and Venus are receptive to the vibrations accelerated by the 4th house, giving them their maximum Dig Bala.

Dig Bala in the 7th house - Saturn gains its highest Dig Bala strength in the 7th house. Saturn is the planet of karma, death, and longevity. The 7th house is in the west. It governs sexual instincts, passions, possessiveness, partnerships, enmity, quarrels, and love.

7th house is the most suitable abode for the planet Saturn. In this house, Saturn gains the highest Dig Bala and enhances our power to face adversities and deal with difficulties to the best of our abilities. In the 7th house, when Saturn is at its best, it will allow us to work out our negative karma, rise above our usual inhibitions and staunchly establish our security.

Dig Bala in the 10th house - Sun and Mars gain the highest Dig Bala strength in the 10th house. 10th house denotes North, the highest point. Sun is the king, and Mars is the warrior. While Sun radiates authority, Mars rules over higher transformation. Both king and warriors perform better when they are strong and visible.

The 10th house is right over our heads. It is the house of karma, career, and profession. This house represents our highest achievements. Sun and Mars govern authority, vitality, raw energy, success, and honor.

In the 10th house, they gain their highest strength, where they function parallel to the nature of the 10th house. If placed exactly opposite in the 4th house, they will lose their strength to deliver the desired results.

When in the houses of Kendra, the Dig Bala of the planets increases. But the moment they cross the limitation, the planets lose their strength and are not able to guide us to our real goals in material and spiritual life.

In Kala Bala, the strength of the planets depends upon the time you were born. It is the temporal strength of the planets. So Kala bala is literally the measurement of the strength of the time. Some planets are stronger during the day, while others are powerful during the nighttime.

Kala Bala plays an important role in the dashas and antar dashas of the planets. Kala rules the events brought into force by the planets.

Under the influence of Kaal, the person will then remember the events relating to the planet with the highest Kala Bala. For instance, Mars rules over events involving logic and sports, whereas Jupiter rules over events involving religion, philosophy, and children, which the native will strongly and easily connect with.

Cheshta literally means motion or movement. Cheshta Bala is the Motional Strength of the planets. The motion and energy of the planets are subtly interconnected.

When the planet is fast-moving, it cannot concentrate its energy for a longer period of time and thus gets low Chesta Bala points. But when the planet is in slow motion, it gets more time to focus its energy and score more Cheshta Bala points.

According to their motions, the planets are retrograde, stationary, or either in direct motion.

Naisargik Bala is the natural strength of the planets. All planets have a certain amount of strength irrespective of their position in the chart. It is the inherent strength that the planet manifests.

Naisargik Bala is the luminosity of the planets. This strength is fixed for all the planets and does not change with the horoscope. In the range of planets, the Sun is the brightest, and Saturn is the darkest. The Naisargik Bala for Sun is 60, while for Saturn, it is the lowest - being 9.

Drig Bala is the aspect strength of the planet. The calculation of the Drig Bala strength depends on the aspects or angles that the other planets make with the planet in question.

In Drig Bala, the nature of other planets, aspecting the main planet, is of prime importance. The angle formed between the two planets is called the Drishti Kendra.

When the Drishti is benefic, the person is receptive to the positive influence, but when the Drishti is malefic, formed by malefic planets, the person becomes receptive to the negative effects.

For instance, Sun rules over career, power, and confidence. When Sun has negative Drig Bala, the person will suffer hindrances in his profession, and there will be a dip in his confidence.

Parashara mentions these Shad Balas as Spashta Bala. They are the 'distinct' strengths of the planets that largely govern almost all the sectors of our life. All these six strengths, when combined, form the Total Shad Bala. The more points the planets get in the total Sha Bala, the stronger it is.

The Shad Bala of the planets helps us in assessing our strengths and difficulties of the situations in everyday life. They dictate the strength of character but also help us understand our flaws and correct them to lead fruitful lives.