Shadbala: The Six Fold Strength of Planets

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 (Positional 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 (Course Strength)

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 points

Moon: 40 points

Mars: 20 points

Mercury: 30 points

Jupiter: 30 points

Venus: 40 points

Saturn: 20 points

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 virupas 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 (Aspectual Strength)

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.

Cheshta Bala (Motion Strength)

Cheshta bala means “motion” and in the context of this bala it means “Behavior”. Its the behavior
of the planet. Planets with high cheshta bala are very bright because they are closest to the
Earth. When planets are closer to the Sun than the Earth, or when they are combust, have low
cheshta bala. The requirements of Cheshta Bala are as follows:

Sun: 50 points

Moon: 30 points

Mars: 40 points

Mercury: 50 points

Juiter: 50 points

Venus: 30 points
Saturn: 40 points

What does Cheshta Bala measure? It measures the confidence of the planet. High cheshta bala
= high confidence. How does confidence make a planet effective? It creates magnetism that
draws in the whatever is desired. A person who has confidence but no skill almost magically can
manifest what he desires. Confidence really helps us make effective use of the planet. A person
can have a lot of skill but no confidence and won’t be able to manifest the full extent of that
planet.

How do each of the planets manifest their low or high Cheshta Bala?

It is important to note here that malefics and benefics act differently when they have low Cheshta
Bala or when they are combust. When Venus and the Moon have low Cheshta Bala, they want to
hide and take the negative energy onto themselves. When malefics are combust or have low
Cheshta Bala, they act cruelly and give negative energy to others. When Mercury has low
Cheshta Bala, he will hint at something or make a joke about it making it seem that what they
want is really not important to them. Usually, natives with low Cheshta Bala Mercury will not be
taken very seriously because they are not asking with confidence. When we have a planet with
low cheshta bala, we tend to get angry with that planet. When Mercury is low, he feels frustrated
in getting what he wants.

The Sun is the confidence to lead and handle responsibilities effectively. The Sun usually only
has sufficient Cheshta Bala in Cancer and Gemini in the Tropical Zodiac. When its in the South,
especially in Sagittarius and Capricorn, it won’t have great Cheshta Bala. Only 1 out of 6 charts
has sufficient Cheshta Bala for the Sun so only 1 out of 6 people feel fully confident in their
leadership ability and to take care of their responsibilities. The Sun is also the confidence to do
our duty and the confidence to reach our inspiration. Someone who is completely confident to
lead is a rare person. You rarely find a chart that has he Sun, Mercury and Jupiter all with
sufficient Cheshta Bala. 1 out 72 charts will have all three of these.

The Moon is how socially confident we are. How confident we are with our sense of self in the
world. When the Moon is low in Cheshta Bala, the person does not feel at ease around other
people. They will be less socially inclined. The Moon is the Jiva, the reflection of the Soul in
material creation, therefore when the Moon is dark, which is what it is when it is too close to the
Sun, the person has trouble seeing their reflection in the world. The Moon is perception and
receptivity, so the person cannot see their reflection in other people and consequently have a
vague feeling that they don’t exist when around others.

Mercury is more often combust than any other planet out there. Mercury is combust when it is
within 14 degrees of the Sun and it does not travel farther than 28 degrees from the Sun. When
Mercury is retrograde it is not combust. Mercury is the negotiator and communicator. How
confident are we in negotiating or making requests? That confidence helps persons with high
Cheshta Bala for Mercury negotiate in meeting their desires. Combust or low Cheshta Bala
Mercury makes them ineffective in confidently negotiating. Low Cheshta Bala Mercury will feel
misunderstood when it comes to what they say. Only one out of six people have the required
Cheshta Bala for Mercury so only one out of six people feel fully confident in negotiating. 5 out of
6 people on the planet are communicating ineffectively.

Jupiter is a planet that needs a lot of points to meet the requirement for full Cheshta Bala. Only 1
out of 6 people have sufficient confidence in using Jupiter. Jupiter is confidence to have
understanding and knowledge. People with low Cheshta Bala Jupiter will not have confidence
that they can learn. High Cheshta Bala Jupiter will have confidence that they can learn anything.
Combust Jupiters do not feel confident in learning or understanding. When presented with new
information, they will not be receptive to it. They will go ponder the information later on but at the
present moment they will not be receptive to new information. It is not that a combust Jupiter
person is not smart or intelligent, they can be a genius, but they are not confident in their learning.
Jupiter is our capacity and confidence to achieve our hopes. When Jupiter is combust or has low
Cheshto Bala, the person does not have confidence they can achieve their hopes. Everyone
aspires to have confidence that the things they hope for will be realized.

Venus is how confident we are in our pride. Venus is the pride, but healthy pride. Persons with a
high Cheshta Bala Venus have a sense of dignity and pride so that when someone steps on
them, it is brought to attention. Persons with combust or low Cheshta Bala Venuses have no
confidence in their sense of self worth. When someone treats them badly, they don’t have the
confidence to call them out on it. They seem to tolerate abuse and become close to people who
abuse them. Those who have confidence of worth don’t get their time wasted. And what is a
waste of our time but a waste of ourselves. This carries over to their relationships. They will feel
unhappy and frustrated in their relationships but may not feel they are worth enough to get out of
a debilitating relationship. Their pride, dignity and sense of “do you love me” gets hurt.

High Cheshta Balas for Moon and Venus helps us feel confident as a member of society in the
world.

Saturn and Mars get more cruel and nasty when they don’t have confidence. Their tendency is to
keep the best for themselves and dish out the bad stuff. Malefic planets hurt others when they
are combust.

Mars is exerting ourselves, our will and our energy. We feel confident that we can overcome
obstacles with our will. If Cheshta Bala is low or if Mars is combust, we do not feel confident in
the use of our will. Combust or low Cheshta Bala Mars becomes willful, angry and pushy
because they feel no confidence in the exertion of their will and they try to compensate by proving
they are strong. They are pushy and sometimes overbearing with others.

Saturn has to do with our confidence to bear hardship. Do I feel secure to endure loss? High
Cheshta Bala of Saturn feels confident in bearing suffering. When loss happens, these people will
be genuine about it, whatever burden they bear, they will be able to do it in an honest way. When
Saturn is combust or the Cheshta Bala is low, the person will be cold, detached and distant from
people, things and situations that they fear to lose. When they feel they are about to lose
someone close, this person will get cold and distant because they are unconfident in bearing that
painful loss. A paradigm of false detachment will keep them from living honestly and truthfully
with the losses and painful things in their life. Saturn acts cruelly in that he gets detached and
cold with others.

If Saturn is weak and there is no confidence to bear difficulties, but Mars is strong in Cheshta
Bala, then the person is confident in exerting will and they will do everything they can to beat loss
or overcome loss. As they are striving to beat it, they can be honest with those things they will
certainly lose.

Consider Cheshta bala is 60 points of the total Shad Bala score so it is an extremely important
bala.

Copyright© 2006 - 2010 Laura Barat