Jyotish guide
Shadbala Explained — Sixfold Planetary Strength
Shadbala is a quantitative strength model from classical Jyotish: six component scores summed (often in Rupas/Virupas) to judge how well a planet can deliver its promises.
High Shadbala does not guarantee good results if the planet owns dusthanas or is poorly placed for a topic — use it as capacity, then read house ownership and dashas.
Open Shadbala on your chart →The six balas
Sthana (positional), Dig (directional), Kala (temporal), Cheshta (motional), Naisargika (natural), and Drik (aspectual) each add a piece of the total. Software like Vedaansh tabulates them from ephemeris data.
Compare planets relatively in the same chart rather than chasing a universal “good number” from the internet.
Pair with Ashtakavarga and dashas
Ashtakavarga shows transit and sign support; Shadbala shows inherent muscle; dashas show when that muscle is activated.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Shadbala free on Vedaansh?
- Core chart tools including strength tables are available from the free Kundali calculator after you generate a chart.
- Can a malefic have high Shadbala?
- Yes. Strength means capacity to act — for malefics that can mean strong challenging results as well as constructive ones, depending on houses.