Skip to main content
  • AstroZiviVedic Astrology
  • New Kundli
  • Today
  • All Tools
  • Technique Index
  • Kundli
  • Divisional Charts
  • KP System
  • Varshphal
  • Synastry
  • Dashas
  • Strength
    • Ashtakavarga
      New
    • Shadbala
      New
  • Yogas
  • Jaimini
  • Doshas
  • Horoscope
  • Transits
  • Event Forecast
  • Panchang
  • Muhurta
  • Festivals & Calendar
  • Moon Phase
    New
  • Matching
  • Numerology
  • Remedies
  • Nadi
  • Baby Names
Shadbala
  1. AstroZivi
  2. Shadbala
AstroZivi

All calculations are performed in-house with Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsha, accurate to a fraction of an arc-second. No paid APIs required.

Charts & Analysis

  • Kundli
  • Divisional Charts
  • Dashas
  • Strength
  • Matching

Panchang

  • Panchang
  • Muhurta
  • Festivals
  • Horoscope

Company

  • All Tools
  • Reports
  • Learning Center
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Contact
  • Refunds

© 2026 AstroZivi. All rights reserved.

Powered by the Ganita engine
TodayKundliToolsMantrasProfile

Shadbala (Six-fold Strength) Calculator

Shadbala is the classical six-fold measure of a planet's strength: Sthana, Dig, Kala, Cheshta, Naisargika and Drik Bala, each computed in virupas and totalled in rupas, where one rupa is sixty virupas. This calculator returns all six components for each of the seven planets in your chart and sets every total beside the minimum the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra requires of that planet.

Birth Details
Compute the six-fold strength of your planets

The six sources of Shadbala

Each planet earns strength from six independent sources. Their sub-strengths are calculated in Virupas and added together to give that planet's total Shadbala.

The six are independent of one another, which is the point of the scheme: a planet weak by sign can still be strong by direction or by time of birth, and the total is what decides. Every component is computed in virupas and only the sum is converted to rupas, so nothing is rounded away in the middle of the calculation.

  • Sthana Bala (positional): strength from exaltation and dignity across the divisional charts - Uchcha, Saptavargaja, Ojhayugma, Kendradi and Drekkana bala.
  • Dig Bala (directional): planets are strong in a favoured house - Jupiter and Mercury in the 1st, Sun and Mars in the 10th, Saturn in the 7th, Moon and Venus in the 4th.
  • Kala Bala (temporal): strength from day or night birth, the lunar fortnight, weekday, month and year lords, and the ayana - including Natonnata, Paksha, Vara, Ayana and Yuddha bala.
  • Cheshta Bala (motional): the speed and retrogression of the five star planets; the Sun and Moon receive Ayana and Paksha bala in its place.
  • Naisargika Bala (natural): a fixed ranking by brightness - Sun strongest, then Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn.
  • Drik Bala (aspectual): the net effect of the benefic and malefic aspects a planet receives from others.

Reading the result: Rupas and required strength

The six balas are summed into a total measured in Rupas, where 1 Rupa equals 60 Virupas. A planet is judged strong when its total meets or exceeds the minimum laid down in the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra.

The threshold is a floor, not a mark out of ten. Because the minimums differ by planet, two totals are not comparable until each is read against its own requirement: Mercury has to reach 7.0 rupas and Saturn only 5.0, so a Saturn on 6.0 has cleared its bar while a Mercury on 6.0 has not.

  • Required minimums: Mercury 7.0 Rupas, Sun and Jupiter 6.5, Moon 6.0, Venus 5.5, and Mars and Saturn 5.0.
  • A planet above its requirement delivers its results more fully; one below struggles, especially during its dasha or as a house lord.
  • Ranking the planets by total Shadbala shows which grahas dominate the chart and which are weakest.

Where these figures come from

The scheme is that of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra ch. 27, numbered ch. 69 in some printed editions, and the required minimums are quoted there in virupas: Sun 390, Moon 360, Mars 300, Mercury 420, Jupiter 390, Venus 330 and Saturn 300. Divided by sixty, those are the 6.5, 6.0, 5.0, 7.0, 6.5, 5.5 and 5.0 rupas shown beside each planet's total.

Several components need the time and place of birth and not merely the chart. Nathonnata and Tribhaga Bala are measured from sunrise and sunset, Hora Bala needs the planetary hour, Dig Bala is the arc from the cardinal point at which a planet is powerless divided by three, and Cheshta Bala for the five star planets is taken from the cheshta-kendra of BPHS 27.24-25. The engine's output was checked against the worked examples in B.V. Raman's Graha and Bhava Balas before it was allowed to ship.

How to calculate Shadbala

  1. Enter birth details: Provide your date, exact time and place of birth so each planet's position, motion and aspects can be computed.
  2. Compute the six balas: The tool calculates Sthana, Dig, Kala, Cheshta, Naisargika and Drik Bala for every planet and sums them into a total.
  3. Compare to required strength: Read each planet's total in Rupas against its required minimum to see which planets are strong and which are weak.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Shadbala score?

Each planet has its own minimum in Rupas - Mercury 7.0, Sun and Jupiter 6.5, Moon 6.0, Venus 5.5, and Mars and Saturn 5.0. A total at or above that threshold is considered strong.

What is a Rupa in Shadbala?

A Rupa is the unit Shadbala is measured in, equal to 60 Virupas. The six component strengths are each computed in Virupas, added together, and then expressed in Rupas.

Which planets get Cheshta Bala?

Cheshta (motional) Bala applies to the five star planets - Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn - from their speed and retrogression. The Sun and Moon are given Ayana and Paksha Bala instead.

What is the difference between a virupa and a rupa?

A rupa is sixty virupas. Every one of the six balas is computed in virupas, which is the unit the classical formulas use, and the six are added before the total is divided by sixty and displayed in rupas. Converting earlier would round precision away in the middle of the sum, so the conversion is left to the end.

Which chapter of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra gives Shadbala?

Chapter 27, which is numbered chapter 69 in some printed editions. The required minimums are stated there in virupas: Sun 390, Moon 360, Mars 300, Mercury 420, Jupiter 390, Venus 330 and Saturn 300, which are 6.5, 6.0, 5.0, 7.0, 6.5, 5.5 and 5.0 rupas.

Related calculators

Ashtakavarga Calculator (SAV & BAV)
Strength
Free Kundli

Brihat Kundli - Full Life Report

52% off

Comprehensive multi-chapter analysis: charts, all dashas, strengths, yogas, doshas, life areas, longevity & remedies.

For educational purposes. Astrological interpretations are traditional and not a substitute for professional advice.