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Shadbala- Six Measures of Planetary Strength in Vedic Astrology

When the discerning neophyte is able to interpret the placements of planets from the Lagna, certainly perspective accrues and he is able to form an opinion about a variety of matters, and this holds true even if we were to restrict our study to the Rashi Chakra.

There is, of course, no reason to restrict the study to the Rashi Chakra, for we do know by now that the true elixir of Vedic astrology is to be found in its stalwart Vargas or the divisional charts. Every specific of life, in any segment thereof, may be found in these divisional charts.

But if we deflect our present line of discussion slightly, every now and then, amongst people seriously evaluating their lives through Vedic astrology, the sentiment does rise, and is expressed in conversation in a myriad ways, and this is the curioisoty as to what might truly be, Karmically, inside a given planet, as it were.

In other words, apart from its lordship and placement and relationships, the question which arises in the minds of many people is: what is a planet in itself,  in the horoscope and life of a given person in the reference frame of the destiny that it promises to deliver on its own part in those realms. People do ask, if a planet which is well-disposed, is capable of doing so to the utmost, and in the process alter the life of the individual significantly. Conversely, the question which often besets the mind of the thinking individual is, whether a planet which is ill-disposed, would be less problematic if it were somehow inwardly weak, or strong.

This intuitive insight into the internal world of a planet is not misplaced or ill-advised but is rather one of the highest and best kept secrets in traditional Vedic astrology. Secret, not insofar as its existence is concerned, but most definitely a secret when it comes to its usage. The matter of which we speak is that of the six-fold strength or the Shadbala of the planet.

There are six crucial measures of the strength of a planet which comprise its internal universe of strengths and weaknesses, and therefore its core, and this is of the utmost importance at the increasingly higher levels of Vedic astrology when it comes to the role and impact of the planets in any given nativity.

There are ambiguities in the computation of these strengths in the minds of technical people which lead to softwares computing it differently. This area of Vedic astrology is wholly classical and like much of Vedic astrology at this level is tied closely to the religious truths of Hinduism. When we appreciate this fact, we realise that the correct ways of both computation and application are those that are closely aligned with scripture.

Shadbala sounds like a subtle and internal matter, and is, but is equally pragmatic and dynamic in its application. The principles pertaining to its proper understanding and application are not given anywhere in any text and are protected by the mace of Hanuman. This is knowledge which comes by the grace of the Gurus and is so precious that it can completely illuminate the horoscope in a new, divine light.

Apart from its glorious nature, the subject of strength derives further importance from the fact that the six-fold strengths of the planets are far more numerous than just six because the fundamental divisions have very many sub-divisions which truly elucidate matters in such a way that the understanding of the chart, and thus of life will never be relegated to the previous levels even if someone has been walking the relatively high path in Vedic astrology.

It should be very clear that we would not be divulging the secrets which make the Bala what it is, in consulting, as they rightly belong with Hanuman, but shall be applying the Bala fully in certain cases where papers such as the Advanced Detailed Chart Analysis, and others of a similar trajectory are being written, so that the intended Jyoti or illumination is fully in evidence and the benefit thereof is derived to the utmost.

We have written about these advanced works previously, including at-  http://planetarytransformation.blogspot.in/2016/06/going-to-core-of-classical-vedic.html and at http://planetarytransformation.blogspot.in/2016/06/advanced-techniques-for-timing-of.html.

The point is, that in these works composed at the higher trajectories, depending on the nature of the chart at hand, and the nature of the concerns which are most fundamental in the lives of the consulters, we shall be delving into the Bala (s), (without exposing their secret core)  which is most crucial given the facts, and that of those planets especially which require a measurement and understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and above all, the application of those to the chart and life of the native of the horoscope.

Onward,
Anurag Sharma
anuraag9@gmail.com
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