psychologically astrology

I am writing on the Shad-bala, this is the third post in this series. Each graha has these six types of strength and they are spashta-bala, ie distinct strengths with different meanings.

1. Sthana Bala
2. Dig Bala
3. Kaala Bala
4. Chesta Bala
5. Naisargik Bala
6. Drig Bala

• I have written on the Drig Bala in this post. Drig Bala tells you how easily you are going to be able to perform activities related to a planet and the aspects of life that he controls or are you going to face blockages?
• I have written on the Ishta and Kashta phala in this post. These values tell you if the aspects controlled by a graha are going to be auspicious or inauspicious for you in the long run.

Sthan Bala –

This is strength due to the position, ie the Sthan that the graha occupies in the zodiac. If he is is placed strongly then his results will be more strong. Here we are discussing the power of the result. How strongly an event will occur in your life will depend on the sthan-bala of the connected planet. Graha is not a ‘planet’ as generally translated it is a force (post here).

• Eg Sthan bala can tell you if you going to be able to study till Degree college or do your PhD. It is not going to tell you if this education is going to help you eg ensure that you get a good job, that is related to the Ishta phala. And to know how easily you are going to do this PhD is to be seen from the Drig Bala of the planet.

How strongly you express yourself or take a stand in the aspects of life controlled by a planet is related to the Sthan bala. How strongly you ‘sit’ in a place is the Sthan Bala. 

• Eg. Someone is strict in office but is unable to take a stand in front of his spouse. Here the graha responsible for his profession will be very strong in the sthan-bala. And the planet responsible for the spouse will have low sthan-bala.

There are 5 further sub-components of Sthana Bala, each of which are linked to the position the planet occupies in the birth chart or the divisional charts. Briefly,

• Uccha Bala – how far is this planet from its point of exaltation. The closer he is to this point the more power he derives.
• Saptavargaja Bala – this is the strength that the graha gets from its position in the sapta-varga divisional charts.
• Ojhajugmariamsa Bala – this strength is created by the placement of the graha in the odd/even signs in the birth chart and the navamsha/ D9 chart.
• Kendradi Bala – the position of the planets in the Kendra 1 4 7 10, Panaphara 2 5 8 11 or Apoklima 3 6 9 12 houses in the birth chart. Planets are strongest in the Kendras and least in the Apoklima houses.
• Drekkana Bala – the strengths of the planets depending on the position in the D3 divisional chart.

So now in our example chart, the row at (1) is the Sthan Bala. Crowley had his Mercury strongest followed by Venus then Jupiter. These three have very high values over 200 points. Then are Mars, Saturn also quite strong at around 200 points. Then is the Moon and Sun has the least points. The simple logic is that he must have been comfortable expressing the energies of the planets in this order. He must have been most strongly assertive about the things in his life controlled by Mercury. eg He created the Thoth deck, Thoth being another name for Mercury. His search for esoteric practices/wisdom took him all over the world. And he also experienced several internal things, as evident from all the books he wrote (post on Crowley here).

Now open your own Shad-bala table and take a look at the figures. (You will need a free software like Jagannath Hora or a paid one like Parashar light or any other software which gives these values)

• Check out the planet with the strongest Sthan Bala. This planet has a significant impact on you always. If this planet happens to be your ascendant lord (post here) or the lord of your Moon sign then it will be more helpful in life. You are most comfortable expressing this energy. And likewise situations around you which resonate with this energy are going to be more comfortable to you. 
• On a general note, planets with over 200 points are considered to have very good Sthan bala, these are your strengths. From 150-200 are also quite good. Any below that, you have to consciously work with them.
• Then the graha with the lowest sthan-bala, will indicate those areas in life where you feel a loss of confidence and fumble things up. You might want to critically analyse your behaviour and consciously try to improve yourself if required.

Let’s now analyse how planets with higher sthan bala are going to influence you.

If your Sun is the highest in Sthana Bala you are obviously going to more strongly use the keywords of the Sun. You will naturally express yourself most strongly in the houses and signs he controls. You will be confident, authoritative, creative, inspired, radiant, a leader, etc here. Intelligent, aggressive and have that go-getter vibe. Once you want to do something you do not stop or think twice. Then the typical over-dose of solar energy is possible. So do try to listen to your well-wishers and avoid running rough shod over your loved ones. Analyse him and the houses he influences, these can give you a major boost in life if you use them appropriately.

• Suppose this Sun is in Aries, exalted, and in your 4^th house. So you are going display his energy heavily in the matters connected to the 4^th house. A career in organisations involved in protection of the homeland is a good way of making use of this energy. Sun as the ruler of the 8^th house in the 4^th house will make you capable of taking ruthless decisions in the interests of the home etc.

If the Moon has the highest Sthana Bala then you are going to be more comfortable expressing the lunar traits. Generally relaxed, receptive, happy, comfortable, secure, soft, gentle, loving and willing to be loved in the aspects of life indicated by him. You might come across as being somewhat changeable by nature but your core is conservative. Guard against ‘needing’ things in life which will be indicated by the houses/signs he influences. Moon’s most susceptible trait is his requirement for ‘needy love’ which makes him somewhat vulnerable. 

• Suppose this Moon is exalted in your 6^th house. So here he is the ruler of the 8^th in a dushamsthan. This gives vipreet raj yog and is good to begin with. To use this energy you can try the medical field, divination, occult, oil rigs, sailors etc. Somewhere where danger and liquids mix. Here you need that high which such situations provide and you can perform best in these sort of situations.
• It is best if a person chooses a profession which suits his dominant energy. This ensures that he expresses this huge energy outside the house. This will naturally help the career and also secure domestic happiness.

If Mercury scores the highest Sthana Bala then you are going to be very intelligent, logical, confident, good communication, friendly with everyone, good with the hands, networking skills, practical mindset, easy-going basis. Especially so in the aspects of life linked to Mercury. The sthan-bala is your inherent position of strength. You can think, create options and also choose the best option in life. Use the energies of these houses well, you will gain. Often people with such a Mercury are very successful overall especially if he is placed in a good house and capable of auspicious results. Only advice here would be to try to stick to one course of action after you have chosen it. 

Now Venus with the highest Sthana Bala means that you desire his keywords of validation and equitable love in the houses/ signs linked to him in your chart. You have a taste for refined beauty, elegance and good times. You are very presentable. You prefer fair and equitable relationships, try follow your heart’s desire and often have an inclination towards the esoteric. You can motivate yourself, you love yourself and are perpetually at satisfaction with yourself. Overall people with this Venus are quite charming and intelligent. Venus generally gives good results unless severely afflicted in a chart. eg This Venus if in a house connected to the profession can give very talented fashion designers, interior decorators etc. 

Mars with the highest Sthana Bala gives you a dose of martian qualities in the houses he controls. You have energy for everything connected to these aspects of life. And you also might have to face crises and unforeseen events here, but you tackle all this effectively. Overall he will add a veneer of no-nonsense behaviour, intelligence, logic etc to your personality. You might take calculated risks and show personal courage in these aspects of life. But Mars can also make you harsh, arrogant, you might get uncaring, rough with others so choose some avenue where you can express the energy of these houses suitably. Avoid hurting your loved ones in the process. So analyse him and use his power in the most effective way possible.

If Jupiter has the highest Sthana Bala in your chart, then you are the benevolent elder at heart. Optimistic and intelligent you are gentle with others. You like learning and teaching. You project your gentleness, learning, wisdom, kindness, benevolence, helpfulness etc. You are generally satisfied in life and this is evident in your dealings with others. You have faith in the higher Self and believe. You avoid hurting others. But do guard against trusting others too much, as not everyone is good in return. A too trusting nature often receives unexpected hurts from others. The houses he influences are naturally going to be in limelight as you feel more at ease here. eg if he is in your 3rd house you are indulgent towards your siblings, if in the 7th house then you are benevolent with your spouse etc.  (I am a classic example of this.)

Saturn with the highest points in Sthana Bala makes you prefer alone-ness. You are very meticulous, pragmatic, systematic, hard-working and stoic. You like spending time with yourself or in places of natural beauty. You might not be very comfortable in positions of authority or where quick decisions are needed. Saturn may be a malefic by nature but he is a very powerful graha, the force of your past karma which you have to rebalance. So the houses which he is linked to, will demand work from you and you will also systematically do it without any issues. You can leverage this ability to gain high levels of success in life. But in this do not ignore the other aspects of your life else you might end up truly alone. This position also requires self-analysis in order to make use of its energies in the best possible way.

Some ways you can use the Sthan-bala information.

If just one planet is very highly powerful than the others then the personality often becomes lop-sided. In this case you must actively try to use his energies sensibly. The houses/signs linked to him are always going to be uppermost in your mind always. This planet with the highest sthan-bala has to be analysed in depth. If he is a malefic/ benefic for your chart. Which houses does he control/influence? Try to consciously work out how to best use this energy in life. And do not ignore the other aspects of life indicated by the other planets.

If a gentle natured benefic has the highest Sthan-bala your nature has a core of gentleness which unscrupulous people around you can exploit. So look at the malefic with the next highest sthan-bala and try to consciously increase his qualities in you. Similarly if you have a malefic with the highest sthan-bala, try to focus on the benefic with the next highest value. This will ensure that your personality is neither too harsh nor too gentle and you navigate through life more easily.

If in a chart, all the malefics kroor-graha, Sun, Mars, Saturn have higher Sthan bala than the gentler benefics saumya-graha, then you have a very aggressive nature. The energy of the kroor-graha coupled with their power to take a stand can get very intense. You can get so fixated on what you have decided that even the pain and tears of your loved one will not move you or make you change your mind or alter your behaviour. And the other way round if you have all the benefics, Venus, Jupiter, Moon having higher sthan bala than all the malefics then you are essentially a fluffy ball of love who sees the good in everything. You are incapable of being unkind to anyone. You cannot think bad for anyone. This also is not a good trait in life as you will get hurt often. People with either of these extremes must critically analyse themselves. (If you want to learn Jyotish do read this post. These observations on human nature come with observing people and their charts over years. These are my observations from following my own family members and myself over years. You wont get such analysis anywhere. Collect charts and observe these people. Start with 30 charts and then keep adding to this database as you keep learning)

You can try to consciously improve the areas indicated by planets with the lower Sthan-bala. Especially so if the ascendant lord himself has lower sthan-bala then some active remedy should be tried, eg some behavioural changes or mantra etc as per your choice. (I have written several posts on remedies, do look up the index page.)

I still have to write on the Naisargik, Dig, Kala and Chestha bala which I will do in my future posts. (There is a book on Graha and Bhava balas by BV Raman in case you want to get into more details on the math.)