ষড়বল কী? ছয়-উৎসের গ্রহ শক্তি ব্যবস্থার ব্যাখ্যা

Why Sign Placement Alone Cannot Measure True Graha Strength

A foundational error in amateur chart reading is equating sign dignity with planetary power. In Jyotisha, a Graha in exaltation is not automatically strong, and a Graha in debilitation is not automatically powerless. The classical text Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra devotes several chapters to Shadbala — literally 'six-fold strength' — precisely because ancient astronomers recognised that planetary influence in a Bhava arises from six distinct and measurable sources operating simultaneously. Each source quantifies a different physical or circumstantial condition of the Graha at the moment of birth. The six sources are Sthana Bala (positional strength), Dig Bala (directional strength), Kala Bala (temporal strength), Chesta Bala (motional strength), Naisargika Bala (natural strength), and Drik Bala (aspectual strength). Shadbala scores are computed in Rupas and Shashtiamsas (sixtieths of a Rupa). A Graha needs a minimum Rupa score — approximately 390 Rupas for the Sun, 360 for the Moon, 300 for Mars, 420 for Mercury, 390 for Jupiter, 330 for Venus, and 300 for Saturn — to be considered functionally strong. Below these thresholds, a Graha may occupy a prestigious sign yet fail to deliver its significations reliably in Dasha periods.