Residential Strength – Avasiya Bala

This post is in response to a question about strength of planet in a horoscope, that was asked in Vedic Astrology forum on this site. The reader “had presumed that the higher the degree, the more matured the planet and hence more powerful the planet”.

There are 5 avasthas of planets as shown below. These states are mentioned here for odd signs (Aries, Gemini etc.) and should be read in the reverse for even signs (Taurus, Cancer, etc.)

I am of the opinion that the above table represents more of an ad hoc approach. In determining the strength of a planet in a horoscope, the important factor to be considered is the position of planet within a bhava. Planets situated near bhava madhya (mid point of bhava) are considered to have more strength and the strength decreases towards edges of the bhava. The strength of the planet in a horoscope derived using this method is called Avasiya bala. To calculate Avasiya bala, we need three parameters in a horoscope:

• Beginning degree of the Bhava
• End degree of the Bhava
• Mid point of Bhava

Calculate the extent of two halves and depending on where the planet is situated in the first half or second half in a house in a horoscope, calculate the difference between the longitude of the planet and the beginning or the end degree of the bhava. The strength of the planet is the ratio of the difference and the length of the half. Pictorially:

In this image, the sweep denoted by the colour yellow represents the measure of strength. At the mid point, the planet is given 60 rupas (the unit of strength) and as it moves towards the fringes, the value goes to zero.

Unfortunately, my software cannot be used to determine the extent of a bhava as well as for calculating the bhava madhya in a horoscope. I do this calculation internally for bhava position of a planet, but do not have precious screen real estate to display anything other than the bhava. I suggest you take a look at this application to find out the bhava madhya and sandhi and then come back to this site for other values. Please note that bhava end of one bhava is the beginning of the next one. E.g. bhava end of 12th bhava would be the beginning of the 1st one etc.