Skyscript Astrology Forum

My instructions read:

?45 shashtiamsas have to be allotted for a planet only when it is in its moolatrikona rasi, and not when it occupies any other of the 6 vargas (than rasi) owned by the planets? ..he gets 45 shashtiamsas only in the rasivarga and not in the other case.? (para. 30) Graha And Rasi: B.V.Raman, 2000. UBSPD. BVR Astrology Series.

The worked example is clearly wrong.

If a planet is in its moolatrikona rasi and in swavarga in some of the other vargas does it get 30 shashtiamsas (as one would expect for a planet in swavarga) for each of those other vargas?

Or does it get no shashtiamsas for each of them, on the basis of already scoring 45? Can a planet therefore, only score 30 shashtiamsas for swavarga in other vargas if it is not in moolatrikona rasi?

I hope I?m not being too optimistic in assuming that someone might have the slightest idea what I am talking about.

Oh yes, and if there is anyone out there who might like to check my results when I am finished?

If I've understood and remember correctly, What B.V. Raman is saying is that according to him a planet gets 45 virupas (points) for being in its moolatrikona only when it's in its moolatrikona in the rasi chart. If it's in its moolatrikona in navamsa or in any other vargas, it gets nothing. But if it *is* in its own moolatrikona in the rasi chart, it can of course gain more points from other vargas if it happens to be well posited in them.

This practice of B.V. Raman for calculating Shadbala is not universally taught - my copy of Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, translated and commented by G.C. Sharma, says that the planet gets 45 virupas in any varga if it's in its moolatrikona there.

2.-4. Saptavargaja Bala: The strength of the planets situated in their Moolatrikona signs, own signs, extreme friends' signs, friend's sign, neutrals' signs, enemies' signs and extreme enemies signs' is respectively 45, 30, 20, 15, 10, 4 and 2 virupas. Similarly these values occur for Hora, Drekkana, Saptamamsha, Navamsha, Dwadashamsha and Trimsamsha. All these are added together and from the sum of these emerges the saptavargaja Bala of the planets. (Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, Chapter 29, translated by G.C Sharma)

Personally I think that calculating shadbala is bit like adding apples and oranges - the difference between having a planet in its own domicile or in its exaltation is more than simply adding points together, it's qualitative, not quantitative.