Strongest by direction: Mercury and Jupiter at the ascendant; Sun and Mars at the top of the chart; Saturn at the 7th cusp; Moon and Venus at the 4th. Moon, Mars and Saturn are strong at night; Sun, Jupiter and Venus by day; Mercury at both. By nature, from weakest to strongest: Saturn, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Moon, Sun.
☕ Three things that do not depend on dignity
Some strengths come from a planet's own nature, not from the sign it is in. Parashara lists them together (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 3, vv. 35–38, p. 35): direction, day or night, and a natural order.
Direction means the four angles of the chart: the ascendant in the east, the 10th cusp at the top in the south, the 7th cusp in the west and the 4th cusp below in the north. A planet has full directional strength at its own angle and none at the opposite one (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 27, v. 7, p. 267). Each planet's two points are in the card “Each planet's strong and weak angle” below.
Day and night: three planets are strong at night and three by day; Mercury is strong at both (in “Strong by day or by night” further down). Natural strength is a fixed figure, rising in equal steps from Saturn to the Sun (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 27, v. 14, p. 276); each figure is in “Natural strength of each planet” further down.
Direction, time and nature
- Sun: full at the 10th cusp (midheaven), none at the 4th cusp
- Moon: full at the 4th cusp, none at the 10th cusp (midheaven)
- Mars: full at the 10th cusp (midheaven), none at the 4th cusp
- Mercury: full at the ascendant (1st), none at the 7th cusp
- Jupiter: full at the ascendant (1st), none at the 7th cusp
- Venus: full at the 4th cusp, none at the 10th cusp (midheaven)
- Saturn: full at the 7th cusp, none at the ascendant (1st)
- Mix-up: south is at the bottom of the chart. In these charts the 10th cusp, the top, is the south, as the Sun stands at noon.
- Mix-up: the Sun is the weakest planet. By nature it is the strongest of the seven.
- Mix-up: a planet with no directional strength is spoilt. It is one part of six; the others can outweigh it.
Frequently asked questions
Where are these in Nava?
In the shadbala table on the horoscope page: Direction is its own column, Natural another, and day or night strength is part of Time.
Is directional strength measured from the Moon?
No. It is measured from the cusps, which come from the ascendant.
Why is Mercury strong by day and by night?
The book gives it both. In the time part of shadbala Mercury always takes the full 60 for this reason.
Deep dive: the figures, and where they go
The tables “Strong by day or by night” and “Natural strength of each planet”, then where these figures go in shadbala, and what this builds on.
🌗 Strong by day or by night
| When | Planets |
|---|---|
| Strong at night | Moon, Mars, Saturn |
| Strong by day | Sun, Jupiter, Venus |
| Strong always | Mercury |
⚖️ Natural strength of each planet
| Planet | Natural strength |
|---|---|
| Saturn | 8.57 virupas |
| Mars | 17.14 virupas |
| Mercury | 25.71 virupas |
| Jupiter | 34.29 virupas |
| Venus | 42.86 virupas |
| Moon | 51.43 virupas |
| Sun | 60 virupas |
📊 Into shadbala
Directional and natural strength are two of the six parts of shadbala; day and night strength is one piece of time strength.
🧭 What this builds on
The seven planets and their natures are on the grahas.