Take the distance between the Moon and the Sun, up to 180°, and divide by 3. That is the paksha bala of each natural benefic, from 0 at new moon to 60 at full moon. Each natural malefic gets 60 minus it. The Moon takes the benefic figure, and it is counted again as her motional strength (cheshta bala), so it weighs twice in her total.
☕ Bright half, dark half
A paksha is half a lunar month: the bright half as the Moon grows, the dark half as it shrinks. Paksha bala turns the Moon's distance from the Sun into strength (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 27, vv. 10–11, p. 269). The distance is folded, so 90° before full moon and 90° after count the same.
Benefics take the figure as it is; malefics take 60 minus it, so they are strongest near new moon. The Moon takes the benefic figure. The verse doubles it, and Sripati's worked tables show how: her motional strength (cheshta bala) is the same figure, so it counts twice in her total (Sripati Paddhati (tr. V. Subrahmanya Sastri), ch. III, vv. 16½–20, pp. 48–52). It is worked at five distances in the card “Benefic, malefic and the Moon” below.
Jataka Parijata puts it in ten-day bands (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. II, v. 10, p. 50): in the first ten days of the lunar month the Moon has middling strength, in the second ten full strength, and in the last ten none. That is the same picture in coarser steps.
Paksha bala at five distances
- 0° from the Sun: a benefic 0, a malefic 60, the Moon 0 and the same again as cheshta: 0 virupas in all
- 45° from the Sun: a benefic 15, a malefic 45, the Moon 15 and the same again as cheshta: 30 virupas in all
- 90° from the Sun: a benefic 30, a malefic 30, the Moon 30 and the same again as cheshta: 60 virupas in all
- 135° from the Sun: a benefic 45, a malefic 15, the Moon 45 and the same again as cheshta: 90 virupas in all
- 180° from the Sun: a benefic 60, a malefic 0, the Moon 60 and the same again as cheshta: 120 virupas in all
- Mix-up: only the Moon has paksha bala. Every one of the seven planets gets it; the Moon's counts twice, once more as her motional strength (cheshta bala).
- Mix-up: the bright half is strong and the dark half weak for everyone. The malefics are the other way round.
- Mix-up: the figure counts days from new moon. It counts degrees between the Moon and the Sun.
Frequently asked questions
Which planets count as benefics here?
The natural benefics and malefics of the chart foundations series; the deep dive links to them.
Where is paksha bala in Nava?
It is part of the Time column of the shadbala table on the horoscope page.
Is this the tithi?
It uses the same angle as the tithi, the Moon's distance from the Sun, but measures it in degrees, folded at full moon.
Deep dive: benefics, and what this builds on
Who takes which side, and the lunar day.
☯️ Benefic or malefic
Which planets are natural benefics and which malefics is on natural benefics and malefics. Paksha bala is one part of time strength.
🧭 What this builds on
The Moon's distance from the Sun, counted in tithis, is on tithi, the lunar day.