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In short
Vimshopaka bala is a planet's strength out of 20, built by grading its dignity in each divisional chart and weighting the charts. BPHS gives four weighting schemes, from six charts to sixteen. This app uses the sixteen-chart scheme for the seven grahas and bands the result as weak, moderate, good or excellent.
What the term means
Vimshopaka means "of twenty parts". Vimshopaka bala asks how well placed a planet is across the divisional charts, not just in the birth chart. Each chart has a weight, the weights add to 20, and the planet earns part or all of each weight according to its dignity in that chart.
Where the term comes from
BPHS Ch. 7 Sl. 9-12 introduces the "20 point strength". Sl. 17-25 then gives four schemes: six charts (Rashi 6, Hora 2, Drekkana 4, Navamsa 5, Dwadasamsa 2, Trimshamsa 1), seven, ten, and all sixteen, where the Shashtiamsa carries 4, the Rashi 3½, the Navamsa 3, the Shodashamsa 2, the Hora, Drekkana and Trimshamsa 1 each, and the other nine half each. Sl. 26-27 reads the result: below 5 the planet is not capable of auspicious results, above 15 "wholly favourable", with two bands between.
How this app computes it
- The engine uses the sixteen-chart weights above, since it computes all sixteen vargas, and checks when it loads that they total 20.
- In each chart the planet earns weight x (dignity score / 10), on the same 0-10 dignity scale as its Shad Bala: exalted or moolatrikona 10, own sign 7.5, friend 6.25, neutral 5, enemy or debilitated 0. The code says this grading is its own choice, not a copy of BPHS's Varg Vishwa figures.
- Moolatrikona is a degree range, so it is tested only in the birth chart. Rahu and Ketu are not scored.
- The bands follow Sl. 26-27's cut-offs: 15 and above excellent, 10 good, 5 moderate, below 5 weak.
A small illustration
For 19 January 1985, 11:14 IST, New Delhi, the engine scores Mercury highest at 13.13 of 20 (good) and Jupiter lowest at 7 (moderate). Jupiter is debilitated in the birth chart, but its placements in other vargas still earn it points, which is what this measure is for.
Pages that use this term
- Vimshopaka bala calculator - every planet's score with its sixteen-row breakdown.
- Mars in Vedic astrology and Jupiter in Vedic astrology - graha pages that point to the score.
- Ketu in Vedic astrology - why the nodes get no score.
- The 1st house (Tanu Bhava) - a house page that lists it among the strength tools.
Related terms
- Shadbala - the six-fold strength on the same dignity scale.
- Shashtiamsa (D60) and Navamsa (D9) - two of the heaviest weights.
- Moolatrikona - the one dignity tested only in the birth chart.
Vimshopaka Bala calculator
One score out of 20 per graha, from the Rasi chart and all fifteen divisions at once.
What it needs
Date, time and place
That is more than this article asks for - it only ever takes a date, and sometimes a time, and never a name or a birth place. So this one runs on its own page, which asks for exactly what it needs and stores none of it.
Run it on its own page