Vimsopaka Bala Calculator
Frequently asked questions about Vimsopaka Bala
What is Vimsopaka Bala?
A twenty-point score of how consistently a planet is dignified in the vargas. Each varga contributes Vargavishwa (own sign 20, down to great enemy 5) times that varga's weight, divided by 20. The four Parashara schemes each total 20. This page headlines Dasavarga, the set used with dasha.
How is this different from Shadbala?
Shadbala is six-fold strength in virupas - Sthana, Dig, Kala, Chesta, Naisargika and Drik - on the Shadbala calculator (same table as Kundli Maker). Vimsopaka only asks about varga dignity through five-fold friendship with the sign lord. Saptavargaja Bala inside Shadbala is related but not the same 20-point scale.
Does a low score mean the planet never works?
No. It means that planet is not consistently in friendly or own vargas, so results may take more effort, especially in its dasha. Dignity, house, aspects, Shadbala and the dasha still matter. Parashara reads below 5 as weak and 15 or more as fully favourable - those are bands, not verdicts.
Does exaltation give full points?
No. Own sign is 20. If a planet is exalted in another lord's sign, the score uses five-fold friendship with that lord, not an extra exaltation bonus. Moon in Taurus (moolatrikona) is Venus's sign here, not own, so it is scored from friendship with Venus.
Which varga set should I use?
Dasavarga is the headline because Parashara ties it to dasha results, and D60 carries 5 of the 20 points. Shadvarga is the six-fold starter (Rasi and Navamsha dominate). Shodasavarga is the full sixteen. All four are shown so you can see whether a high D1 dignity holds in the finer charts.
How is this different from Ashtakavarga?
Ashtakavarga counts bindus of support in a sign. Vimsopaka scores the planet itself from varga dignity. Use the Ashtakavarga calculator for bindu maps and transits; use this page for whether a graha stays strong across divisions. Birth time matters because D9 and D60 move quickly.
What is Vimsopaka Bala?
Vimsopaka means twenty-pointed. Parashara scores each of the seven grahas out of 20 from how they sit in the vargas (divisional charts). In each varga the planet takes Vargavishwa from five-fold friendship with that sign's lord: 20 in its own sign, 18 in a great friend's, 15 in a friend's, 10 in a neutral's, 7 in an enemy's, 5 in a great enemy's. That figure is multiplied by the varga's weight (Swavishwa) and divided by 20. The four schemes - Shadvarga, Saptavarga, Dasavarga and Shodasavarga - weight different sets of vargas so each still totals 20. This page headlines Dasavarga, the set used with dasha.
It is not Shadbala (the six-fold virupa strength; also on Kundli Maker), not Saptavargaja Bala (one slice of Shadbala), and not Ashtakavarga (bindus of support in a sign). Exaltation and debilitation do not add extra points here: a planet exalted in another lord's sign still uses that lord's friendship. Vargas match Kundli Maker, including Hora. Rahu and Ketu are not scored.
Enter the exact birth time and pick the city from the dropdown. D9 moves every 3 degrees 20 minutes, and D60 every 0.5 degrees, so a rounded time can change Dasavarga and Shodasavarga. Results are free to share or save as a PDF. Editorial pages are reviewed by Astro Arpita Nath.
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