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Tara Bala (Star Strength)

This is the first of a two-part series on Tara Bala (Star Strength).  The Tara Bala is based upon Nakshatras.  “Tara” means star and “bala” means strength.  When Vedic Astrologers refer to Tara Bala, they are referring to the placement of the planets in certain Nakshatras from that of the Moon.  To determine Tara Bala, it is essential to know your Moon’s Nakshatra and its planetary ruler.  You must know the Nakshatra your Moon falls within.  If you know your Moon’s sidereal position within a sign, then the table below will help you find your Moon’s Nakshatra.

Janma Nakshatra or Birth Star

The Janma Nakshatra is simply the Nakshatra the natal Moon is placed in. It is your Birth Star. It is number 1 in the Table below.  For purposes of Tara Bala, the Janma Nakshatra is also all of the Nakshatras that have the same planetary ruler as your birth Nakshatra.  For example, if your birth Nakshatra is Purva Bhadra, then your planetary ruler is Jupiter.  Therefore, Vishaka and Punarvasu are also considered to be your Janma Nakshatra and any natal planets in these Nakshatras are said to be conjunct the Moon and in your birth star or Janma Nakshatra.

Meanings of the Nine Tara:

Using the preceding table, one can derive an example thusly:  if Venus is in the second Nakshatra from the Janma Nakshatra, then the person will create and grow wealth in their life through the use of Venusian qualities, such as art, music decoration or comforting.  If Venus was in the third Nakshatra (Vipat), then there would be a lot of competition within the person’s love life.  If Venus is in the 4^th Nakshatra from the Janma Nakshatra then the person derives security from art, music, romance, etc.  The native will have a beautiful home and love to create beautiful things.  Do you get the idea? The 3rd, 5th and 7th Taras produce challenges and create obstacles and setbacks.  The 9th Tara is the best and yields excellent results.  The ruler of the 9th Tara, the planetary ruler of the Param Maitra Nakshatra and any planets within the 9th Tara will yield extremely beneficial results in its dasas and bhuktis.  The 1st, 2nd,4th, 6th, and 8th Taras will also give good effects.

Let us look at an example: 

This native’s Moon is in the Nakshatra of Vishaka.  Therefore all Nakshatras ruled by Jupiter are her Janma Nakshatra.  All Nakshatras ruled by Saturn are her Sampat Nakshatra and so on.  The native has 3 planets in the Vadha (Change, destruction) Tara.  While dasas and or bhukis of these planets run, there were strong elements of change and transformation within her life.  During her Venus/Rahu period, Rahu being in the Vadha Tara and Venus in the 4^th (home) Tara she moved 3 times in two years at the age of 57.  She changed jobs and ended a relationship.

 In the beginning of the Sun dasa, the Sun also being in the 7^th Tara, she left her husband and moved twice.  Once across the neighborhood and once across the United States, from Seattle to Georgia.  She bought a house and retired during this time as well.  She was 70 years old when the Sun Dasa began. 

 Throughout her Ketu dasa, Ketu being in the 3^rd Tara which signifies competition and struggle, she worked very hard to earn her degree in Spanish and then faced stiff competition in becoming a teacher.  There were also many delays and setbacks to realizing her career goals.  She also had a prominent position in high society and continuously felt pressure to measure up and “keep up with the Joneses”.  She said that it was extremely stressful living in a small town and having to put on an act all of the time.

The Moon as the Mind

In Vedic Astrology the Moon is the most important planet.  This is because it represents the Mind.  The Mind takes the light of the Soul (the Sun) and reflects it into manifested creation.  It differentiates the light of the Sun through waxing and waning.  So it naturally follows that the sign and especially the Nakshatra that the Moon falls within will have an enormous bearing on the personality characteristics of the individual.  The relationship the Moon has with the other planets will reflect a person’s attitude and whether they grow stability or change within their individual consciousness.  I like to use the words “stability or change” instead of “success or failure” because in the ancient world, change was often equated with failure.  A person could not just get up and decide he is moving across the country, changing careers and starting over.  Cultural and economic conditions prevented these events from taking place.  So, more often than not, the person going through major changes would face ruination.  Please keep in mind that in modern times, the more difficult taras are related to change and obstacles, not ruination.

Reading Tara Bala is a great way to make predictions without having an exact birth time or being unsure of the birth time.