Planet condition and strength
Sarvashtakavarga in Vedic astrology
Sarvashtakavarga is the combined ashtakavarga: for each sign, the bindus from all seven planets added together. The 12 totals always sum to 337, an average of about 28 per sign. Signs above 28 are traditionally read as strong, and signs well below it as weak.
Updated
Sarvashtakavarga: how the API computes it
POST /v1/ashtakavarga adds the bindus (points) of the seven planet tables. That gives one total for each of the twelve signs. This combined table is the sarvashtakavarga.
Whatever the chart, the seven tables hold exactly 337 bindus. The API checks that on every request, so the twelve sign totals always add up to 337 (AV-02). The average is 337 divided by 12, which is 28.08.
A sign is easier to read when you compare it with that number. A total of 35 is well above it, and a total of 22 is well below. The readings use the words strong and weak. These come from ranges the API chose itself, because the old texts give point counts but no grading (AV-05).
Say so if you show them to users. The API does not apply the two classical reductions to these totals (AV-03, AV-04). They are trikona shodhana and ekadhipatya shodhana, two old steps that lower some scores.
Other software may apply them, so its numbers can differ from these.
Get it from the API
Ashtakavarga: strength points for each sign. Here is the call to API for Astrology (apiforastrology.com) for our sample, John Doe, born Aug 15, 1990, 10:30 AM, New York.
POST /v1/ashtakavarga
# John Doe, born Aug 15, 1990, 10:30 AM, New York
curl -X POST "https://apiforastrology.com/api/astrology/v1/ashtakavarga" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ASTROLOGY_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"year":1990,"month":8,"day":15,"hour":10,"minute":30,"second":0,"latitude":40.7128,"longitude":-74.006,"timezone":"America/New_York"}'Answer (long lists shortened)200 OK
{
"bhinna": {
"Sun": {
"Aries": 3,
"Taurus": 4,
"Gemini": 4,
"Cancer": 6,
"Leo": 3,
"Virgo": 1,
"Libra": 5,
"Scorpio": 3,
"Sagittarius": 6,
"Capricorn": 5,
"Aquarius": 4,
"Pisces": 4
},
"Moon": {
"Aries": 4,
"Taurus": 7,
"Gemini": 4,
"Cancer": 3,
"Leo": 2,
"Virgo": 3,
"Libra": 5,
"Scorpio": 4,
"Sagittarius": 3,
"Capricorn": 4,
"Aquarius": 7,
"Pisces": 3
},
"Mars": {
"Aries": 3,
"Taurus": 4,
"Gemini": 5,
"Cancer": 4,
"Leo": 1,
"Virgo": 3,
"Libra": 4,
"Scorpio": 3,
"Sagittarius": 5,
"Capricorn": 2,
"Aquarius": 3,
"Pisces": 2
},
"Mercury": {
"Aries": 3,
"Taurus": 5,
"Gemini": 6,
"Cancer": 5,
"Leo": 4,
"Virgo": 3,
"Libra": 6,
"Scorpio": 3,
"Sagittarius": 7,
"Capricorn": 3,
"Aquarius": 5,
"Pisces": 4
},
"Jupiter": {
"Aries": 6,
"Taurus": 7,
"Gemini": 3,
"Cancer": 4,
"Leo": 4,
"Virgo": 5,
"Libra": 4,
"Scorpio": 5,
"Sagittarius": 3,
"Capricorn": 6,
"Aquarius": 5,
"Pisces": 4
},
"Venus": {
"Aries": 6,
"Taurus": 5,
"Gemini": 4,
"Cancer": 4,
"Leo": 4,
"Virgo": 5,
"Libra": 4,
"Scorpio": 3,
"Sagittarius": 4,
"Capricorn": 3,
"Aquarius": 5,
"Pisces": 5
},
"Saturn": {
"Aries": 3,
"Taurus": 5,
"Gemini": 5,
"Cancer": 4,
"Leo": 2,
"Virgo": 2,
"Libra": 3,
"Scorpio": 2,
"Sagittarius": 3,
"Capricorn": 3,
"Aquarius": 4,
"Pisces": 3
}
},
"bhinna_by_sign_number": {
"Sun": {
"1": 3,
"2": 4,
"3": 4,
"4": 6,
"5": 3,
"6": 1,
"7": 5,
"8": 3,
"9": 6,
"10": 5,
"11": 4,
"12": 4
},
"Moon": {
"1": 4,
"2": 7,
"3": 4,
"4": 3,
"5": 2,
"6": 3,
"7": 5,
"8": 4,
"9": 3,
"10": 4,
"11": 7,
"12": 3
},
"Mars": {
"1": 3,
"2": 4,
"3": 5,
"4": 4,
"5": 1,
"6": 3,
"7": 4,
"8": 3,
"9": 5,
"10": 2,
"11": 3,
"12": 2
},
"Mercury": {
"1": 3,
"2": 5,
"3": 6,
"4": 5,
"5": 4,
"6": 3,
"7": 6,
"8": 3,
"9": 7,
"10": 3,
"11": 5,
"12": 4
},
"Jupiter": {
"1": 6,
"2": 7,
"3": 3,
"4": 4,
"5": 4,
"6": 5,
"7": 4,
"8": 5,
"9": 3,
"10": 6,
"11": 5,
"12": 4
},
"Venus": {
"1": 6,
"2": 5,
"3": 4,
"4": 4,
"5": 4,
"6": 5,
"7": 4,
"8": 3,
"9": 4,
"10": 3,
"11": 5,
"12": 5
},
"Saturn": {
"1": 3,
"2": 5,
"3": 5,
"4": 4,
"5": 2,
"6": 2,
"7": 3,
"8": 2,
"9": 3,
"10": 3,
"11": 4,
"12": 3
}
},
"totals": {
"Sun": 48,
"Moon": 49,
"Mars": 39,
"Mercury": 54,
"Jupiter": 56,
"Venus": 52,
"Saturn": 39
},
"sarva": {
"Aries": 28,
"Taurus": 37,
"Gemini": 31,
"Cancer": 30,
"Leo": 20,
"Virgo": 22,
"Libra": 31,
"Scorpio": 23,
"Sagittarius": 31,
"Capricorn": 26,
"Aquarius": 33,
"Pisces": 25
},
"sarva_by_sign_number": {
"1": 28,
"2": 37,
"3": 31,
"4": 30,
"5": 20,
"6": 22,
"7": 31,
"8": 23,
"9": 31,
"10": 26,
"11": 33,
"12": 25
},
"sarva_total": 337,
"reductions": {
"trikona": {
"Sun": {
"Aries": 0,
"Taurus": 3,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 3,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 1,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 3,
"Capricorn": 4,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 1
},
"Moon": {
"Aries": 2,
"Taurus": 4,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 0,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 1,
"Scorpio": 1,
"Sagittarius": 1,
"Capricorn": 1,
"Aquarius": 3,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Mars": {
"Aries": 2,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 2,
"Cancer": 2,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 1,
"Libra": 1,
"Scorpio": 1,
"Sagittarius": 4,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Mercury": {
"Aries": 0,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 1,
"Cancer": 2,
"Leo": 1,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 1,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 4,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 1
},
"Jupiter": {
"Aries": 3,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 0,
"Leo": 1,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 1,
"Scorpio": 1,
"Sagittarius": 0,
"Capricorn": 1,
"Aquarius": 2,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Venus": {
"Aries": 2,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 1,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 2,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 0,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 2
},
"Saturn": {
"Aries": 1,
"Taurus": 3,
"Gemini": 2,
"Cancer": 2,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 1,
"Capricorn": 1,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 1
}
},
"ekadhipatya": {
"Sun": {
"Aries": 0,
"Taurus": 3,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 3,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 3,
"Capricorn": 4,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Moon": {
"Aries": 2,
"Taurus": 4,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 0,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 1,
"Capricorn": 1,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Mars": {
"Aries": 2,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 1,
"Cancer": 2,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 1,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 4,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Mercury": {
"Aries": 0,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 1,
"Cancer": 2,
"Leo": 1,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 4,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Jupiter": {
"Aries": 3,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 0,
"Leo": 1,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 0,
"Capricorn": 1,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 0
},
"Venus": {
"Aries": 2,
"Taurus": 2,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 1,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 2,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 0,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 2
},
"Saturn": {
"Aries": 1,
"Taurus": 3,
"Gemini": 2,
"Cancer": 2,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 0,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 1,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 0,
"Pisces": 0
}
},
"applied": false,
"note": "computed and reported, never applied. Texts disagree on whether the reductions apply, in what order, and what happens in the occupancy cases. The convention used is named in pindas.conventions -- see rulebook AV-03, AV-04."
},
"lagna": {
"bhinna": {
"Aries": 4,
"Taurus": 4,
"Gemini": 4,
"Cancer": 4,
"Leo": 3,
"Virgo": 5,
"Libra": 5,
"Scorpio": 4,
"Sagittarius": 3,
"Capricorn": 3,
"Aquarius": 5,
"Pisces": 5
},
"bhinna_by_sign_number": {
"1": 4,
"2": 4,
"3": 4,
"4": 4,
"5": 3,
"6": 5,
"7": 5,
"8": 4,
"9": 3,
"10": 3,
"11": 5,
"12": 5
},
"total": 49,
"reductions": {
"trikona": {
"Aries": 1,
"Taurus": 1,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 0,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 2,
"Libra": 1,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 0,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 1
},
"ekadhipatya": {
"Aries": 1,
"Taurus": 1,
"Gemini": 0,
"Cancer": 0,
"Leo": 0,
"Virgo": 2,
"Libra": 0,
"Scorpio": 0,
"Sagittarius": 0,
"Capricorn": 0,
"Aquarius": 1,
"Pisces": 1
},
"applied": false
},
"in_sarva": false,
"note": "the ascendant's own ashtakavarga, from the same eight contributors. It always holds 49 bindus and is never added into the sarva, whose 337 belongs to the seven grahas. See rulebook AV-07."
},
"pindas": {
"by_table": {
"Sun": {
"rashi_pinda": 89,
"graha_pinda": 96,
"shodhya_pinda": 185
},
"Moon": {
"rashi_pinda": 79,
"graha_pinda": 41,
"shodhya_pinda": 120
},
"Mars": {
"rashi_pinda": 92,
"graha_pinda": 90,
"shodhya_pinda": 182
},
"Mercury": {
"rashi_pinda": 82,
"graha_pinda": 79,
"shodhya_pinda": 161
},
"Jupiter": {
"rashi_pinda": 67,
"graha_pinda": 39,
"shodhya_pinda": 106
},
"Venus": {
"rashi_pinda": 85,
"graha_pinda": 48,
"shodhya_pinda": 133
},
"Saturn": {
"rashi_pinda": 70,
"graha_pinda": 72,
"shodhya_pinda": 142
},
"Lagna": {
"rashi_pinda": 52,
"graha_pinda": 13,
"shodhya_pinda": 65
}
},
"computed_on": "ekadhipatya",
"applied": false,
"multipliers": {
"rashi": {
"Aries": 7,
"Taurus": 10,
"Gemini": 8,
"Cancer": 4,
"Leo": 10,
"Virgo": 6,
"Libra": 7,
"Scorpio": 8,
"Sagittarius": 9,
"Capricorn": 5,
"Aquarius": 11,
"Pisces": 12
},
"graha": {
"Sun": 5,
"Moon": 5,
"Mars": 8,
"Mercury": 5,
"Jupiter": 10,
"Venus": 7,
"Saturn": 5
}
},
"conventions": {
"trikona": "lowest of each trine subtracted; one zero leaves the trine alone, two zeros clear the third",
"ekadhipatya_occupied": "a sign holding one of the seven grahas, or the ascendant; the nodes do not count",
"ekadhipatya_one_occupied": "occupied figure larger or equal: the empty sign is cleared; smaller: the empty sign loses the occupied figure",
"reproduces": "a desktop program (Lahiri), all 16 rashi, graha and shodhya pindas on two charts"
},
"disputed": {
"virgo_multiplier": {
"used": 6,
"other": 5,
"sources_agree": false,
"note": "some printed tables give Virgo 5. With 5, a rashi pinda is lower by the reduced Virgo figure of that table."
}
},
"note": "rashi pinda weights each sign of the reduced table by its sign multiplier. Graha pinda weights the figure in each sign a graha occupies by that graha's multiplier. Shodhya pinda is their sum. Computed on the ekadhipatya-reduced tables and…"
},
"rule": "eight contributors -- the seven grahas and the ascendant -- each donate a bindu to their benefic places counted from themselves. Rahu and Ketu have no ashtakavarga.",
"invariant": "the seven tables always hold 337 bindus between them, whatever the chart",
"readings": [
{
"id": "ashtakavarga:Sun",
"graha": "Sun",
"sign": "Cancer",
"bindus": 6,
"bindus_out_of": 8,
"band": "strong",
"note": "read against the sign this graha natally occupies",
"text": [
"Ashtakavarga is a scoring system that gives each planet up to eight bindus (points of support) in every sign. Here, the Sun has six or more. That is as much support as the sign can give it. Your authority tends to work cleanly in the…",
"Each year the Sun passes through this sign for about a month. Use that month rather than waiting it out. The Sun's dasha years (its planetary period) also often show up more clearly in this area than anywhere else."
],
"language": "en",
"detail": "standard"
},
{
"id": "ashtakavarga:Moon",
"graha": "Moon",
"sign": "Taurus",
"bindus": 7,
"bindus_out_of": 8,
"band": "strong",
"note": "read against the sign this graha natally occupies",
"text": [
"Ashtakavarga gives every planet a score of up to eight bindus (points of support) in each sign. The Moon, which rules your mind and feelings, has six or more here. So your mind tends to be at ease in the matters this sign covers. Comfort,…",
"The Moon passes through this sign for about two days every month. Those days are among the best in the month for anything that needs your own judgment. So save important personal decisions for them when you can."
],
"language": "en",
"detail": "standard"
},
{
"id": "ashtakavarga:Mars",
"graha": "Mars",
"sign": "Aries",
"bindus": 3,
"bindus_out_of": 8,
"band": "weak",
"note": "read against the sign this graha natally occupies",
"text": [
"Ashtakavarga gives each planet up to eight bindus (points of support) in each sign. Mars, the planet of force and drive, has three or fewer here. Effort in the matters this sign covers tends to be wasted. Your energy is real, but it lands…",
"Force is the wrong tool here. Patience and handing work to others serve you better, especially in the weeks when Mars passes through this sign."
],
"language": "en",
"detail": "standard"
}
],
"gaps": [],
"language": "en",
"detail": "standard",
"fell_back_to_en": false,
"meta": {
"ayanamsa": "lahiri",
"ayanamsa_value": 23.7260727,
"julian_day": 2448119.10483,
"ephemeris": "JPL DE440s",
"node": "true",
"timezone": {
"source": "zone",
"offset_hours": -4,
"zone": "America/New_York",
"abbreviation": "EDT",
"dst": true,
"dst_hours": 1,
"ambiguous_resolved_by_fold": null,
"note": "read from the IANA tz database at this instant, so daylight saving and historical offset changes are included"
}
}
}Where the API returns it
| POST | /v1/ashtakavarga | Ashtakavarga: strength points for each sign |
Feature page: Planetary strength. Who uses it: Astrologer consultation platforms. The classical rules the API follows are in the rulebook.
How we check the numbers
Every value here starts from planet positions worked out from NASA JPL planet data (DE440). We test them against NASA JPL Horizons, NASA's planet position service. On 25,571 positions from 1850 to 2149, the Sun and planets agree within 0.001 arc seconds. The Moon agrees within 0.011. On 2,000 random birth charts, the rising sign agrees with Swiss Ephemeris within 0.004 arc seconds. An arc second is 1/3,600 of a degree. A practicing astrologer reviews the rules behind these answers. See how we test.
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John Doe, New York
POST /v1/planets200 OK
- RisingVirgoHast
- SunCancerAshlesha
- MoonTaurusMrigashira
- MarsAriesKrittika
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