Most introductions to aspects present them as on or off: a planet either looks at a house or it does not. The classical Parashari teaching is finer than that. It gives every planet a look at several houses and assigns each look a fraction of strength. The pages on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn describe their special looks as full, and this page explains what that full is measured against.
The fractions
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra teaches that a planet’s look grows in strength with the house it falls on. Counting the planet’s own sign as the first, the standard table is as follows.
| House counted from the planet | Strength of the look for an ordinary planet |
|---|---|
| 3rd and 10th | One quarter |
| 5th and 9th | One half |
| 4th and 8th | Three-quarters |
| 7th | Full |
The remaining houses (the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 11th and 12th) are not aspected in this scheme.
Then the special aspects are laid on top. Mars is full at the 4th and 8th, Jupiter at the 5th and 9th, and Saturn at the 3rd and 10th. So for Mars, the 4th and 8th rise from three-quarters to full. For Jupiter, the 5th and 9th rise from half to full. For Saturn, the 3rd and 10th rise from a quarter to full. That is the reason these are called special: they are the places where each of the three planets gives what the others only partly give.
The quarter and half and three-quarter looks are read as lighter versions. In ordinary reading teachers speak of the 7th and the special looks, and the partial looks matter mostly where a precise measure of strength is wanted.
Virupas
The classical unit of strength is the virupa, with 60 virupas making a full unit (a rupa). A full aspect is 60 virupas, so the fractions become:
| Fraction | Virupas |
|---|---|
| Quarter | 15 |
| Half | 30 |
| Three-quarters | 45 |
| Full | 60 |
How Shadbala uses it
Shadbala is the classical six-part measure of a planet’s strength, and one of its parts is drik bala, the strength of aspects received. The calculator on this site reads the aspect by the angle between planets, not by sign alone. Starting at 30 degrees from the aspecting planet, the strength rises step by step to the full 60 virupas at 180 degrees (the exact opposition), then falls back to nothing by 300 degrees. The special aspects of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are added at their own angles, and no single aspect is allowed to exceed 60 virupas. Drik bala then takes a quarter of the aspect strength received from benefics and subtracts a quarter of that received from malefics.
The result is that a planet 175 degrees ahead gives 50 virupas and one at exactly 180 gives 60, so a closer look is a stronger look. To see it worked out for your chart, use the Shadbala calculator.
Sign count and degree angle
The two ways of speaking, houses and angles, are connected but not identical. The sign table above is the teaching in its simple form. The angle table is the form used in calculation, and because it is continuous it gives a value for every angle, so two planets in the same pair of signs can still differ in strength depending on how many degrees into each sign they stand. The question of sign against degree is also taken up in aspects on houses and on planets.
How much weight to give partial looks
Teachers differ. Some work almost entirely with the full looks (the 7th and the special aspects) and treat the partial ones as a fine detail. Others use the full table in every reading. A reasonable working rule is to build the reading on the full looks first, then ask whether any partial look changes the picture, especially from a close planet or a strong benefic or malefic.
It is worth remembering that no figure on this page predicts an event. The numbers measure the strength of an influence, and the influence is read together with dignity, house lordship and timing.
A worked example
Take Mars in Aries and Saturn in Cancer. Cancer is the 4th sign from Aries, so Mars looks at Saturn by its special 4th look, a full 60 virupas in the classical scheme. Counting the other way, Aries is the 10th sign from Cancer, and Saturn’s special 10th look is also full. So the two planets look at each other with full strength, which is the one special mutual aspect between them. Now swap Saturn for the Moon in Cancer. Mars still gives its full 4th look at the Moon, but the Moon is an ordinary planet, and from Cancer its look at Aries would be a 10th-house look worth only a quarter in the partial scheme, and it has no full look there at all. The same pair of signs therefore gives a different pattern depending on who sits there, which is why the table matters.
Checking it in your chart
- Find the signs of all planets with the planet position calculator.
- For each planet, count the 7th sign and the special signs for Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These are the full looks.
- If you want the partial looks, count the 3rd, 10th, 5th, 9th, 4th and 8th signs and apply the fractions.
- Check the strengths in the Shadbala calculator and read how to read aspects in a chart.
The basic look that all planets share is described in the 7th aspect of every planet.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Do planets aspect houses other than the 7th?
In the Parashari scheme yes, with partial strength: a quarter at the 3rd and 10th, a half at the 5th and 9th and three-quarters at the 4th and 8th. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn give a full look at their special houses.
↳ What is a virupa?
It is the classical unit of strength used in Shadbala, with 60 virupas making a full unit. A full aspect is 60 virupas, a half is 30 and a quarter is 15.
↳ Why do Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have special aspects?
The classical texts teach them as special looks that are full where other planets give only part. The texts state the rule and do not argue its reason, so teachers explain it in different ways.
↳ Should I count partial aspects in a reading?
It is a matter of style. Many teachers build a reading on the full looks and add partial ones only for a fine point, while others use the whole table.