All 52 chapters
  1. Part 1 · The sky and the chart
  2. The sky above us
  3. Time and place of birth
  4. Two zodiacs
  5. How a chart is drawn
  6. Part 2 · The building blocks
  7. The 9 planets
  8. The 12 signs
  9. The 27 nakshatras
  10. The 12 houses
  11. The lagnas
  12. Part 3 · How planets work together
  13. How planets interact
  14. Friends, dispositors, exchanges
  15. House lords
  16. Reading one placement
  17. Part 4 · Strength and condition
  18. Dignity in depth
  19. A planet's mood
  20. Planetary strength
  21. Ashtakavarga in depth
  22. Part 5 · Patterns: yogas and doshas
  23. Yogas
  24. Doshas
  25. Part 6 · The nakshatras up close
  26. Reading a nakshatra
  27. Tara Bala
  28. Part 7 · Divisional charts
  29. Divisional charts
  30. Navamsa in depth
  31. Part 8 · Timing
  32. Dashas
  33. Transits
  34. The annual chart (Tajika)
  35. Part 9 · Relationships
  36. Compatibility
  37. Marriage in depth
  38. Part 10 · Advanced systems
  39. Special points
  40. Jaimini astrology
  41. Arudha padas
  42. KP astrology
  43. Nadi astrology
  44. Part 11 · Choosing the moment
  45. Panchanga
  46. Muhurta
  47. Prashna (horary)
  48. Part 12 · Life areas
  49. Career, money and business
  50. Travel, abroad, spirituality
  51. Health and longevity
  52. Karma and past lives
  53. Remedies
  54. Rectifying a birth time
  55. Part 13 · Western astrology
  56. Western astrology basics
  57. Aspects and chart shapes
  58. Western prediction
  59. Synastry
  60. Horary and electional
  61. Part 14 · The wider world
  62. Mundane astrology and eclipses
  63. Astrocartography and branches
  64. Part 15 · Putting it all together
  65. How it all fits
  66. How AstroMatch4u scores a chart
  67. Using astrology well
Part 4Strength and condition
CHAPTER 15

Avasthas: a planet's age and mood

Is the planet awake, grown up, happy?

Avasthas are "states". They describe a planet's condition the way you would describe a person: how old, how awake, how happy. They fine-tune how much of its promise a planet can deliver.

Baladi: the age of a planet

Each sign is cut into five 6° parts. In odd signs the ages run forwards, in even signs backwards.

StateOdd signsEven signsResults
Bala (infant)0–6°24–30°A quarter
Kumara (youth)6–12°18–24°Half
Yuva (adult)12–18°12–18°Full
Vriddha (old)18–24°6–12°Very little
Mrita (dead)24–30°0–6°Almost none

Jagradadi: awake, dreaming, asleep

Jagrat (awake)In its own or exaltation sign: full results.
Swapna (dreaming)In a friend's or neutral sign: medium results.
Sushupti (asleep)In an enemy's or debilitation sign: little result.

Deeptadi: the planet's mood

The nine or ten moods below come from Phaladeepika and related texts. The lists differ a little between books, so treat them as descriptions rather than strict rules.

Deepta (shining)Exalted: confident, successful.
Swastha (at ease)In its own sign: healthy and settled.
Mudita (delighted)In a great friend's sign: happy.
Shanta (calm)In a friend's sign or gentle divisions: peaceful.
Shakta (capable)Bright and retrograde: able to act.
Peedita (troubled)Defeated in planetary war or in the last degrees of a sign.
Dina (miserable)In an enemy's sign: struggling.
Vikala (crippled)Combust: its light is lost.
Khala (wicked)Debilitated: gives mixed or harsh results.
Kopa (angry) / Bhita (afraid)Afflicted by malefics or combust in some lists.

giving a job to someone: you want an adult, awake, in a good mood. A child, a sleeper or an angry person will do part of it, or do it badly.

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