Tarabala (Tara Bala)
Tarabala is the strength of a day’s nakshatra for a particular person, found by counting from their birth star. Of the nine taras, Vipat, Pratyak and Naidhana (the 3rd, 5th and 7th) are avoided for important work.
Also known as: Tarabalam, Tara balam, Star strength
Count the nakshatras from your birth star to the day’s nakshatra, counting your own star as one, then divide by nine. The remainder gives the tara: 1 Janma, 2 Sampat, 3 Vipat, 4 Kshema, 5 Pratyak, 6 Sadhana, 7 Naidhana, 8 Mitra and 9 Parama Mitra, with a remainder of 0 counting as 9. The cycle repeats three times around the 27 stars.
Sampat, Kshema, Sadhana, Mitra and Parama Mitra are favourable. Vipat (danger), Pratyak (obstacles) and Naidhana (loss) are avoided for important beginnings. Janma, the birth star itself, is treated as mixed: some traditions accept it, while others prefer to avoid it for travel or medical procedures.
Tarabala makes a muhurat personal: the same day can suit one family member and not another. Classical guidance says it matters most in the dark half of the month, while Chandrabala matters most in the bright half. The same counting underlies Tara koota in Kundli matching.