# VIDYA VIDYA is an indicator on [Vela](https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart), our next-generation charting platform, written in Pine Script®. VIDYA plots Tushar Chande's Variable Index Dynamic Average, an EMA whose speed is rescaled every bar: by absolute CMO momentum (default, length 12, scaler lookback 9) or by Chande's original standard-deviation ratio. An ATR-normalized slope test colors trending and flat regimes, and a dashboard shows the live effective length. For trend traders who want one average for fast and slow tape. - Indicator in the LuxAlgo Library, by LuxAlgo, published Mar 11, 2026. - Access: free. - Concepts: [VIDYA](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/vidya/) (primary) - Open on Vela: https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart?pineScriptCodeId=w15nn8ui8rcpe2gidkaqlteg - Page: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/vidya/ **VIDYA** is the definitive build of Tushar Chande's [Variable Index Dynamic Average](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/vidya/): an EMA whose smoothing constant is re-derived each bar, accelerating when movement runs one-sided and flattening when it balances out. It includes both published scalers (the widely used absolute-CMO momentum form and Chande's original 1992 standard-deviation ratio) plus an ATR-normalized slope test separating trending from flat regimes and a dashboard with the live effective length. ## How to Trade the VIDYA? - **Slope regimes**: the line reads bullish while its normalized slope clears the flat threshold, bearish below the negative, and flat inside congestion. Each transition is alerted. - **Breakouts from flat**: price breaking away from a flattened VIDYA marks the potential start of a directional phase, both directions alerted. - **Price crossings**: the source crossing VIDYA is the classic entry grammar; markers are optional, the crossing alerts work regardless. ## VIDYA Settings - **Source** (default close): series the average smooths. - **VIDYA Length** (default 12): EMA-equivalent base length the scaler rescales bar by bar. - **Adaptive Scaler** (default Momentum (|CMO|)): the momentum form, or Volatility (StDev Ratio) for Chande's original reading. - **Scaler Lookback** (default 9): the CMO period, or the short standard-deviation window in volatility mode. - **Reference StDev Length** (default 30): volatility mode only, the reference the short window is divided by. - **Flat Threshold** (default 0.05) with **ATR Normalization Length** (default 14): the slope cut, as a fraction of ATR, separating congestion from directional phases. - **Show Dashboard** (default enabled): regime, adaptivity, and effective-length readouts. - Style toggles: **Trend Regime Coloring**, **Adaptive Gradient**, and **Price / VIDYA Gradient Fill** (default enabled); **Price Crossing Markers** (default disabled); **Line Width** (default 2). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does the dashboard's effective length mean? It converts the current smoothing constant back into an EMA-equivalent length, the "variable index". A 12-length VIDYA can behave like a far longer average in balanced tape. In the default Momentum (|CMO|) mode it speeds back up toward its 12-bar base in a push but never runs faster than it; only Volatility (StDev Ratio) mode can act shorter than the base length, when short-term dispersion outruns its reference. ### Which adaptive scaler should I use? Momentum (|CMO|) is the widely used form: one-sided movement speeds the average up, balanced movement flattens it. Volatility (StDev Ratio) is Chande's original construction, speeding the line when short-term dispersion outruns its reference. ### How does VIDYA compare with the UHL Adaptive MA? The [UHL Adaptive MA](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/uhl-adaptive-ma/) gates its updates through a variance test: it holds perfectly flat, then steps. VIDYA adapts continuously and always moves a little. ## Related indicators - [Trend Regularity Adaptive Moving Average](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/trend-regularity-adaptive-moving-average/) (TRAMA): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/trend-regularity-adaptive-moving-average.md - [Machine Learning Moving Average](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/machine-learning-moving-average/) (Adaptive-lookback MA): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/machine-learning-moving-average.md - [ZLEMA](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/zlema/) (Trend): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/zlema.md - [Moving Average Converging](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/moving-average-converging/) (EMA): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/moving-average-converging.md - [MLMA](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/mlma/) (Trend): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/mlma.md - [Volume-adjusted MA](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/volume-adjusted-ma/) (Trend): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/volume-adjusted-ma.md - [JMA](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/jma/) (Trend): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/jma.md - [T3](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/t3/) (Trend): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/t3.md --- Source: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/vidya/ (LuxAlgo Library). Free to use with attribution: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/license/