Vimshottari Dasha
Vimshottari is the most widely used system of planetary periods in Vedic astrology: a 120-year cycle of nine periods whose starting point is fixed by the Moon's nakshatra at birth.
How Vimshottari Dasha is calculated
The nakshatra occupied by the Moon at birth determines the first Mahadasha: each nakshatra is ruled by one of the nine grahas in a fixed order. The portion of that nakshatra the Moon has not yet crossed gives the balance of the first Mahadasha at birth.
The Mahadashas then follow in the fixed order below. Each Mahadasha is divided into nine Antardashas in the same order, beginning with its own lord; each Antardasha is again divided into Pratyantardashas. The length of every sub-period is proportional to the years of its lord.
Because the Moon moves about 13° a day, the dasha balance is sensitive to the birth time; an error of a few minutes can shift dates by days or weeks.
Mahadasha order and length
- 1 Ketu 7 years Nakshatras ruled: AshwiniMaghaMula
- 2 Venus (Shukra) 20 years Nakshatras ruled: BharaniPurva PhalguniPurva Ashadha
- 3 Sun (Surya) 6 years Nakshatras ruled: KrittikaUttara PhalguniUttara Ashadha
- 4 Moon (Chandra) 10 years Nakshatras ruled: RohiniHastaShravana
- 5 Mars (Mangal) 7 years Nakshatras ruled: MrigashiraChitraDhanishta
- 6 Rahu 18 years Nakshatras ruled: ArdraSwatiShatabhisha
- 7 Jupiter (Guru) 16 years Nakshatras ruled: PunarvasuVishakhaPurva Bhadrapada
- 8 Saturn (Shani) 19 years Nakshatras ruled: PushyaAnuradhaUttara Bhadrapada
- 9 Mercury (Budh) 17 years Nakshatras ruled: AshleshaJyeshthaRevati
Some traditions use a 360-day year for dasha calculations; this site uses the year length of the selected calculation profile and shows it with the results.
See your own dasha periods
Your personal Mahadasha, Antardasha and Pratyantardasha dates are calculated as part of the Kundli.
Dasha periods are a traditional framework for timing. Readings of a period depend on the whole chart and vary between astrologers; they are not certain predictions.