If your birth chart is a map, the dasha system is the timeline that tells you which parts of the map are active now. Vimshottari dasha is the most widely used dasha system in India.
A 120-year cycle
Vimshottari divides a full life cycle of 120 years among the nine planets, always in this order:
| Planet | Mahadasha length |
|---|---|
| Ketu | 7 years |
| Venus | 20 years |
| Sun | 6 years |
| Moon | 10 years |
| Mars | 7 years |
| Rahu | 18 years |
| Jupiter | 16 years |
| Saturn | 19 years |
| Mercury | 17 years |
Where your dasha starts
Your starting dasha is set by your birth nakshatra. Each nakshatra is ruled by one of the nine planets (Ashwini by Ketu, Bharani by Venus, and so on). You are born into that planet's mahadasha, and how far the Moon had travelled through the nakshatra decides how much of it is left.
Mahadasha and antardasha
- The mahadasha is the main period, lasting 6 to 20 years.
- Each mahadasha is divided into nine antardashas (sub-periods), one for each planet in the same order, starting with the mahadasha planet itself.
- The antardasha length is proportional to that planet's years. For example, within a 20-year Venus mahadasha, the Sun antardasha lasts 1 year.
What each period tends to bring
- Ketu: inward, spiritual, letting go
- Venus: relationships, comforts, creativity
- Sun: recognition, authority, confidence
- Moon: emotions, home, travel, the public
- Mars: action, property, courage
- Rahu: ambition, big changes, foreign links
- Jupiter: growth, learning, children, fortune
- Saturn: hard work, discipline, lasting results
- Mercury: business, study, communication
The real effect depends on where the planet sits in your chart and how strong it is, which is why the same dasha feels very different for different people.
A worked example
Suppose the Moon was at the start of Uttara Ashadha (ruled by the Sun) at birth, a quarter of the way through. Three quarters of the Sun's 6-year mahadasha remain at birth, so the first dasha lasts 4.5 years. Then follow Moon (10 years), Mars (7), Rahu (18), Jupiter (16) and so on in the fixed order.
Pratyantardasha and further levels
Each antardasha can be divided again into nine pratyantardashas, and further into sookshma and prana dashas, for very fine timing. Most readings use only the first two levels, mahadasha and antardasha.