What is a Dasha?
A Dasha is a span of time ruled by a particular planet. During a planet’s Dasha, the themes of that planet — and the houses it rules and occupies — come to the foreground. The full Vimshottari cycle runs 120 years and is calculated from the exact position of the Moon at birth (specifically its Nakshatra).
The order and length of the periods
The nine Mahadashas (major periods) always run in the same order, with fixed lengths:
- 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.
- Total: 120 years, the traditional ideal human lifespan.
Sub-periods: Antardasha and beyond
Each Mahadasha is divided into sub-periods (Antardasha or Bhukti) ruled by each of the nine planets in turn, in the same sequence. These sub-periods refine the timing: the Mahadasha sets the broad chapter, the Antardasha sets the current scene. Practitioners often go further, into Pratyantardasha, for finer detail.
How to use your Dasha
Read the Dasha lord the way you read any planet — its significations, its sign, the houses it rules and occupies — and expect those themes to be emphasized during its period. A benefic period well-placed in the chart can support growth; a demanding period is an invitation to patience and conscious effort, not a sentence.
Because the calculation depends on the Moon’s exact Nakshatra, an accurate birth time is important for correct Dasha timing.