Vimshottari Dasha: the 120-year planetary cycle
Vimshottari is the most widely used Dasha system in Vedic astrology. It divides a 120-year span among nine planets, and your Moon's position at birth decides where in that cycle you begin.
The nine Mahadasha lords and their years
The periods always run in the same order. The sequence below repeats after Mercury, and the years add up to 120.
| Order | Planet (Mahadasha lord) | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ketu | 7 |
| 2 | Venus | 20 |
| 3 | Sun | 6 |
| 4 | Moon | 10 |
| 5 | Mars | 7 |
| 6 | Rahu | 18 |
| 7 | Jupiter | 16 |
| 8 | Saturn | 19 |
| 9 | Mercury | 17 |
How your starting Dasha is found
Take the nakshatra the Moon occupies at birth (sidereal zodiac). The lord of that nakshatra gives the Mahadasha you are born into: Ashwini, Magha and Moola belong to Ketu; Bharani, Purva Phalguni and Purva Ashadha to Venus; and so on around the cycle of nine lords, three nakshatras each.
You do not start that Mahadasha from its beginning. Each nakshatra spans 13°20′, and the share of it that the Moon has already crossed is deducted from the lord's full period. If the Moon is halfway through the nakshatra, half of that Mahadasha has already passed at birth.
Mahadasha, Antardasha and Pratyantardasha
Every Mahadasha is divided into nine sub-periods (Antardasha or Bhukti) in the same planetary order, starting with the Mahadasha lord itself. The length of a sub-period is the Mahadasha years multiplied by the sub-lord's years, divided by 120. A Jupiter Mahadasha (16 years) with Saturn as sub-lord (19 years) therefore lasts 16 × 19 ÷ 120, about 2.5 years.
The same rule divides each Antardasha again into Pratyantardasha, giving a fine-grained timeline of months and days.
How to read your own Dasha
- Find the planet's house, sign, strength and the houses it owns in your Kundali.
- Look at how the Mahadasha lord and Antardasha lord relate to each other and to the Lagna.
- Check the planet's dignity and aspects before drawing any conclusion; the same planet behaves differently in different charts.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called Vimshottari?
Vimshottari means 'one hundred and twenty', the total number of years in the full cycle of nine planetary periods.
Which Dasha am I running now?
It depends on your Moon's nakshatra and exact birth time. Generate your Kundali on Shiv Parashara to see your running Mahadasha, Antardasha and Pratyantardasha with dates.
Are there other Dasha systems?
Yes. Shiv Parashara also calculates Ashtottari, Yogini, Tribhagi, Kalachakra, Chara, Narayana, Sudasa, Moola, Panchottari, Shodashottari and Dwadashottari Dashas.
Does an exact birth time matter?
Yes. The Moon moves roughly 13° a day, so a few hours' error can change the Antardasha dates and, near a nakshatra boundary, even the starting Mahadasha.