Question 1

What is Vimshottari dasha?

Accepted Answer

Vimshottari is the 120-year planetary-period system that most Vedic prediction is timed with. Life is divided into nine mahadashas ruled by the nine grahas in a fixed order — Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17 years — each split into antardashas in the same proportions, and those into pratyantar dashas.

Question 2

How do I find my current mahadasha and antardasha?

Accepted Answer

Enter your date, time and place of birth above. The Moon's nakshatra at birth fixes which mahadasha you were born into and how much of it was left; the rest follow in order. The result highlights today's mahadasha, antardasha and pratyantar with their start and end dates, and shows the next change coming.

Question 3

How is the dasha calculated?

Accepted Answer

From the Moon's sidereal longitude at birth. The nakshatra the Moon is in has a ruling planet — that planet's mahadasha is the first. The fraction of the nakshatra the Moon had already crossed is the fraction of that mahadasha already spent before birth (the 'balance of dasha'). After that the sequence is fixed, and each antardasha lasts (mahadasha years × antardasha lord's years) ÷ 120.

Question 4

Which mahadasha is the worst?

Accepted Answer

People most often fear Rahu, Saturn and Ketu, and sometimes Mars. But there is no universally bad mahadasha: a well-placed Saturn gives a steady, successful nineteen years; a badly placed Jupiter can bring over-confidence and expense. What decides it is the planet's sign, house, dignity and what it rules for your lagna — which is why the result shows where each lord sits in your chart.

Question 5

Which mahadasha is best?

Accepted Answer

Jupiter and Venus periods are the traditional favourites — growth, marriage, children, prosperity — and Mercury's is good for trade and study. But the same caveat applies: a strong Sun or Moon period can be the best stretch of a life, and a weak Venus period the hardest. Dignity beats reputation.

Question 6

What is the difference between mahadasha, antardasha and pratyantar dasha?

Accepted Answer

Three levels of the same clock. The mahadasha is the main period (6–20 years); the antardasha is the sub-period inside it (months to a few years); the pratyantar is the sub-sub-period (weeks to months). Astrologers read the mahadasha for the theme, the antardasha for the chapter and the pratyantar for timing events within it.

Question 7

What is the 'balance of dasha' at birth?

Accepted Answer

How much of your first mahadasha was still left when you were born. Born with the Moon one-quarter of the way through Rohini (a Moon-ruled nakshatra), you start life with three-quarters of a Moon mahadasha — 7.5 of its 10 years — remaining. The result shows this so the whole timeline makes sense.

Question 8

How accurate is the dasha without an exact birth time?

Accepted Answer

The Moon moves about 13° a day, a nakshatra is 13°20′ wide, so every hour of birth-time error moves the dasha balance by roughly 4% of the first mahadasha: three to ten months, depending on the lord. Without any time we use noon and say so. The order of mahadashas is almost always right, but every date can be off by months, or by a year or more if you were born far from noon. Add even an approximate time for tighter dates.

Question 9

Does the dasha depend on the ayanamsa?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Lahiri and Raman ayanamsas differ by about 1.5°, which shifts the dasha balance by anything from several months to two years depending on the lord, and can change the first mahadasha altogether if the Moon is near a nakshatra boundary. We use Lahiri, the Indian government standard, and print the Moon's degree so you can compare with any other source.

Question 10

What about Yogini, Chara and other dashas?

Accepted Answer

Vimshottari is the default and by far the most used; the classical texts describe many others (Yogini, Ashtottari, Chara and the rest of the Jaimini family) for particular chart conditions. This calculator is Vimshottari only, which is what almost every Indian astrologer reads first.

Mahadasha	Years	Theme	Goes well when	Harder when
Ketu	7	detachment, insight, unfinished business	Ketu is well placed (3rd, 9th, 12th) or with benefics — spiritual growth, specialist skill, freedom from old baggage.	Ketu sits on the lagna, 7th or with the Moon — confusion, sudden separations, health scares that turn out minor.
Venus	20	comfort, relationships, enjoyment	Venus is strong (Taurus, Libra, Pisces, good houses) — prosperity, happy partnerships, creative success.	Venus is debilitated (Virgo) or afflicted — relationship strain, over-indulgence, expenses outrunning income.
Sun	6	authority, recognition, the self	Sun is strong (Aries, Leo, 10th house) — promotion, authority, public recognition.	Sun is in Libra or the 6th/8th/12th — ego clashes, trouble with superiors, health of the father.
Moon	10	mind, home, emotional life	Moon is waxing and well placed (Taurus, Cancer, good houses) — peace of mind, popularity, gains through women and the public.	Moon is in Scorpio, dark, or with Saturn/Rahu — anxiety, instability, restlessness.
Mars	7	energy, ambition, property, conflict	Mars is in Aries, Scorpio, Capricorn or the 3rd/10th — courage, property gains, victories.	Mars is in Cancer or afflicting the 1st/7th — quarrels, accidents from haste, legal trouble.
Rahu	18	ambition, foreign things, sudden rises	Rahu is in the 3rd, 6th, 10th or 11th, or in Taurus/Gemini — worldly success, fame, life abroad.	Rahu is on the lagna, 7th, 8th, 12th or with the Moon — confusion, deception, addictions, instability.
Jupiter	16	growth, wisdom, children, blessings	Jupiter is in Cancer, Sagittarius, Pisces or a kendra/trikona — prosperity, children, honour, good advice.	Jupiter is in Capricorn or the 6th/8th/12th — over-optimism, weight, expenses, disputes with teachers.
Saturn	19	work, discipline, delay, maturity	Saturn is in Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius or the 3rd/6th/10th/11th — lasting career gains, authority through service.	Saturn is in Aries or afflicting the Moon/lagna — delays, chronic fatigue, loneliness, losses that teach.
Mercury	17	intellect, trade, communication	Mercury is in Gemini, Virgo or with Venus/Jupiter — success in trade, exams, writing and technology.	Mercury is in Pisces or with malefics — anxiety, miscommunication, financial slips.

Vimshottari Dasha Calculator — Your Current Mahadasha

Vimshottari Dasha Calculator

What the calculator shows

How the system works

Three levels

“Which dasha is worst?”

Why birth time and ayanamsa matter here

How this calculator works

The nine mahadashas

Dasha calculator — questions people ask

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Ask what your dasha means for you