Jyotish reference
The nine mahadashas
Vimshottari dasha divides a life into nine planetary periods that add up to 120 years. Each page below explains one mahadasha: its themes, what makes it easy or hard in a particular chart, and its nine antardashas with lengths from our engine.
The nine periods in order
| Mahadasha | Length | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Ketu mahadasha | 7 years | 7 years of simplification, research and inner turning. |
| Venus mahadasha | 20 years | 20 years, the longest period: relationships, comfort, art and prosperity. |
| Sun mahadasha | 6 years | 6 years, the shortest period: authority, career and self-assertion. |
| Moon mahadasha | 10 years | 10 years of emotions, home, mother, the public and changing circumstances. |
| Mars mahadasha | 7 years | 7 years of action, property, courage, competition and technical skill. |
| Rahu mahadasha | 18 years | Eighteen years of Rahu: how to read the Rahu mahadasha from your chart, how long each antardasha lasts and why it need not be feared. |
| Jupiter mahadasha | 16 years | 16 years of growth, learning, children, faith and good counsel. |
| Saturn mahadasha | 19 years | 19 years of work, responsibility, structure and slow, lasting results. |
| Mercury mahadasha | 17 years | 17 years of learning, trade, communication and practical intelligence. |
How the periods follow each other
The order never changes: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, then Ketu again. Where you start depends on the nakshatra of your Moon at birth, and how much of the first period is left depends on the Moon's degree inside it. The Vimshottari dasha article walks through a worked example.
What decides a period
A mahadasha gives the results of its planet as that planet stands in your chart, not in general. Astrologers look at its sign and dignity, the house it occupies, the houses it rules for your ascendant, the planets it joins or aspects, and its strength in the navamsha. A Saturn period is a different story for a Taurus lagna, where Saturn is the yogakaraka, and for a Leo lagna, where it rules the 6th and 7th. That is why these pages describe tendencies, and the dates and weight in your life come from your own chart.
Antardashas
Each mahadasha divides into nine sub-periods in the same order, starting with its own planet. A sub-period's length is the product of both planets' years divided by 120. The antardasha article explains how a pair of planets is read together.
Questions
Which mahadasha am I in?
Is any mahadasha bad by itself?
Why are there only eight pages here?
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