Vimshottari Dasha is a 120-year timing system in Vedic astrology. It starts from the Moon's nakshatra at birth and divides life into nine planetary periods called Mahadashas. Daanyam computes the current Mahadasha and Antardasha from birth date, time, and place with the Lahiri ayanamsa. The period pages explain each planet. The calculator returns your own dates.
Definition
Vimshottari is the period system used with a sidereal chart. The Moon's nakshatra at birth chooses the first Mahadasha lord and how much of that period is still left. The nine lords then follow a fixed order. Antardasha is the sub-period inside the running Mahadasha. A planet page describes that chapter. It does not say the chapter is yours.
How it works
The birth Moon's nakshatra selects the starting Mahadasha lord. The balance of that first period depends on where the Moon sits inside the nakshatra.
The nine lords follow one order, and their lengths add to 120 years. Those lengths are the system. They are not a person's remaining time.
Antardasha is the shorter period inside the Mahadasha. Daanyam's Dasha calculator returns both from date, time, and place. This page does not print a personal end date.
Reference
The nine Mahadasha lengths, in Vimshottari order. These are the system, not one person's timeline.
| 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 |
| Full cycle | 120 years |
Worked example
The birth Mahadasha lord in the table is the published golden for that one birth. It is the period at birth, not a rule that every chart starts there, and not your current period.
| Birth | Male, born 12 Aug 1995, 14:30 IST, Delhi |
|---|---|
| Date | 1995-08-12 |
| Time | 14:30 |
| Timezone | Asia/Kolkata |
| Lagna | Vrishchika (sidereal Scorpio) |
| Moon sign | Kumbha (sidereal Aquarius) |
| Moon nakshatra | Shatabhisha |
| Birth Mahadasha lord | Rahu |
| Lahiri ayanamsa | 23.798597° |
A common confusion
Opening a planet's Mahadasha page does not mean you are in that Mahadasha. The page explains the chapter. Your dates come from the calculator and your own birth details.
Calculate it
The Dasha calculator returns your Mahadasha and Antardasha. Current Mahadasha opens that calculator. Each planet page explains one chapter in English. This guide does not embed a form.
How the numbers are computed
The method page records Lahiri, the ephemeris, and the nakshatra boundaries. The year lengths above are the Vimshottari sequence that engine uses.
Questions
What is Vimshottari Dasha?
It is the 120-year timing system of nine Mahadashas, counted from the Moon's nakshatra at birth. Daanyam calculates it in the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa.
What is the difference between Mahadasha and Antardasha?
Mahadasha is the major period. Antardasha is the sub-period inside it. The Antardasha guide is the longer answer. The calculator returns both. A planet page only explains the major chapter.
Does this page tell me my current period?
No. The worked example is one published birth, and its birth Mahadasha lord is not your period. Use the Dasha calculator with your date, time, and place.