What Is Dasha? Vimshottari Mahadasha Explained Simply

Your life in chapters

Think of your life as a book. Each chapter has its own mood. One chapter may be about study, another about family, another about hard work. In Vedic astrology, these chapters are called dashas, and each one is ruled by a planet.

The most common system in India is called Vimshottari, which means "120". All nine chapters together last 120 years.

The nine chapters and how long they last

The chapters always come in the same order. When the last one ends, the cycle starts again from the top.

1. Ketu: 7 years
2. Venus: 20 years
3. Sun: 6 years
4. Moon: 10 years
5. Mars: 7 years
6. Rahu: 18 years
7. Jupiter: 16 years
8. Saturn: 19 years
9. Mercury: 17 years

Add them up and you get exactly 120 years. Each of these big chapters is called a mahadasha.

Where your first chapter comes from

You don't start at Ketu. Your first chapter depends on your birth nakshatra, the star group the Moon was in when you were born. Each of the 27 nakshatras belongs to one of the nine planets. Your life starts in that planet's chapter.

For example, if the Moon was in Revati nakshatra, Revati belongs to Mercury, so your life starts in a Mercury mahadasha.

You also don't get the full chapter. If the Moon had already crossed half of Revati when you were born, only half of Mercury's 17 years are left. Then the next chapter, Ketu, begins.

Chapters inside chapters

Each mahadasha is split into nine smaller parts, called antardashas. They follow the same order, starting with the main planet. So Venus mahadasha begins with a Venus antardasha, then Sun, then Moon, and so on.

Each antardasha is split again into smaller parts called pratyantardashas. That gives you three levels: the big chapter, the smaller part, and the smallest part. Trunaksh shows all three.

What each chapter is often like

These are the usual themes. Your own kundli changes the details, because it matters where each planet sits in your chart.

• Sun: a time to be noticed and respected.
• Moon: home, family and feelings matter most.
• Mars: energy and courage. Act, but keep calm.
• Rahu: big wishes and big changes. Avoid shortcuts.
• Jupiter: a lucky time to learn and grow.
• Saturn: slow, steady work. Results come late, but they last.
• Mercury: a good time to study, talk and do business.
• Ketu: a quiet time to look inside and let go of old things.
• Venus: love, comfort and making things.

No chapter is simply "good" or "bad". A Saturn chapter can feel slow, and it is also when many people build things that last. Use your dasha to plan, not to worry.

How to find your current dasha

On Trunaksh, make your kundli and open the Timing page. You will see your whole 120-year life as a bar, with a marker showing where you are today. Tap any chapter to read what it means, and tap again to see the smaller parts inside it.