Guides / Vedic astrology
What is Vimshottari Dasha?
Vimshottari is the 120-year dasha system of Vedic astrology. It starts from the Moon’s Nakshatra and unfolds as Mahadasha and Antardasha periods.
A clock started by the Moon
Vimshottari Dasha is a timing system. The Nakshatra occupied by the Moon at birth determines which planetary period is already running, and how much of it remains. From there the sequence of nine Mahadashas unfolds: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury — then the cycle continues.
The lengths are fixed in the tradition: Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17. That is 120 years.
How to read the current period
When Inner Light shows a current Mahadasha and Antardasha, those are calculated from the birth Moon and the present date. The period names the lord whose themes are foregrounded. The rest of the chart — that planet’s sign, house, and aspects — is how astrologers judge whether the period is easy or demanding.
Birth time is required, because the Moon’s Nakshatra and the remaining balance of the first dasha depend on an exact lunar longitude.
Common questions
- What is a Mahadasha?
- A Mahadasha is a long planetary period in the Vimshottari sequence. Each of the nine Grahas rules a Mahadasha of a fixed length, and together they total 120 years.
- What is an Antardasha?
- An Antardasha is a sub-period inside a Mahadasha. The same nine lords cycle inside each great period, so a Jupiter Mahadasha contains a Saturn Antardasha, a Mercury Antardasha, and so on.