Find your Vimshottari Mahadasha, Antardasha, and Pratyantardasha timeline from date, time, and place of birth. Uses sidereal Lahiri ayanamsa and the classical 365.25-day Vimshottari convention. The Mahadasha is the major period, the Antardasha its sub-period (also called Bhukti or Dasa Bhukti), and the Pratyantardasha the third-level sub-period; all three are shown here under the Vimshottari dasha system.
100% private - the Dasha calculation runs entirely in your browser. No birth data sent anywhere.
Supports 1900 onwards for better calculation reliability.
Birth time helps place your starting Mahadasha lord accurately when the Moon is near a nakshatra boundary (~1 minute ambiguity at the measured margin).
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astrology| Total cycle | 120 years (sum of 9 planet periods) |
| Number of Mahadashas | 9 |
| Mahadasha order (canonical) | Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury |
| Years per lord (same order) | 7, 20, 6, 10, 7, 18, 16, 19, 17 |
| Starting lord | Determined by Moon’s nakshatra at birth |
| Antardasha levels | 9 per Mahadasha (81 Antardashas total within the 120-year cycle) |
| Names and levels | Mahadasha = major period (level 1); Antardasha = sub-period (level 2), also called Bhukti or Dasa Bhukti; Pratyantardasha = sub-sub-period (level 3); computed under the Vimshottari system |
| Levels computed | All three: Mahadasha, Antardasha, Pratyantardasha - with the current one at each level highlighted |
| Convention | 1 dasha year = 365.25 days |
| Required input | Date, time, and place of birth |
| Engine | Meeus VSOP87 + Lahiri ayanamsa (same as Kundli) |
| Privacy | 100% client-side; no birth data leaves browser |
Vimshottari Dasha (from Sanskrit vimshottari meaning ‘120’) is the most widely used planetary-period system in Vedic astrology. It is the canonical dasha framework in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and forms the backbone of every standard Indian birth chart reading. The full cycle spans 120 years and rotates through 9 planetary lords: the 7 classical planets (Sun through Saturn) plus the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu.
The Vimshottari cycle is unique to each person because it is anchored to the position of the Moon in your birth nakshatra. The lord of that nakshatra is your starting Mahadasha, and the balance of that first Mahadasha is proportional to how much of the nakshatra was still ahead of the Moon at your birth.
The 9 Mahadasha lords run in a fixed sequence; each has its own fixed number of years. The total adds to exactly 120, which is why the system is called Vimshottari (the Sanskrit word for 120).
| Order # | Mahadasha lord | Sanskrit name | Core themes | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ketu | Ketu | distant journeys, gains and losses | 7 |
| 2 | Venus | Shukra | relationships, comfort, arts | 20 |
| 3 | Sun | Ravi | authority, vitality, recognition | 6 |
| 4 | Moon | Chandra | mind, home, public life | 10 |
| 5 | Mars | Mangal | energy, property, contest | 7 |
| 6 | Rahu | Rahu | worldly gains, foreign ties, flux | 18 |
| 7 | Jupiter | Guru | wisdom, growth, guidance | 16 |
| 8 | Saturn | Shani | delay, endurance, duty | 19 |
| 9 | Mercury | Budh | learning, commerce, speech | 17 |
| Total | 120 |
Note: popular literature sometimes lists this sequence starting from Sun for memorability. The underlying cycle is the same in either case; this tool uses the canonical BPHS order (Ketu first) so the ‘order position’ column matches the engine internals. The starting Mahadasha for any specific person is the lord of their Moon’s nakshatra at birth, not necessarily Ketu. Click any lord in the table for the general themes classical texts associate with that period.
These are the general themes classical texts associate with each Mahadasha lord. How a period actually expresses depends on that lord's placement, dignity, and aspects in the individual chart - the same dasha reads differently from chart to chart.
BPHS treats the Ketu mahadasha as strongly placement-conditioned: well-placed (in a kendra or trikona), the texts describe gains, authority, and happiness from family; ill-placed, they describe losses and anxieties; the chapter mentions distant journeys in the later part of the period (Effects of Dashas: Santhanam ed. Ch. 47 / Sharma ed. Ch. 49). Ketu is counted among the harsh grahas in BPHS (Ch. 3, Shloka 11).
Classical significations: distant journeys; placement-sensitive gains and losses.
Classical sources describe the Venus mahadasha, the longest at twenty years, through comfort, relationship, and refinement: partnership, vehicles and homes, the arts, and the pleasures and costs of each. Venus is a natural benefic in BPHS (Ch. 3, Shloka 11), and well-placed Venus periods are associated with material comforts and gains.
Classical significations: relationships and marriage; comfort, vehicles, and homes; arts and beauty; wealth and luxury.
Classical sources describe the Sun mahadasha as a period oriented around visibility, responsibility, and standing: questions of position, reputation, and one's relationship with authority tend to move to the foreground. BPHS calls the Sun 'the soul of all' (Ch. 3, Shloka 12).
Classical significations: authority and leadership; government and public office; vitality and health; recognition and standing.
Traditional accounts frame the Moon mahadasha around the mind and its comforts: home, family, emotional life, and one's relationship with the wider public.
Classical significations: mind and emotions; home and domestic life; the public.
Classical sources associate the Mars mahadasha with initiative, contest, and physical energy: property matters, competitive efforts, and disputes appear prominently in traditional lists. BPHS counts Mars among the natural malefics (Ch. 3, Shloka 11).
Classical significations: energy and initiative; courage; land and property.
BPHS describes the Rahu mahadasha in strongly placement-conditioned terms: well-placed, the texts speak of acquisition - wealth, conveyances, a new home, recognition including from foreign quarters; ill-placed, the same period is read through troubles and anxieties, with gains that do not hold steady (Effects of Dashas: Santhanam ed. Ch. 47 / Sharma ed. Ch. 49). Rahu itself is counted among the harsh grahas in BPHS (Ch. 3, Shloka 11).
Classical significations: material expansion; foreign connections; sudden rises and reversals.
Classical sources place Jupiter among the natural benefics (BPHS Ch. 3, Shloka 11) and describe its mahadasha through growth - in knowledge, means, and standing - conditioned, as always, on Jupiter's placement in the individual chart.
Classical significations: wisdom and teachers; dharma and ethics; wealth and expansion; counsel and guidance.
BPHS characterizes Saturn as slow, associated with service, and a giver of longevity (Ch. 3). Its dasha results depend on placement (Effects of Dashas: Santhanam ed. Ch. 47 / Sharma ed. Ch. 49), and Saturn is counted among the natural malefics (Ch. 3, Shloka 11).
Classical significations: time, delay, and endurance; service and duty; age and longevity.
The Mercury mahadasha is associated in classical sources with learning, commerce, communication, and skill: study, trade, writing, and negotiation are its recurring arenas. BPHS reads Mercury as taking on the nature of the influences around it (Ch. 3, Shloka 11), so chart context matters here more than usual.
Classical significations: intellect and speech; commerce and trade; learning and analysis; writing and documentation; adaptability.
Vedic astrology divides the sidereal zodiac into 27 nakshatras (lunar mansions), each spanning 13 degrees 20 minutes. Each nakshatra is assigned to one of the 9 Vimshottari lords; the assignment cycles 3 times through the 27 nakshatras. So Ketu rules Ashwini, Magha, and Mula; Venus rules Bharani, Purva Phalguni, and Purva Ashadha; and so on through the cycle.
The Moon’s position at your birth lands in one specific nakshatra; that nakshatra’s lord becomes your starting Mahadasha. The balance of that first Mahadasha is the fraction of nakshatra still ahead of the Moon (out of the 13.333 degree span), times the lord’s full Mahadasha years. After this truncated first period, full Mahadashas proceed in canonical order.
Because the Moon moves only about 13 degrees per day, the Moon’s nakshatra changes roughly every 24 hours. Near a nakshatra boundary, even a small uncertainty in birth time can flip your starting Mahadasha lord. This tool flags such boundary cases explicitly so you can verify your birth time before relying on the timeline.
Vimshottari Dasha is hierarchical. Each Mahadasha is sub-divided into 9 Antardashas in the same canonical lord sequence, with each Antardasha’s length proportional to its lord’s years out of 120. Each Antardasha can be further sub-divided into 9 Pratyantardashas at a third level. Some traditions go deeper to Sookshma and Praana.
| Level | Name | Typical duration | Computed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahadasha | 6 to 20 years (planet-specific) | Moon’s nakshatra at birth |
| 2 | Antardasha | months to years | (subLord years / 120) x full Mahadasha duration |
| 3 | Pratyantardasha | weeks to months | (subSubLord years / 120) x full Antardasha duration |
This tool computes all three levels: your current Pratyantardasha is highlighted in the Currently Running panel, and the Pratyantardashas of your active Antardasha are listed below the timeline. Sub-periods are always sized against the FULL parent period; for your first (birth-balance) Mahadasha, which conceptually began before you were born, the timeline shows only the sub-periods remaining from birth. The deeper Sookshma and Praana levels are not computed.
If you are looking for a Dasa Bhukti table, this calculator provides the Mahadasha timeline together with its Antardasha listings - 9 sub-periods inside each Mahadasha, in the same fixed lord sequence, each one sized by its lord’s share of the 120 years applied to that Mahadasha’s full length. After you enter your birth details and calculate, expand any Mahadasha row to read its Antardashas with start and end dates; the far-future Mahadashas sit behind the Show the remaining Mahadashas control. Where your first Mahadasha began before you were born, its listing shows only the sub-periods remaining from birth onward.
The output above is structured in four sections. Currently Running shows your active Mahadasha, Antardasha, and Pratyantardasha, with their start and end dates and an approximate time remaining. Full Mahadasha Timeline lists all 9 Mahadashas of your personalized timeline from birth, starting with the remaining balance of your first Mahadasha; the current row is highlighted and auto-expanded to show its Antardashas (for the first Mahadasha, only the sub-periods remaining from birth). You can expand any other Mahadasha row to see its Antardashas as well.
For periods past a typical lifespan, the timeline folds Mahadashas that end more than ~50 years beyond your current age into an expandable ‘remaining Mahadashas’ section so the active part of the timeline stays readable. The third section Antardashas of your current Mahadasha repeats the active Mahadasha’s sub-periods as a standalone flat table for quick reference. The fourth section Pratyantardashas of your current Antardasha lists the third-level sub-periods inside your active Antardasha, so you can read your position all the way down to Mahadasha, Antardasha, and Pratyantardasha.
The most common reason people use a Vimshottari calculator is to answer one question: what is my current Mahadasha and Antardasha right now? After entering your birth details above, the Currently Running card surfaces this directly, naming the active Mahadasha, Antardasha, and Pratyantardasha lords (English + Sanskrit names), along with their start and end dates.
Time remaining is computed from today’s date in your browser; refresh the page after any date boundary and the Antardasha may advance to the next sub-lord in the sequence.
Vimshottari Dasha is the most widely used planetary-period system in Vedic astrology. It assigns each of nine planets (the seven classical planets plus the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu) a fixed number of years; the total cycle is 120 years. Your starting Mahadasha is determined by the Moon's nakshatra at birth, and the 9 lords run in a fixed sequence from there. The Sanskrit word vimshottari literally means '120'.
120 years total. The 9 planet periods (in canonical Vimshottari order) are: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17. These sum exactly to 120. One dasha year is 365.25 days by classical convention.
The starting Mahadasha lord is the lord of the nakshatra (lunar mansion) in which the Moon sits at your moment of birth. Vedic astrology assigns each of the 27 nakshatras to one of the 9 dasha lords (3 nakshatras per lord, repeated). For example: Ashwini, Magha, and Mula are ruled by Ketu; Bharani, Purva Phalguni, and Purva Ashadha by Venus; and so on. The balance of your first Mahadasha is proportional to how much of the Moon's nakshatra was still ahead at birth.
A Mahadasha is the main planetary period (6 to 20 years depending on the lord). Each Mahadasha is sub-divided into 9 Antardashas in the same fixed lord sequence as the main cycle, with each Antardasha sized proportionally to its lord's years out of 120. So in a 16-year Jupiter Mahadasha the Jupiter Antardasha lasts (16/120) * 16 years and the Saturn Antardasha lasts (19/120) * 16 years, summing to the full 16 years across all 9 sub-periods.
No, they are different things. Mahadasha is a period LEVEL (the major period), while Vimshottari is a dasha SYSTEM (the 120-year scheme; other systems include Ashtottari and Yogini). This calculator shows your Mahadasha and Antardasha computed under the Vimshottari system, so a 'mahadasha calculator' and a 'vimshottari dasha calculator' point to the same tool here - but the two words are not synonyms.
Bhukti (also written Dasa Bhukti) is another name for the Antardasha - the sub-period inside a Mahadasha. They are the same thing: each Mahadasha contains 9 Bhuktis (Antardashas) in the canonical lord order, scaled proportionally. This tool labels them Antardasha and also surfaces your current one.
Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17. The order is the canonical Vimshottari sequence (sometimes restated starting from Sun in popular literature, but the underlying cycle is the same). Total: 120 years.
No. The 9 Mahadashas each appear exactly once in your personalized timeline. The Vimshottari reference cycle is 120 years; your specific timeline starts at birth with the remaining balance of your first Mahadasha and runs through the 8 subsequent full Mahadashas, so the total from birth is usually slightly less than 120 years. You may live through only 4 to 6 of these Mahadashas depending on which lord your cycle starts with and your lifespan. The full timeline is shown for completeness, with periods that end more than ~50 years beyond your current age folded into an expandable section.
Because the Vimshottari cycle is anchored to your birth Moon's nakshatra position. The first Mahadasha is truncated to the balance remaining in your birth nakshatra (the fraction of the nakshatra the Moon had not yet crossed at the moment of your birth), times the lord's full Mahadasha years. From the end of that truncated first period, full Mahadashas proceed in fixed sequence.
Pratyantardasha is the third-level sub-division of Vimshottari Dasha, sitting below Mahadasha and Antardasha. Each Antardasha contains 9 Pratyantardashas in the same lord sequence, again scaled proportionally. This tool computes your current Pratyantardasha and lists the Pratyantardashas of your active Antardasha (from birth onward, if that Antardasha was already running when you were born). Some practitioners go deeper to Sookshma and Praana levels, which this tool does not compute.
The Moon position is computed from Meeus lunar theory with Lahiri ayanamsa - the Indian Government Rashtriya Panchang convention - measured within 12 arcseconds of Swiss Ephemeris Lahiri across sampled epochs (1900-2031). The Moon moves ~0.549 degrees per hour, so the 0.01-degree boundary margin translates to roughly a minute of birth-time uncertainty for the starting Mahadasha lord if you are born near a nakshatra boundary. The same engine margin propagates lord-dependent date drift on the first Mahadasha end (under two days for Sun, up to about 5.5 days for Venus). The tool flags nakshatra-boundary cases explicitly.
Vimshottari Dasha is the default and most widely used dasha system in classical North Indian Vedic astrology and the BPHS tradition. Alternative dasha systems exist - Yogini Dasha (36 years), Ashtottari Dasha (108 years), Char Dasha, and others - and are sometimes used as cross-references. For a general personal dasha timeline, Vimshottari is the canonical answer.
No. Classical texts condition every dasha's results on the lord's placement, dignity, and aspects in the individual chart - BPHS's dasha-effects chapter describes both supportive and difficult outcomes for the same lord depending on placement. The same mahadasha reads differently from chart to chart.
Want your full birth chart with D1 and D9 charts, planetary positions, Mangal Dosha analysis, and the same Vimshottari Dasha output embedded? Free Kundli Generator computes the complete chart. For a one-page snapshot of everything - charts, positions and this dasha summary as a shareable image - build Your Vedic Profile.
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