Understanding dasha periods

Dashas are planetary time-periods. The most widely used system, Vimshottari, spans 120 years divided among the nine grahas in a fixed order: Ketu (7 years), Venus (20), Sun (6), Moon (10), Mars (7), Rahu (18), Jupiter (16), Saturn (19) and Mercury (17).

Where your sequence starts

Each of the 27 nakshatras is ruled by one of the nine grahas. Your first period (mahadasha) belongs to the ruler of the nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth. How far the Moon had travelled through that nakshatra determines how much of that first period remained — the “balance of dasha” at birth.

Sub-periods

Each mahadasha is divided into nine antardashas (bhuktis) in the same order, starting with the mahadasha's own planet, each proportional to that planet's share of 120 years. Antardashas can be divided further still.

Conventions that affect dates

Calculated dates depend on conventions such as the ayanamsha and the length of a “dasha year”. Astroilaz uses Lahiri and a 365.25-day year, and shows these settings with your chart. Because the Moon moves quickly, a birth-time error of an hour can shift period dates by several months.

Reading a dasha

Traditionally, a period is coloured by its planet's general significations and by that planet's placement in your chart. These are tendencies described by tradition — not fixed predictions.