Dasha Mahadasha Calculator
Enter your date, time and time zone of birth to estimate the Vimshottari dasha periods used in Vedic (Jyotish) astrology: the Moon's nakshatra at birth, the balance of the first mahadasha, and the start and end dates of every mahadasha and antardasha.
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Quick answer
Antardasha calculator: enter your birth date, local birth time and UTC offset, or type a known sidereal Moon longitude, to estimate Vimshottari mahadasha and antardasha dates. The first dasha comes from the Moon’s nakshatra at birth, and each antardasha is a proportional subdivision of its mahadasha. Pratyantar periods use the same proportion again; this tool shows dates, not predictions.
Calculate Vimshottari dasha
Dasha Timeline Workbook
A printable dasha timeline chart, an antardasha table generator in Excel and a reference card of nakshatras and lords.
- Antardasha table generator (XLSX, PDF)
- Nakshatra & lord reference card (PDF, XLSX)
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Dasha and antardasha formulas
Vimshottari sub-periods are found by repeatedly applying each lord’s share of the 120-year cycle.
| Level | Meaning | Length formula | Sequence starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahadasha | Major period | Lord years | Birth nakshatra lord |
| Birth balance | First partial MD | Untraveled nakshatra % × lord years | At birth |
| Antardasha | Sub-period | MD years × AD lord years ÷ 120 | MD lord |
| Pratyantar | Sub-sub-period | AD length × PD lord years ÷ 120 | AD lord |
| Example | Saturn–Sun AD | 19 × 6 ÷ 120 = 0.95 years | Saturn MD |
What the Vimshottari dasha system is
In Vedic astrology (Jyotish), dashas are planetary periods believed to colour different phases of a person's life. The most widely used system, Vimshottari — “one hundred and twenty” — divides a 120-year cycle among 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. Each major period, the mahadasha, is divided into nine sub-periods, antardashas, in the same order starting with the mahadasha lord. This calculator presents the traditional computation for cultural and personal interest; it does not make predictions.
How the starting dasha is found
- The Moon's position at birth is measured in the sidereal zodiac, which subtracts an ayanamsa (currently about 24°) from the tropical longitude.
- The zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras (lunar mansions) of 13°20′ each.
- Each nakshatra is ruled by one of the nine lords, repeating Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury from Ashwini onward.
- The lord of the Moon's nakshatra gives the first mahadasha at birth.
- The portion of the nakshatra the Moon has yet to travel sets the balance: if the Moon has crossed 40% of the nakshatra, 60% of that lord's period remains.
The nine lords and their periods
| Lord | Years | Nakshatras ruled |
|---|---|---|
| Ketu | 7 | Ashwini, Magha, Mula |
| Venus | 20 | Bharani, Purva Phalguni, Purva Ashadha |
| Sun | 6 | Krittika, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha |
| Moon | 10 | Rohini, Hasta, Shravana |
| Mars | 7 | Mrigashira, Chitra, Dhanishta |
| Rahu | 18 | Ardra, Swati, Shatabhisha |
| Jupiter | 16 | Punarvasu, Vishakha, Purva Bhadrapada |
| Saturn | 19 | Pushya, Anuradha, Uttara Bhadrapada |
| Mercury | 17 | Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, Revati |
Antardasha lengths
Each mahadasha contains nine antardashas whose lengths are proportional to the lords' periods: antardasha length = mahadasha years × antardasha lord's years ÷ 120. In the 19-year Saturn mahadasha, for example, the Saturn–Saturn antardasha lasts 19 × 19 ÷ 120 ≈ 3.01 years and the Saturn–Sun antardasha 19 × 6 ÷ 120 = 0.95 years. The calculator lists the antardashas of the mahadasha running today.
Worked example
Suppose the Moon's sidereal longitude at birth is 50.00°. Nakshatras are 13.333° wide, so 50° falls in the fourth nakshatra, Rohini (40°–53.33°), ruled by the Moon. The Moon has travelled 10° of the 13.333°, or 75%, so 25% of the 10-year Moon mahadasha — 2.5 years — remains at birth. The sequence then continues with Mars (7 years), Rahu (18), Jupiter (16) and so on. You can type 50 into the manual longitude box to reproduce this example.
Why different calculators give different dates
- Ayanamsa: Lahiri is the most common, but Raman, KP and others differ by up to about 1.5°, which can move the Moon into a different nakshatra or shift the balance.
- Year length: some software uses a 360-day “savana” year or 365.25 days; this calculator uses the tropical year of 365.2425 days, so dates can differ by days or weeks over a long sequence.
- Birth time: the Moon moves about half a degree per hour, so an error of an hour in birth time can shift dasha dates by months.
- Moon calculation: professional software uses full lunar ephemerides; this calculator uses a truncated series accurate to roughly a tenth of a degree.
Entering birth details
Enter the local date and clock time of birth and the UTC offset in force at that place and date, including any daylight saving time — for example 5.5 for India, 0 or 1 for the UK depending on the season, −5 or −4 for New York. If you already know the Moon's sidereal longitude from a birth chart, enter it in the manual box; the calculator will use it instead of computing the position.
Reading a dasha table
Each row of the mahadasha table shows the ruling lord, the length of the period and its start and end dates. The first row is shorter than the full period because it shows only the balance remaining at birth. The current mahadasha, if it falls within the table, is shown in bold, followed by a table of its nine antardashas with the current one highlighted. Practitioners often go further, into pratyantardashas (sub-sub-periods) calculated the same way, but for most purposes the mahadasha and antardasha dates are what people look up.
A cultural and personal tool
Dasha periods are part of a long astrological tradition in South Asia and remain meaningful to many families, often consulted alongside birth charts for life events. Astrology is not a science, and dasha dates should not be used for medical, financial, legal or other important decisions. Use the calculator to understand how the traditional system works, to check the arithmetic in a chart you already have, or out of curiosity about your own timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Is the antardasha calculator free?
Yes. You can calculate Vimshottari mahadasha and antardasha dates without signing up.
Can I calculate pratyantar dasha from antardasha?
Yes, use the same proportion again: pratyantar length equals the antardasha length multiplied by the pratyantar lord’s years and divided by 120.
Does this give mahadasha antardasha predictions?
No. It estimates the traditional dasha dates and nakshatra details, but it does not predict events or outcomes.
What is a mahadasha?
A major planetary period in the Vimshottari system; nine mahadashas total 120 years.
How is the first dasha determined?
By the lord of the nakshatra the Moon occupies at birth, and the balance by how far the Moon has travelled through it.
Why do my dates differ from another website?
Differences in ayanamsa, year length, birth time accuracy and Moon calculation all shift the dates.
What is an antardasha?
A sub-period within a mahadasha, in the same lord order, with length proportional to the lord's years.
Do I need an exact birth time?
Yes, as accurate as possible — the Moon moves about 13° per day.
Is this a prediction?
No. It calculates traditional period dates for cultural and personal interest only.
Why do different websites give slightly different dasha dates?
Small differences in the ayanamsa, the Moon’s calculated position, the year length used (365.25 days or 360-day years) and the birth time all shift the balance at birth, which moves every later date by days or weeks.