Dasha Calculator: Your Vimshottari Mahadasha and Antardasha
The Vimshottari dasha is the 120-year planetary period system of Vedic astrology. It starts from the planet that rules your birth nakshatra and runs through nine planets in a fixed order. This calculator gives your running Mahadasha and Antardasha, their start and end dates, and your full timeline.
By Dr. Mekhala V Jois · Last updated: 2 November 2026
Dasha Calculator Calculator
Enter the birth details below. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is stored. This calculator needs an exact birth time.
What does the Dasha calculator show?
The Dasha calculator shows the nakshatra your Moon was in at birth, the dasha you were born into and how much of it remained, your running Mahadasha and Antardasha with dates, the full nine-period timeline, and every Antardasha inside your current Mahadasha.
Dashas give Vedic astrology its timing. The chart shows what the planets promise and the dasha indicates when each planet’s themes come forward. Readers usually name the running Mahadasha and Antardasha first, then look at where those two planets stand in the birth chart.
How this dasha calculator counts the Vimshottari periods
Each of the 27 nakshatras is ruled by one of nine planets, and the cycle repeats three times. Your Moon’s nakshatra gives the first dasha lord. How far the Moon had travelled through that nakshatra decides how much of the first period had already passed at birth.
The periods follow a fixed order and length: Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17, adding to 120. Each Mahadasha is then divided into nine Antardashas in the same order, in proportion to those lengths.
Vimshottari Dasha at a glance
| Planet | Mahadasha length |
|---|---|
| Ketu | 7 years |
| Venus | 20 years |
| Sun | 6 years |
| Moon | 10 years |
| Mars | 7 years |
| Rahu | 18 years |
| Jupiter | 16 years |
| Saturn | 19 years |
| Mercury | 17 years |
Why does the exact birth time matter for a dasha?
The Moon covers about 13 degrees a day, so one hour of birth time moves the Moon by roughly half a degree. That shifts the opening balance of your first dasha by about a month, and every later date shifts with it. A time that is wrong by several hours can move all the dates by a year or more.
Different software uses a 360-day, 365.25-day or sidereal year, and different ayanamshas, so dates can differ by days or weeks between tools. This calculator uses the Lahiri ayanamsha and a 365.25-day year. A reader will usually quote the dasha by year and month.
Where to go next
Dasha Calculator: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a dasha calculator?
A dasha calculator finds your Vimshottari dasha periods from your birth details. It gives the running Mahadasha and Antardasha with dates and the full timeline of planetary periods over 120 years.
How do I find my current Mahadasha?
Enter your birth date, exact time and birth city above. The calculator finds your Moon’s nakshatra, derives the first dasha lord and balance, and then lists the periods with dates, marking the one running today.
What is the difference between Mahadasha and Antardasha?
The Mahadasha is the main planetary period, from 6 to 20 years. The Antardasha, also called Bhukti, is a sub-period inside it, ruled by each of the nine planets in turn.
Why does my dasha differ from another app?
Apps differ in the ayanamsha, the year length (360, 365.25 or 365.2425 days) and the birth time they use. Differences of days or weeks are common. Larger gaps usually mean a different birth time or a different dasha system.
Which dasha system does this calculator use?
It uses Vimshottari, the 120-year system from Parashara and the most widely used in India. Other systems such as Yogini or Ashtottari are not included.
Is a bad dasha period something to worry about?
Dashas are read as indicators of themes, and the same planet can bring very different results depending on the chart. A reader judges the dasha lord’s sign, house and strength. No period is good or bad on its own.
Read this result with Dr. Mekhala
A short consultation looks at the planets, houses and the running dasha together. Share your name, date, time and place when you book.