Vimshottari Dasha
The twenty-seven nakshatras are divided into three groups of nine nakshatras each. These are owned by the nine planets. Each planet is allotted a specific number of years over which it operates. The order of the dashas is also fixed. This may be seen in the below table.
| Vimshottari Dasha Period | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sr.No. | Planet | Nakshatras | Dasha Period (in Years) |
| 1 | Sun | 3, 12, 21 | 6 |
| 2 | Moon | 4, 13, 22 | 10 |
| 3 | Mars | 5, 14, 23 | 7 |
| 4 | Rahu | 6, 15, 24 | 18 |
| 5 | Jupiter | 7, 16, 25 | 16 |
| 6 | Saturn | 8, 17, 26 | 19 |
| 7 | Mercury | 9, 18, 27 | 17 |
| 8 | Ketu | 1, 10, 19 | 7 |
| 9 | Venus | 2, 11, 20 | 20 |
| Total number of years: | 120 | ||
Depending upon the Moon’s nakshatra in the birth chart, the dasha of a particular planet operates at the time of birth. Subsequent planetary periods follow according to the order mentioned above.
Balance of dasha at birth
After having decided the planet whose dasha operates at the time of birth, it is important to find out how long that dasha would last. This depends upon the exact location of the Moon in a nakshatra.
Each nakshatra has a span of 13°20'. For the Sun’s nakshatra, this 13°20’ would mean 6 years; for the Moon’s nakshatra, it will mean 10 years; and so on. If the Moon is in the beginning of its nakshatra, a larger portion of the years allotted to it are yet to pass. If it is at the end of the nakshatra only a small fraction of the total allotted period will remain. The balance of a planet’s dasha, thus, is proportionate to the extent of the Moon’s nakshatra which is yet to elapse.
Antardasha (AD) or Subperiods in Vimshottari Dasha
It will be noted that the planetary periods, as noted above, last for several years for each planet. It is difficult to use such broad time spans for timing day to day events. So as to narrow down the time when an event is likely to take place, the major planetary periods (also called as Mahadashas) mentioned above are further reduced into sub-divisions called sub-periods or Antardashas. Under each Mahadasha (MD), the Antardasha (AD) of all the planets operate. The first AD in an MD belongs to the same planet, and the remaining ones follow in order. The duration of the Antardashas of the various planets is in proportion to the duration of their major periods.
Pratyantardasha (PD) or Sub-sub-periods in Vimshottari Dasha
Still finer divisions of time can be obtained by dividing a given Antardasha into sub-sub-periods (PD’s) in the same proportions as the duration of their dasha periods mentioned above. The first PD in a given AD belongs to the AD lord itself, while the remaining PD’s follow in the usual order of the Vimshottari dasha.
Sookshma Dasha and Pranadasha in Vimshottari Dasha
The PD or sub-sub-period can be divided into Sookshma dasha which is subject to further subdivision into Pranadasha. The Sookshma dasha and the Pranadasha permit very accurate timing of events. However, their use demands a very accurate recording of the birth time, which is not always possible.