Chapters and paragraphs
In the Vimshottari system a life moves through nine planetary periods. The Mahadasha, or major period, is like a chapter: one planet sets the main themes for several years. Inside it, the Bhukti, also called the Antardasha or sub-period, is like a paragraph: a second planet adds its colour for some months.
Classical texts give these periods a great deal of attention. The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra has a chapter on the general results of each Mahadasha and a chapter for the sub-periods within each one. Mantreswara's Phaladeepika (chapters 19 to 21) and Kalyana Varma's Saravali describe the same ground in their own words. This guide and the nine below draw on these sources.
The nine Mahadashas
The periods always follow the same order. Each guide covers what that Mahadasha tends to bring, how it changes when the planet is strong or weak, every Bhukti within it and gentle traditional remedies.
- Surya (Sun) Mahadasha: 6 years
- Chandra (Moon) Mahadasha: 10 years
- Mangala (Mars) Mahadasha: 7 years
- Rahu Mahadasha: 18 years
- Guru (Jupiter) Mahadasha: 16 years
- Shani (Saturn) Mahadasha: 19 years
- Budha (Mercury) Mahadasha: 17 years
- Ketu Mahadasha: 7 years
- Shukra (Venus) Mahadasha: 20 years
Where your own sequence starts depends on the Moon's nakshatra at birth, so you may begin anywhere in this circle.
How long each Bhukti lasts
Every Mahadasha contains nine Bhuktis, one for each planet. The first belongs to the Mahadasha lord itself, and the rest follow the same Vimshottari order. Each Bhukti's share is proportional to its planet's own period: multiply the Mahadasha years by the Bhukti planet's years and divide by 10 to get the length in months.
For example, in Saturn's 19-year Mahadasha the Venus Bhukti lasts 19 x 20 / 10 = 38 months, a little over three years, while the Sun Bhukti lasts 19 x 6 / 10 = 11.4 months, about 11 months and 12 days. Months here are counted as 30 days, as in the classical method.
How a period's results are judged
The general descriptions in the texts are a starting point. Parashara repeatedly says that the results depend on the planet's condition in the birth chart. An astrologer looks at:
- Strength and dignity: a planet that is exalted, in its own sign or in a friend's sign tends to give its better results; one that is debilitated, combust or in an enemy's sign may need more effort.
- Houses: the houses the Dasha lord rules and occupies show which areas of life come forward. Lords of the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th usually support; lords of the 6th, 8th and 12th bring tests to work through.
- The Bhukti lord's relationship to the Dasha lord: when it sits in a kendra (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) or trikona (5th, 9th) from the Dasha lord the sub-period tends to flow; from the 6th, 8th or 12th it may bring friction.
- Natural friendship: friends tend to cooperate, enemies to pull in different directions.
- Transits: slow planets moving over sensitive points can bring forward or hold back what the Dasha promises.
Reading the guides wisely
Each guide describes general tendencies taken from the classical texts. A real chart combines many factors, and two people in the same Mahadasha can have very different experiences. Treat a difficult description as an invitation to patience and preparation, not as a prediction, and a pleasant one as a season to use well rather than a promise.
The remedies offered are the traditional ones: mantra, prayer and charity. They are acts of devotion and steadiness, not substitutes for medical, legal or financial advice.
