Vedic timing · Daśā systems
A dasha calculator that goes past Vimśottari
A daśā is a planetary period — the Vedic clock that tells you when a chart's promises ripen. Most online tools stop at the Vimśottari Mahādaśā and Antardaśā from the Moon. This calculator gives you that, in full depth, and four systems besides: Vimśottari from the Lagna, and the rāśi (sign) dashas that serious Jyotiṣa relies on but almost no free tool computes — Nārāyaṇa (Jaimini), Sudāśā and Dṛg.
Enter your birth details once and the tool builds every timeline, highlights the period running today, and lets you drill down to the finest sub-periods — Pratyantar, Sūkṣma and Prāṇa — each with exact start and end dates.
Five dasha systems in one place
Vimśottari (from Moon)
Nakṣatra · 120-year cycle
The most widely used dasha. Counted from the Moon's birth star, it tracks the mind and inner life. This is the timeline most people mean by 'my mahādaśā'.
Vimśottari (from Lagna)
Nakṣatra · counted from the ascendant
The same 120-year planet cycle, but reckoned from the Lagna instead of the Moon — read for the body, the self and outer worldly life. Very few free tools offer this view.
Nārāyaṇa (Jaimini rāśi)
Rāśi (sign) · any varga
A sign-based dasha: during each period a zodiac sign acts as the lagna, showing how the self and its environment progress. Can be cast in D1, D9, D10 and other divisional charts.
Sudāśā
Rāśi · from the Sree Lagna
A rāśi dasha measured from the Sree Lagna — the seat of Lakṣmī. It shows the flow of prosperity, blessings and material well-being across life.
Dṛg (Dṛṣṭi) daśā
Rāśi · seeded by sign aspects
A rāśi dasha whose periods follow rāśi-dṛṣṭi (sign sight). It reads the direction of dharma and divine grace — when the chart's higher support turns on.
All five levels — Mahādaśā down to Prāṇa
Vimśottari nests five deep. Each level divides the one above it into nine sub-periods, so you can zoom from a twenty-year chapter all the way down to a window of hours.
| Level | Code | Typical span | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahādaśā | MD | 6–20 years | The major chapter. Sets the dominant theme of a long stretch of life. |
| Antardaśā (Bhukti) | AD | Months – ~3 years | The sub-period inside a mahādaśā. Colours the chapter and brings its main events. |
| Pratyantardaśā | PD | Weeks – months | The sub-sub-period. The layer most used to time actual events. |
| Sūkṣma | SD | Days – ~2 weeks | The micro-period. Narrows an event to a precise window. |
| Prāṇa | PRAN | Hours – days | The finest period. Pinpoints the moment within a window. |
How to read which dasha is running now
- 1. Find the active chain. The timeline marks the Mahādaśā → Antardaśā → Pratyantar → Sūkṣma → Prāṇa that contains today's date.
- 2. Judge the lords. For Vimśottari, look at each planet in the chain — its house, sign, dignity and the houses it owns. A benefic period lord well placed brings ease; a malefic lord afflicted brings friction.
- 3. For rāśi dashas, judge the sign. In Nārāyaṇa, Sudāśā and Dṛg the period belongs to a sign, not a planet. Read that sign's lord, the planets sitting in it, and the planets aspecting it.
- 4. Cross-check the systems. When Vimśottari and a rāśi dasha point at the same theme in the same window, the result is far more certain than either alone.
Why the rāśi dashas matter
Vimśottari is the workhorse, but it is planet-based and counted from a single point — the Moon. The Jaimini rāśi dashas read time from the signs themselves, and each answers a different question. Nārāyaṇa shows how your circumstances and selfhood progress. Sudāśā shows when wealth and blessings flow. Dṛg shows when dharma and grace turn on. Reading them alongside Vimśottari is how classical astrologers separate a genuine turning point from background noise — and it is exactly what most calculators leave out.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find which dasha is running now?+
Enter your date, time and place of birth. The tool builds your full Vimśottari timeline from the Moon's nakṣatra and highlights the period active today — your current Mahādaśā, Antardaśā, Pratyantar, Sūkṣma and Prāṇa, each with exact start and end dates.
Does it show Pratyantar, Sūkṣma and Prāṇa dasha, not just Mahādaśā and Antardaśā?+
Yes. The Vimśottari timeline goes five levels deep: Mahādaśā → Antardaśā → Pratyantardaśā → Sūkṣma → Prāṇa. Tap any period to drill into its sub-periods and read the combined influence of the chain.
Can I see the dasha from the Lagna instead of the Moon?+
Yes. Switch to 'Lagna Vim' to run the same 120-year cycle counted from your ascendant. Vimśottari from the Moon reads the mind; from the Lagna it reads the body, the self and worldly life.
What is Nārāyaṇa dasha, and how is it different from Vimśottari?+
Vimśottari is a nakṣatra (star) based dasha of planets. Nārāyaṇa is a Jaimini rāśi (sign) dasha — each period belongs to a zodiac sign, which acts as the lagna for that stretch, showing how the self and its surroundings evolve. The two are read together for a fuller picture.
What are Sudāśā and Dṛg dasha?+
Both are rāśi (sign) dashas. Sudāśā runs from the Sree Lagna and tracks prosperity and blessings. Dṛg dasha follows sign aspects (rāśi-dṛṣṭi) and shows the timing of dharma and grace. Almost no free calculator computes these — this one does.
Are the dates accurate? Which ayanāṁśa is used?+
Periods are computed with the Lahiri (Chitrapakṣa) ayanāṁśa from your exact birth time and place. Because the balance of the first dasha depends on the Moon's precise longitude at birth, an accurate birth time matters — even a few minutes can shift the boundaries.
Is it free, and is my birth data private?+
It is completely free. Your chart and dasha timeline are computed and kept only in your browser session — nothing is posted to a public profile.
Learn dasha interpretation
These lessons from PVNR's SJC Boston class walk through dasha reading technique with real chart examples.
Keep exploring your chart
Periods are computed with the Lahiri ayanāṁśa from your exact birth time and place. Dasha shows timing; strength and the chart's promise decide how strongly a period delivers.