Vedic Astrology Glossary
Planetary Period System
A dasha is a planetary period in Vedic astrology that governs a specific phase of your life. Each planet rules a slice of the 120-year Vimshottari cycle. During its dasha, that planet's themes, strengths, and karmic patterns become the dominant story.
Most astrological traditions give you a birth chart and stop there. Vedic astrology doesn't - it also tells you which planet is running the show at any given moment. That's the dasha system. Vimshottari is the standard: 120 years split across nine planets, each with a fixed slice. Ketu gets 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, and so on.
Each dasha subdivides into antardasha (sub-periods) and pratyantardasha (sub-sub-periods), allowing timing down to weeks. Your current dasha planet colors every major life event. Career breakthroughs, relationship changes, spiritual openings, and health patterns all correlate with the ruling planet's nature and its strength in your birth chart. A strong Jupiter dasha typically brings expansion and opportunity. A challenged Saturn dasha often demands structural work and discipline.
Stellr computes your full dasha timeline from your exact birth date and displays it as a scrollable timeline, showing which planet governs any date - past, present, or future.
Concept map
6 terms
Major Planetary Period
A mahadasha is the major planetary period in the Vimshottari dasha system, lasting anywhere from 6 to 20 years depending on the ruling planet. It represents the dominant karmic theme of that life phase, with the ruling planet's nature colouring all major events and opportunities.
120-Year Dasha Cycle
Vimshottari is the most widely used dasha system in Vedic astrology. It allocates 120 years across nine planets in a fixed sequence. The starting point is determined by the nakshatra the moon occupies at birth, making it unique to each individual's exact birth moment.
Lunar Mansion
A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions that divide the zodiac into equal 13°20′ segments. The moon's placement in a nakshatra at birth reveals personality nuances, emotional rhythms, and karmic themes that the broader rashi (zodiac sign) cannot capture.
Ascendant / Rising Sign
Lagna is the degree of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment of birth. It sets the first house of the chart, determines house rulerships, and acts as the chart's structural foundation - the body, self-expression, and life path.
The Science of Light
Jyotish is the Sanskrit name for Vedic astrology - literally 'the science of light' (jyoti = light; isha = lord). It is one of the six Vedangas (limbs of the Vedas) and one of the oldest predictive sciences in continuous use. Jyotish combines astronomical observation with karmic philosophy to interpret birth charts, time life events, and understand the soul's trajectory.
Birth Chart / Natal Horoscope
Kundali (also spelled kundli or horoscope) is the Vedic birth chart - a diagram showing the exact positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets at the moment and place of your birth. It is the foundational tool of Jyotish, mapping personality, relationships, career, health, and timing across your entire life.
Each planet's mahadasha length is fixed: Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17. The starting dasha at birth depends on the moon's nakshatra position.
Your current dasha is calculated from your moon's nakshatra at birth. Most Vedic astrology software (and Stellr) shows you the full dasha timeline once you enter your birth date, time, and place.
Mahadasha is the major planetary period lasting years to decades. Antardasha (also called bhukti) is a sub-period within the mahadasha, typically lasting months to a few years. Together they create layered timing of events.
Birth Chart Report
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