Maha means ‘great’ & Dasha means ‘a given time period’. As per Vedic Astrology, all through, a human life is under the influence of one or the other planet. A particular duration of time, which is under the influence of a particular planet, is called the Mahadasha of that planet.

Vedic Astrology mostly follows Vimshottari Dasha sytem. Under which, the total time span of 120 years (taken as the complete life cycle of a living being) is divided into 9 Mahadashas. Each of which is ruled by a planet and lasts for a fixed number of years. Each Mahadasha is further broken down into Sub period called ‘Bhuktis and there is a preset ‘sequence’ in which the human life is under different Dashas or different planetary influences at any given point in time. Following is the sequence –

Sun – 6 years; Moon – 10 years; Mars – 7 years; Rahu – 18 years; Jupiter – 16 years; Saturn – 19 years; Mercury – 17 years; Ketu – 7 years; Venus – 20 years

The total thus adds up to 120 years. The starting period of a Mahadasha will always be the birth of the person and will be based on the planet which is ruling the Nakshatra or the Birth Constellation. For example, if you are born in ‘Rohini’ Nakshatra, which is ruled by the Moon, then your starting Mahadasha will be of Moon. It will be followed with Mars, Rahu, Jupiter and so on.  If you are running Mahadasha of a benefic planet, then this time period in your life will bring in positivity and happiness. Whereas, if the planet is malefic or not well placed, it is likely to bring in a difficult period. For instance, if you are running Ketu Dasha, you may face difficulty in career until the end of Dasha.

Hence Mahadasha reading can define your time line – the sequence of events to be followed in your life. This will empower you to take important decisions based on the Mahadasha or the time which is favourable & likely to bring in positive results and lie low or take some precautions during the malefic planetary influences.