We often hear in discussions that the order and durations of time associated with the planets in the Vimshottari dash system are a mystery lost to time and we just have to take it as given.

However, with the application of just the basic principles that we learn at the beginning of our studies and some knowledge of the physical laws, we have the tools necessary to decode why the Shastras have assigned a certain order and value to the Grahas as part of the Dasha systems to monitor the passage of time and their role in unfolding of events in our lives. In doing so, the beauty of these principles comes to light and helps us in understanding those principles even better. There are many ways to arrive at the same answer, but here, we will explore an approach that uses parallels to the known physical laws.

The most used Udu Dasha system, the Vimshottari, or the 120-year system (vim 20, + shata 100), is a great place to start this exploration. The Vimshottari Dasha order and lengths are a wonderful play between Gravity, Gunas and Tattvas.

Let us start with the first question, why is the duration of the Dasha system 120 years? To answer this, we must first understand what is it that we are ‘actually’ measuring here. We are measuring the maximum lifespan allotted to the ‘mind’ on this loka and that is 120 years. Thus, this Dasha system is measuring time as it is unfolding at the mental plane. This system is thus very useful to observe the impact and results of events at the mental plane and as we tend to live in our own minds and our reality is a reflection of our minds, this is a very universally applicable system.

Similarly, systems such as Ashtottari, at 108 years, is measuring the time as it is unfolding for the physical body as that is the maximum duration allocated to the body. Thus, this system is more suited for physical impacts such as health, property etc. The Narayana Dasha of 144 (or 2 Ayanamshas) is measuring the time unfolding at the soul level as that is the maximum duration allocated to the soul to experience this realm1.

Beings that stay beyond these time frames on the planet, start experiencing the Dashas back from the starting point with events repeating in their pattern. Some schools of thought say that the corresponding Dasha lengths are doubled for each ruling planet.

Now, in the Vimshottari system, the next question is why is the order so? [Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury]. At first blush this looks a bit strange, why is Mercury at the end? Why is Rahu between Mars and Jupiter? Why are we starting with Ketu? We will explore this in the next post.