Rahu · 18 years
Rahu Mahadasha
Rahu Mahadasha runs 18 years and amplifies whatever it touches: ambition, the foreign, the unconventional, sudden rises and reversals. It is neither inherently good nor bad: a well-placed Rahu can bring dramatic worldly gains; an afflicted one brings confusion and over-reach.
What Rahu Mahadasha governs
- Ambition & worldly desire
- Foreign lands & the unconventional
- Sudden change
- Technology and illusion
When it tends to favour you
When Rahu sits in the upachaya houses (3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th), is aspected by Jupiter, or has a strong dispositor, the period can deliver outsized material and career gains.
When it tends to be difficult
When Rahu is afflicted or unsupported, expect restlessness, misjudged risks, and sudden upheavals; the running antardasha strongly shapes the texture.
Duration and how to read it
Rahu Mahadasha lasts 18 years. Read it alongside the running antardasha (sub-period), which sets the texture within the major period, and remember the whole Vimshottari sequence is timed from your Moon nakshatra at birth so accurate birth details matter (see why birth time matters).
FAQ
How long is Rahu Mahadasha?
18 years — its fixed length in the 120-year Vimshottari cycle.
Is Rahu Mahadasha good or bad?
Neither by default — it depends on placement. When Rahu sits in the upachaya houses (3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th), is aspected by Jupiter, or has a strong dispositor, the period can deliver outsized material and career gains. When Rahu is afflicted or unsupported, expect restlessness, misjudged risks, and sudden upheavals; the running antardasha strongly shapes the texture.
How do I know which Mahadasha I am running?
It is calculated from your Moon nakshatra at birth — check your current period with the dasha calculator.