Ketu Mahadasha
7 years in the Vimshottari cycle
Ketu Mahadasha lasts 7 years. It is the first of nine dashas in the Vimshottari order, coming after Mercury and before Venus. Ketu stands for detachment, spirituality, research and sudden cuts. It tends to turn attention inward and away from things that no longer feel meaningful, with research, study and simplifying as common outlets. Ketu owns no sign, so its results depend on its sign, its house and its dispositor.
Ketu owns no sign, so the houses it affects depend on the sign it occupies and that sign's lord. That makes the chart placement more important than for any other dasha. Each Mahadasha is split into nine Antardashas starting with Ketu itself, and each one blends Ketu with another planet.
Your Moon sign, the placement of Ketu in your birth chart and current transits decide how this dasha plays out. Use the nine sub-period pages below, then pick your Moon sign for a version tailored to it.
Ketu Mahadasha: the nine Antardashas, in order
Frequently asked
How long is Ketu Mahadasha?
Ketu Mahadasha lasts 7 years in the Vimshottari system, which runs on a 120-year cycle. It follows Mercury Mahadasha and is followed by Venus Mahadasha. When it starts depends on the Moon's position at your birth.
What are the Antardashas in Ketu Mahadasha and how long is each?
There are nine, in order: Ketu 4 months 27 days, Venus 1 year 2 months, Sun 4 months 6 days, Moon 7 months, Mars 4 months 27 days, Rahu 1 year 18 days, Jupiter 11 months 6 days, Saturn 1 year 1 month 9 days, Mercury 11 months 27 days. Each length is the Mahadasha years × the sub-period planet's years ÷ 120.
Is Ketu Mahadasha good or bad?
Neither on its own. Ketu stands for detachment, spirituality, research and sudden cuts, and the result depends on the houses it rules for your Moon sign, its strength and placement in your chart, and transits.
Does my Moon sign change Ketu Mahadasha?
Yes. The Moon sign decides which houses Ketu rules (none directly, since it owns no sign) and so which life areas the dasha works through. Astrika reads natal chart, dasha and transit together before answering.