Vimshottari Dasha and a transit are two different clocks. Dasha is a natal period that starts from the Moon's nakshatra at birth. A transit is where a graha is moving now. Sade Sati is a Saturn transit over the natal Moon sign, not Saturn Mahadasha. The two can overlap. One does not replace the other. Daanyam calculates them with separate tools.
Definition
Mahadasha and Antardasha belong to the birth chart. They do not reset when Saturn changes sign. Sade Sati belongs to the sky now: Saturn in the sign before the natal Moon, the Moon's own sign, and the sign after it. Those are the rising, peak, and setting phases. Saturn Mahadasha is the multi-year chapter of Saturn in Vimshottari. A person can be in Sade Sati without being in Saturn Mahadasha, and the reverse is also true.
How it works
The Dasha calculator reads the birth Moon's nakshatra and walks the 120-year sequence. It does not look up today's Saturn sign.
The Sade Sati tool reads the natal Moon sign and Saturn's current sidereal transit. It does not start a Mahadasha.
The golden fixture stores the birth Mahadasha lord. It does not store a Sade Sati phase, so this page does not invent one. The Sade Sati tool does that from a real birth.
Reference
Keep the natal period and the moving sky apart.
| Clock | What it uses | Daanyam tool |
|---|---|---|
| Mahadasha | Natal. Starts from the Moon's nakshatra. | Dasha calculator |
| Antardasha | Natal sub-period inside the Mahadasha. | Dasha calculator |
| Sade Sati | Transit. Saturn over the natal Moon sign and its neighbours. | Sade Sati |
| Saturn Mahadasha | The Saturn chapter of Vimshottari. Not the transit. | Saturn Mahadasha page |
Worked example
The golden birth shows Rahu as the Mahadasha lord at birth, from the Moon in Shatabhisha. That is a natal period. It is not a statement about Saturn's transit on that day, and it is not a Sade Sati phase.
| Birth | Male, born 12 Aug 1995, 14:30 IST, Delhi |
|---|---|
| Date | 1995-08-12 |
| Time | 14:30 |
| Timezone | Asia/Kolkata |
| Lagna | Vrishchika (sidereal Scorpio) |
| Moon sign | Kumbha (sidereal Aquarius) |
| Moon nakshatra | Shatabhisha |
| Birth Mahadasha lord | Rahu |
| Lahiri ayanamsa | 23.798597° |
A common confusion
Feeling that Saturn is 'running' can mean either clock. If the question is the chapter you were born into, use Dasha. If the question is Saturn passing over the Moon sign, use Sade Sati. The English Saturn Mahadasha page is the chapter, not the transit.
Calculate it
Use the Dasha calculator for the natal period and Sade Sati for the Saturn transit. Saturn Mahadasha explains the chapter without telling you that you are in it.
How the numbers are computed
Both tools use the Lahiri sidereal zodiac. The method page records the ephemeris. This page does not merge the two results into one score.
Questions
What is the difference between Dasha and a transit?
Dasha is a period counted from the birth Moon's nakshatra. A transit is a graha's position now, compared with the natal chart. Sade Sati is a transit. Mahadasha is not.
Is Sade Sati the same as Saturn Mahadasha?
No. Sade Sati is Saturn moving through the signs around your natal Moon. Saturn Mahadasha is Saturn's major Vimshottari period, which starts only when the dasha sequence reaches it. They can overlap, and either can run alone.
What are the Sade Sati phases?
Rising is Saturn in the 12th sign from the natal Moon, peak is Saturn in the Moon's own sign, and setting is Saturn in the 2nd. The Sade Sati tool dates them. This page does not invent the dates for the sample birth.