---
title: "Ketu Mahadasha: 7-Year Timeline, Antardasha Dates & Effects"
url: https://adityaarsharma.com/ketu-mahadasha/
date: 2026-07-24
modified: 2026-07-24
author: ""
description: "The complete Ketu (Ketu) Mahādaśā timeline — all nine antardaśā sub-periods with exact durations, what the 7-year period structures, and how to compute your own dates by the classical Vimśottarī method."
categories:
  - "Jyotisha"
word_count: 440
---

# Ketu Mahadasha: 7-Year Timeline, Antardasha Dates & Effects

Jyotiṣa · Vimśottarī Daśā

Ketu is the south node — the tail, the ascetic, the loose end of past karma. Its seven years strip away, detach and turn the attention inward, toward what cannot be held.

Karma JyotiṣaComputed reading≈ 5 min

Ketu · at a glance

Period7 yearsNatureKrūra · shadowKāraka ofMokṣa · detachment · past karmaRulesco-VṛścikaExaltedVṛścika (trad.)DebilitatedVṛṣabha (trad.)Day—Direction—Ketu is the south node — the tail, the ascetic, the loose end of past karma. Its seven years strip away, detach and turn the attention inward, toward what cannot be held.

## 01The nine antardaśās, computed
Every mahādaśā divides into nine sub-periods in the fixed Vimśottarī order, beginning with the daśā lord itself. Their lengths are a fixed proportion of Ketu's 7 years — not opinion.

Ketu Mahādaśā · antardaśā timeline
| Sub-period | Duration | What it colours |
| ---------- | -------- | --------------- |
| Ketu–Ketuketu | 0y 4m 27d | Detachment, endings and the inward pull. |
| Ketu–Śukravenus | 1y 2m 0d | Relationships, comfort and the arts. |
| Ketu–Sūryasun | 0y 4m 6d | Authority, the ego and the father-principle. |
| Ketu–Candramoon | 0y 7m 0d | The emotional mind, mother and inner tides. |
| Ketu–Maṅgalamars | 0y 4m 27d | Drive, courage and open conflict. |
| Ketu–Rāhurahu | 1y 0m 18d | Ambition and the unorthodox. |
| Ketu–Gurujupiter | 0y 11m 6d | Wisdom, dharma and expansion. |
| Ketu–Śanisaturn | 1y 1m 9d | Discipline, delay and endurance. |
| Ketu–Budhamercury | 0y 11m 27d | Intellect, speech and commerce. |
| Full mahādaśā | 7y 0m 0d | Nine sub-periods, one lord. |
Method: antardaśā = **(sub-lord's Vimśottarī years × 7) ÷ 120**, on the 360-day classical convention. Anchored to your Moon's nakṣatra, these become exact calendar dates.

## 02What the 7 years structure
Ketu quietly dissolves. Where it is spiritually placed, these seven years deepen detachment, insight and mokṣa. Where it afflicts, they bring sudden losses, health puzzles and a sense of the ground giving way — an emptying that classical texts treat as necessary, not cruel.

None of this predicts events. It is the classical *tendency* of a placement — a lens for timing, not a verdict.

See your exact Ketu Mahādaśā

Give your birth date, time and place, and Karma Jyotiṣa computes your real Vimśottarī timeline — every antardaśā start and end date, keyed to your Moon's nakṣatra.

[Get my free reading →](https://adityaarsharma.com/astrology)x

## 03Common questions
How long is Ketu Mahādaśā?7 years — its Vimśottarī allotment. It divides into nine antardaśā sub-periods, from Ketu–Ketu (0y 4m 27d) to Ketu–Budha (0y 11m 27d).

Is Ketu Mahādaśā good or bad?Neither by default. It depends on Ketu's house, sign and dignity in your chart — a well-placed graha gives its best significations, an afflicted one strains them. Classical texts describe a tendency, never a fixed fate.

Which antardaśā matters most?The sub-period whose lord is strong and friendly to Ketu usually reads best; one that is afflicted or inimical is felt hardest. A computed reading of your own chart resolves it precisely.

How do I find my own Ketu Mahādaśā dates?Exact dates need your birth date, time and place, because the sequence is anchored to your Moon's nakṣatra at birth. Karma Jyotiṣa computes it free.