Chandra (Moon) Mahadasha: What the Moon's 10 Years Bring

A strong Moon gives one of the most comfortable periods in the cycle. Parashara names the Moon's best places. These are Taurus (its best sign) and Cancer (its own sign). They also include the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th houses. Such a Moon, full and joined with good planets, brings power and good fortune. It brings wealth and grain from start to end. Expect good events at home, a vehicle and meetings with important people. Effort brings success.

A weak Moon turns the same years sour. Take a Moon in Scorpio (its weakest sign), or a waning Moon. Or take a weak Moon with harsh planets. Each brings money loss, a heavy body, a troubled mind and trouble with staff. In the 6th, 8th or 12th house it adds the displeasure of authority. It also adds loss of savings. Parashara adds one hopeful line. If such a Moon is still strong, peace rites bring good.

Every book ties the Moon's period to its phase at birth. Mantreshwar is the most exact. Born in the first ten days of the bright half, you get medium results. Born between the bright 11th and the dark 5th, you get full results. That is the time around full Moon. Born in the last ten days, before new Moon, the results shrink step by step.

Saravali agrees. A strong full Moon's period brings affection and the best of partners at home. A waning Moon's period brings frequent minor ailments. Parashara even counts a full Moon among the kind planets. He counts a waning Moon among the harsh ones.

Parashara calls the Moon the mind. He pairs it with the Sun as the royals among planets. The stronger of the Moon and Mars stands for your mother. Mantreshwar adds that for a night birth the Moon shows the mother. It also rules the left eye.

So the Moon's years are about your mood, mother, home and how people treat you. Saravali lists the good side. Money comes through gentle dealing, travel, water, milk and sugar. Elders and rulers give respect, and the mind grows sharper and steadier. Its bad side is family worry, quarrels at home, too much sleep and sorrow. Varahamihira gives the same mix. He adds gains through hard work and ups and downs in money and fame.

Count houses from your rising sign (lagna). Jyotish Ratnakar gives results for nine houses. For the 1st, 5th and 9th it is silent. So those rows follow Parashara's rule for a strong Moon in those houses. Parashara and Jyotish Ratnakar agree on the 2nd and 3rd houses. They also agree on the hard 6th, 8th and 12th houses.

Saravali sorts the Moon's period into six kinds. These are exalted, in a friend's sign, in an enemy's sign, debilitated, waning and full. Exalted gives a high position. A friend's sign brings support from your own people. An enemy's sign brings restriction and menial work. It is so harsh that even a king ends up serving others.

Jyotish Ratnakar is concrete. A Moon in Taurus raises your status according to your family's level. It also brings spouse, wealth and victory. A Moon in Cancer grows money and farming. A Moon in Scorpio brings a tired body, less standing and worry. It also brings time apart from family.

Jataka Parijata splits the period in three. The first part gives the results of the house the Moon sits in. The middle gives the results of its sign. The end gives the results of the planets joined with it or looking at it. Jyotish Ratnakar puts years on it: about 3 years 4 months for each part.

Parashara reads a strong, full Moon as good from start to end. He also times results by where the Moon sits in its sign. The first 10° acts early, the middle 10° mid-period, the last 10° late. The Moon never moves backward, so this order never flips.

Moon-Saturn and Moon-Rahu are the hardest. Saravali says Moon-Saturn brings separation from family, illness and great trouble. Parashara says Moon-Rahu gives little at first, with trouble from rivals. Jataka Parijata says it brings no happiness. Moon-Ketu loses money at the start and eases in the middle.

The best are Moon-Mercury, Moon-Jupiter, Moon-Venus and Moon-Sun. All three books rate Moon-Sun well. Parashara says it restores lost position and money. The books differ on Moon-Mars. Parashara is positive when Mars is well placed. Saravali and Jataka Parijata are harsh. Sub-period lengths follow the standard rule on the mahadasha page.

Most of Parashara's Moon remedies point to Shiva. He gives Rudra japa for Moon-Rahu and Moon-Venus. For Moon-Jupiter he gives Shiva Sahasranama (Shiva's thousand names) with gold gifted. He gives Mrityunjaya japa for Moon-Saturn and Moon-Ketu, and Shiva puja for Moon-Sun. For Moon-Mercury he gives Vishnu Sahasranama. For Moon-Mars he advises honouring learned Brahmins.

Jyotish Ratnakar advises gifting a silver lotus with Mrityunjaya japa for a hard Moon period. Its Moon gifts are rice in a bamboo vessel, camphor, pearl and white cloth. Silver and ghee in a bronze pot also count. Add 11,000 repetitions of the Moon's mantra.

A full 10-year period holds nine sub-periods. The first belongs to Moon itself. Each length is the main period's years × the sub-period's years ÷ 120. The dasha calculator gives your own dates.