Printing a dasha calendar
A dasha calendar is a printed list of mahadashas and antardashas with their dates. It is useful for keeping a record, and it can be made from the timeline in the dasha tool.
What it is
Print the timeline with the start and end dates, and keep the birth details with it. Mark the current period, and check the dates against the tool if you reuse the printout later.
How it is worked out or read
The browser's print command works on the timeline in the same way as on the articles. Because a printout is a copy, re-check it if the birth details change.
Where it appears on this site
See printing and saving a page.
What to print
A useful dasha printout includes the birth details, the ayanamsa, the time zone and the full list of mahadashas with their antardashas and dates. Including the inputs is important, because the same timeline can be produced from different settings, and a printout without them cannot be checked later. A short header with the date of printing also helps, since a reader may compare the printout with a later calculation.
The printout should show the levels clearly, with mahadashas in bold or in a separate column and antardashas beneath them. Dates should be written in a consistent format, and the reader should note whether they follow the civil calendar or the panchang day.
Using the printout over time
A printed calendar is most useful when it is kept with the birth details and checked occasionally against the current period. Marking the active period with a pencil or a highlight makes it easy to see where the person stands in the cycle. Because the calendar does not change, it can serve as a stable reference for a reading over many years.
A printout is a copy, so it should be re-checked if the birth details change or if a new calculation method is adopted. The reader should keep the original inputs with the printout, so that any discrepancy can be traced.
Privacy with printouts
A dasha printout contains personal data, the birth date and time and the place. The reader should share it only with people the reader trusts, and should not post it publicly with identifying details. The site does not store any printout or input, so the printed copy is the only record, and it should be kept safely.
Making a printout others can follow
A printout that someone else must read should be clear without the explanation of its maker. Give the title, the birth details in a block at the top, the ayanamsa and time zone, and a one-line note on what the table shows. Use the same row order as the tool, so that the reader can cross-check. Where a mahadasha is partial at birth, say so in a footnote, since the first row is otherwise easy to misread.
A short key explaining the abbreviations and the date format prevents the most common confusion. It takes a minute to add and saves a great deal of questions later.