Sookshma and Prana Dashas

What they are

Vimshottari has 5 levels of sub-division:

Level	Name	Typical span
1	Mahadasha	6-20 years
2	Antardasha	1-3 years
3	Pratyantardasha	1-6 months
4	Sookshma	days to weeks
5	Prana	hours to a day

The chart-view displays levels 1-3 by default (collapsible). Levels 4 and 5 are computed on-demand because they generate hundreds of sub-periods per pratyantar.

Why drill that deep

Three reasons:

Transit-hit alignment. When a transit-significator (e.g. transiting Jupiter) crosses a sensitive natal point, the moment of "real" activation is often a Sookshma or Prana boundary.
Event prediction. Daily events (interviews, contracts, surgery dates) can be timed to a Prana-period whose lord matches the event's significator.
Muhurta refinement. When choosing an electional time for a purpose, picking a Prana whose lord supports the purpose adds an extra precision layer on top of Choghadiya / Hora.

How to find it

This level is on-demand — there's no separate menu for it. Instead, it returns through the Vimshottari card on chart-view (deep-drill flow) or via the API directly when you need it for custom workflows.

For most users, the Maha/Antar/Prat already shown in chart-view is sufficient. Sookshma and Prana are advanced.

How the math works

The same Vimshottari proportions apply at every level:

A Maha of N years contains 9 Antars; each Antar = N × (Years_lord / 120) years
An Antar of M months contains 9 Pratyantars; each Prat = M × (Years_lord / 120) months
A Pratyantar of D days contains 9 Sookshmas; each Sookshma = D × (Years_lord / 120) days
A Sookshma of H hours contains 9 Pranas; each Prana = H × (Years_lord / 120) hours

So for example, a 6-month Sun pratyantar within Mercury antardasha within Saturn maha would split into:

Sookshma 1: Sun (Sun-years 6) — 6 × (6/120) ≈ 9 days
Sookshma 2: Moon (10) — ≈ 15 days
Sookshma 3: Mars (7) — ≈ 11 days
… and so on cycling through Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus

Within each Sookshma, the same proportions split it into 9 Pranas of about 1-3 days each.

How to read the lord-of-a-Prana

The lord of a level-N period gives the flavour of that period. For Prana especially, the lord is short-lived but very specific:

Prana of Saturn during a Saturn maha — focused, slow-moving, serious work or a saturnine encounter
Prana of Mars during a Jupiter maha — a sudden push, a challenge to the broader Jupiter window
Prana of Venus in any window — relational moment, beauty, sweetness, indulgence

These lords carry their natural significations and the chart-specific houses they own. In a reading, you cite the lord plus the houses.

Caveats

Prana boundaries that appear precise are still subject to birth-time accuracy. A 4-minute birth-time error shifts Pranas by minutes; for hour-precise timing, rectification first.
Sookshma and Prana lords are modulators, not standalone predictions. Always read them in the context of the parent Pratyantar / Antar / Maha.