Apahara literally means ‘taking away’. In Hindu astrology, however, it refers to the divisions of a mahadasha. In the Vimshottari Dasha system, the Dashas of the seven planets and those of Rahu and Ketu, add up to 120 years (Sun 6 years; Moon 10, March 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17, Ketu 7, Venus 20). Total 120 years and they occur in that sequence or order.
Each Mahadasha is subdivided into nine unequal parts, called
apaharas or bhuktis. These are calculated according to the following rules –
In every dasha, the first bhukti or apahara will be that of
the mahadasha of the planet itself. It will be followed by other bhuktis in the
same sequence.
The duration of bhuktis in the mahadasha of planet ‘x’ will
be obtained by the following calculation. Duration of bhukti of a particular
planet ‘y’ = (number of mahadasha years of ‘y’ multiplied by number of
Mahadasha years of ‘x’) divided by 120. The answer is obtained in years.
In predictive astrology, the relative positions of the dasha
Lord and the bhukti Lord, as well as their strength and weakness, would be
taken into account. Also, the asterisms occupied by them and the placement of
the lords of those asterisms would be considered for predictions about
happenings in the given apahara. There is also a smaller division, called
pratyantara dasha or antara or the sub-sub period, used to more accurate
predictions.