Cara-rāśi-daśā is Jaimini's primary daśā-system. It complements Vimśottarī (the Pārāśara-line primary) by using a different periodicity-source: signs rather than nakṣatras. The starting rāśi is the lagna; the duration of each rāśi's daśā is computed by counting from the rāśi to its own lord's position, subtracting one, in years. The sequence proceeds savya (in normal zodiac order) if the lagna is in an odd sign, apasavya (reverse order) if even.
The opening sūtra cara-daśā-gaṇanaṃ rāśi-ādhāritam ('cara-daśā computation is sign-based') establishes the framework. The full 12-rāśi cycle spans roughly 80–100 years (variable, since durations differ by chart).
Interpretive use: the daśā-rāśi acts as 'this period's lagna' — its grahas, aspects, and lord-placement become the dominant interpretive frame. When a major life-event lines up with a specific cara-daśā in retrospect, the rāśi-themes typically illuminate the event's character. As with all daśā-analysis, this is interpretive pattern-recognition, not deterministic prediction.