Kundli matching
Compare two birth charts by Ashtakoota and see the score out of 36.
What is Ashtakoota (Guna Milan)?
Ashtakoota means eight kootas: eight tests of how a boy and a girl match. Each one compares their Moon signs and nakshatras, and together they give up to 36 points, often called gunas.
Several kootas are directional: Varna, Vashya, Yoni and Gana read the boy and the girl from set places, so swapping the two can change the score. Most koota rules here follow Muhurta Chintamani, a classical text. Where it and the other texts we use are silent, as for the Vashya groups and table and most Yoni scores, common practice is used.
The eight kootas
| Koota | Life area | Most points |
|---|---|---|
| Varna | Work | 1 |
| Vashya | Dominance | 2 |
| Tara | Destiny | 3 |
| Yoni | Mentality | 4 |
| Graha Maitri | Compatibility | 5 |
| Gana | Guna level | 6 |
| Bhakoot | Love | 7 |
| Nadi | Health | 8 |
| Total | 36 | |
What the score means
These bands and the 18-point line are common practice, not classical verses. The final conclusion also weighs the doshas and Mangal Dosha below, so a high score alone does not make a match suitable.
- 0 - 17.5Under 18 points
- 18 - 2418 to 24 points
- 24.5 - 32Over 24 to 32 points
- 32.5 - 36Over 32 points
Nadi, Gana and Bhakoot dosha
Nadi carries the most points. There are three Nadis: Adi, Madhya and Antya. If the two share a Nadi, this koota scores 0 instead of 8, and that is Nadi dosha.
Gana sorts each nakshatra as Deva, Manushya or Rakshasa. A Rakshasa with a Deva or a Manushya, whichever of the two holds it, is Gana dosha, even where this koota still gives a point or two.
Bhakoot looks at how far the girl's Moon sign sits from the boy's. If it is the 2nd, 12th, 5th, 9th, 6th or 8th sign from his, this koota scores 0 instead of 7, and that is Bhakoot dosha.
A parihar, a classical cancellation, can lift a dosha, but it never changes the points. A Nadi, Bhakoot or Gana dosha with no parihar makes a match unsuitable, however many points it scores.
Mangal Dosha
A chart is Manglik when Mars sits in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house from the Lagna, the rising sign, unless a natural benefic is with Mars or aspects it. The rule is the same for men and women, and it needs the birth time.
If both charts are Manglik, or neither is, there is no objection. If only one is, that difference is weighed before any decision on marriage.
Questions about matching
The Moon moves through the day, and all eight kootas depend on its sign and nakshatra. Mangal Dosha is read from the Lagna, the rising sign, which cannot be known without the birth time.
Some can, through a parihar, a classical cancellation. A parihar never changes the points, but it does change the conclusion, which is why a match with a dosha can still be called suitable. When Nadi dosha is present, no Bhakoot parihar applies.
No. Ashtakoota compares the two Moons, and the score is one measure. A full reading of both charts weighs far more, and Acharya Tarun does that in a private consultation.
No. They are used to make this one match and are not saved, and nothing is kept in your browser or in the page address.
A score is a start.
Acharya Tarun reads both charts in full and talks through what the score leaves out.
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