When two families discuss a marriage, one of the first questions is often “How many gunas match?” Guna milan, also called Ashtakoot milan, compares two birth charts on eight points, the kootas, and gives a score out of 36. It is a useful starting point, and it is also widely misunderstood. Here is what the number actually measures.
You can compare any two charts with our free kundli matching tool, which shows the score for each koota as well as the total.
Where the points come from
Every koota is worked out from the Moon: the rashi (moon sign) and the nakshatra (birth star) of each partner. Guna milan doesn’t look at the lagna, the houses or the other planets at all.
That has a practical side. You still need both dates, times and places of birth, but only to fix where the Moon was. The Moon moves into a new nakshatra about once a day, so when a birth time is missing, the kootas that depend on the nakshatra can come out differently. Our tool uses noon when a time is unknown, and a real birth time is always better.
The eight kootas
- Varna (1 point). Sorts the moon signs into four groups, named after the four classical varnas, and is read as spiritual compatibility and how the two egos meet. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with either family’s background: it comes from the moon sign alone.
- Vashya (2 points). Groups the signs by nature (human, four-legged, water, wild and insect) to judge how strongly the two are drawn to each other and how influence is balanced between them.
- Tara (3 points). Counts from one birth star to the other and divides by nine, where a remainder of 3, 5 or 7 is unfavourable. The count is made in both directions, and each favourable direction earns 1.5 points.
- Yoni (4 points). Every nakshatra has an animal symbol, such as the horse, the elephant or the cat. Yoni compares the two animals as a guide to physical and intimate compatibility. The same animal scores 4, while natural enemies, such as the cat and the rat, score 0.
- Graha maitri (5 points). Compares the ruling planets of the two moon signs: whether they are friends, neutral or enemies. It is read as how easily the two minds agree.
- Gana (6 points). Each nakshatra has a temperament: deva (gentle), manushya (human, a mix of both) or rakshasa (fierce and independent). The same gana scores the full 6, and a rakshasa paired with either of the others scores least.
- Bhakoot (7 points). Looks at how far apart the two moon signs are, and is read for affection, family welfare and prosperity together. Signs that sit second and twelfth, fifth and ninth, or sixth and eighth from each other score 0, which is called Bhakoot dosha. Every other pairing scores the full 7.
- Nadi (8 points). Sorts the nakshatras into three nadis: Adi, Madhya and Antya. Different nadis score 8 and the same nadi scores 0, which is called Nadi dosha. Tradition links nadi with children and the family line, which is why it carries the most points.
What the total means
The traditional rule of thumb, which our tool follows, is:
- 18 or more out of 36: acceptable for marriage
- 25 or more: a good match
- 33 or more: an excellent match
- Below 18: below the traditional threshold, and a reason to look closely at both charts
A perfect 36 is rare, and chasing it misses the point. A high score on its own doesn’t make a good marriage, and a middling one doesn’t rule one out.
The doshas to look for
Two kootas matter more than their points suggest. A 0 in nadi (Nadi dosha) or in bhakoot (Bhakoot dosha) is weighed seriously in traditional matching, even when the total looks healthy. Both have well-known exceptions (Bhakoot dosha, for instance, is traditionally cancelled when both moon signs share a ruling planet), and both have traditional remedies. A zero is a reason to have the charts read, not a verdict.
The tool also checks Mangal dosha for both partners. Mars in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house makes a person manglik. It is very common, and when both partners are manglik, tradition holds that it balances out. Our Mangal dosha calculator checks Mars from the lagna, the Moon and Venus, with the common exceptions.
What the 36 points don’t measure
Guna milan is a quick comparison of two Moons. It leaves a great deal out:
- The rest of both charts. The seventh house and its lord, Venus, Jupiter, the navamsa (D9) and the dashas each partner will run after the wedding all carry weight in a full reading. None of them is in the score.
- Character and values. How each of you handles money, family, conflict and ambition is something you learn by talking and spending time together, not from a number.
- Health. Nadi is a traditional measure, not a medical or genetic test. Questions about health, or about starting a family, are for a doctor.
- Certainty. No score can promise a happy marriage or rule one out.
Guna milan is also not the only system. In much of South India, families use the poruthams, a set of ten checks, instead of the 36-point Ashtakoot.
What a full matching reading adds
In a kundli matching consultation, the founders start from guna milan and then read both charts in full: the houses of marriage, the navamsa, Mangal dosha from every reference point with its exceptions, and the timing of the dashas. Where a dosha shows up, you get remedies that fit your situation.
If you want to know your own gana and nadi before you compare charts, the nakshatra calculator shows both.
Kundli matching is traditional guidance. The decision to marry is yours, and it should never rest on a score alone.