Kundli Matching 36 Gunas: The 8 Kootas Explained

Kundli matching by 36 gunas, known as Ashtakoota Guna Milan, compares the Moon signs and birth nakshatras of two people across eight factors called kootas, worth 1 to 8 points each, for a total of 36. Each koota looks at a different layer of compatibility, from temperament and attraction to friendship of minds, family welfare and health, and the total is the traditional first screen for marriage.

Why the Moon decides the score

In Vedic astrology the Moon stands for the mind, and marriage is seen above all as a meeting of minds. So Guna Milan uses just two facts about each person: the sign the Moon occupied at birth (the Rashi) and its nakshatra.

That makes the method simple, quick and consistent from one family to the next. It is also its limit. Guna Milan says nothing about the rest of the two charts, which is why astrologers treat the score as a first screen rather than a final answer.

The eight kootas are described in Muhurta Chintamani and are standard across North and West India. South Indian families often use a related set of checks called Porutham, which weighs some factors differently.

The eight kootas at a glance

Notice the weighting. Nadi, Bhakoot and Gana together hold 21 of the 36 points, so these three decide most scores.

How each koota is scored

Varna, 1 point. Each Moon sign takes a varna from its element: water signs are Brahmin, fire signs Kshatriya, earth signs Vaishya and air signs Shudra. The point is given when the groom’s varna is equal to or higher than the bride’s. These are traditional labels for temperament, not a statement about caste.

Vashya, 2 points. The Moon signs fall into five groups: human (Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius and the first half of Sagittarius), four-legged (Aries, Taurus, the second half of Sagittarius and the first half of Capricorn), water (Cancer, Pisces and the second half of Capricorn), wild (Leo) and insect (Scorpio). The same group scores 2; other pairings score 0 to 1, including half points. Leo, the wild sign, scores 0 with every group except water, and a human Moon with an insect one scores 1 when the bride’s Moon is the human one but 0 the other way round.

Tara, 3 points. Count from the bride’s nakshatra to the groom’s, and from the groom’s to the bride’s, then divide each count by nine. A remainder of 3, 5 or 7 (Vipat, Pratyak or Naidhana) is unfavourable. Each favourable direction earns 1.5 points.

Yoni, 4 points. Each nakshatra carries one of 14 animal symbols. The same animal scores 4, friendly animals 3, neutral 2 and unfriendly 1. Seven pairs are sworn enemies and score 0: horse and buffalo, elephant and lion, sheep and monkey, serpent and mongoose, dog and deer, cat and rat, and cow and tiger.

Graha Maitri, 5 points. This compares the lords of the two Moon signs, using the classical planetary friendships.

Gana, 6 points. Each nakshatra is Deva (gentle), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (fierce, independent).

Bhakoot, 7 points. Count the two Moon signs from each other. If they are 1/1, 3/11, 4/10 or 7/7 apart, the pair scores 7. If they are 2/12, 5/9 or 6/8 apart, the score is 0, which is called Bhakoot dosha. Tradition cancels it when both Moon signs share a lord or their lords are friends both ways.

Nadi, 8 points. Every nakshatra belongs to one of three Nadis: Adi, Madhya or Antya. Different Nadis score 8; the same Nadi scores 0, which is called Nadi dosha. Classical exceptions can cancel or soften it.

A worked example

Take a groom whose Moon is at 15° Taurus, in Rohini, and a bride whose Moon is at 15° Virgo, in Hasta.

How to read it:

• Tara scores full marks. Counting from Hasta to Rohini gives 19, and from Rohini to Hasta gives 10. Both leave a remainder of 1, which is favourable.
• Graha Maitri is perfect. Venus and Mercury are friends both ways, a good sign for mental rapport.
• Bhakoot is zero, but cancelled. Virgo is the 5th sign from Taurus, a 5/9 pair. Because the two lords, Venus and Mercury, are mutual friends, tradition treats this Bhakoot dosha as cancelled.
• Yoni is low. Instinctive rhythms may differ, which is worth knowing but carries only 4 points.

So this is a 24 with no live dosha, a sound result by traditional standards.

Which kootas usually cost points

We scored every possible pair of Moon positions, in steps of a quarter of a degree, using the classical tables. This is how each koota behaves across all those pairings:

Three things stand out. Yoni rarely scores full marks, so a low Yoni is normal rather than alarming. Tara can never score zero: when one direction lands on an unfavourable star, the other direction always lands on a favourable one. And half of all pairs score zero in Bhakoot before any cancellation is applied, which is why the cancellation rules matter so much.

Half points, and why scores differ between apps

Vashya, Tara and Graha Maitri can give half points, so totals such as 24.5 are normal.

A few kootas are not symmetrical. Varna, part of the Gana table and one pairing in the Vashya table score differently depending on which partner holds which quality, so swapping the groom’s and bride’s details can change the total. Yoni, Tara, Graha Maitri, Bhakoot and Nadi give the same score either way.

The tables also vary slightly between traditions, and a different ayanamsa can move a Moon near a boundary into the next nakshatra. A difference of a point or two between two apps is therefore ordinary. Our matching tool uses the classical tables most widely followed in North Indian practice.

Reading the total

Tradition treats 18 as the minimum: under 18 is below the threshold, 18 to 24.5 is acceptable, 25 to 32.5 very good and 33 or more excellent. But the total alone hides what matters most. Always look at which kootas lost points, and whether a Nadi or Bhakoot zero is cancelled.

What Guna Milan does not cover

The eight kootas say nothing about several things astrologers check before advising on a marriage:

• Manglik status in both charts, and whether it is cancelled.
• The 7th house, its lord and Venus in each chart.
• The Navamsa (D9) of both partners.
• The dashas each person will run in the early years of marriage.
• In South Indian practice, Rajju and Vedha, which are checked separately.

And no score replaces what you learn by meeting: shared values, kindness and honest communication. For a decision as important as marriage, a qualified astrologer’s reading of both full charts is worth the time.

To see your own score, use our free Kundli matching tool: enter both sets of birth details and get the Guna Milan total out of 36 in seconds. Each partner can also create a free Kundli to see their Moon sign, nakshatra, gana, yoni and nadi, the raw ingredients of every koota above.