Guna Milan (Ashtakoota)
Guna Milan is the traditional Kundli matching score out of 36. It compares the Moon signs and birth nakshatras of two people across eight kootas; 18 or more is traditionally acceptable.
Also known as: Kundli milan, Kundli matching, Ashtakoota milan, Gun milan, horoscope matching, marriage matching
Also called Ashtakoota (“eight factors”), Guna Milan is set out in classical works on muhurat such as Muhurta Chintamani. Each koota looks at one side of compatibility and carries 1 to 8 points: Varna 1, Vashya 2, Tara 3, Yoni 4, Graha Maitri 5, Gana 6, Bhakoot 7 and Nadi 8, for a total of 36.
The usual reading: below 18 is under the traditional threshold, 18 to 24 is average, 25 to 32 very good, and 33 or more excellent. Nadi and Bhakoot carry the most points, and their doshas are looked at separately, along with Manglik dosha: an uncancelled Nadi dosha, or an uncancelled Bhakoot dosha on a score of 20 or less, outweighs the total.
Guna Milan uses only each person’s Moon sign and nakshatra. That makes it quick but narrow: thousands of couples share the same score. Astrologers therefore also compare the full charts, especially the 7th house, Venus, the Navamsa and the dashas. South Indian matching uses a related set of ten checks (poruthams), including Rajju and Vedha.
A high score does not guarantee a happy marriage, and a low one does not doom it. Many cancellations apply, and the decision should rest on the whole picture and on the two people themselves.