Guna Milan explained: the 8 kootas and their 36 points

Guna Milan, also called Ashtakoot or Gun Milan, compares the birth stars and Moon signs of a bride and groom through eight checks called kootas, and adds their points into a score out of 36. Nadi (8 points) and Bhakoot (7) carry the most weight, and a zero in either is called a dosha. Below is every koota with its counting rule, one pair worked out koota by koota, and the places where calculators disagree.

What are the 8 kootas of Guna Milan?

Koota	Maximum points	What it measures	How it is counted
Varna	1	Spiritual outlook	Varna of each Moon sign; 1 if the groom's varna is equal to or higher than the bride's
Vashya	2	Mutual attraction and influence	Five groups of Moon signs; points from a fixed bride-by-groom grid
Tara	3	Health and fortune of each for the other	Count star to star, both ways, remainder by 9; 1.5 for each favourable direction
Yoni	4	Physical and emotional closeness	The animal of each birth star, from same animal (4) to sworn enemies (0)
Graha Maitri	5	Friendship of minds	Natural friendship between the lords of the two Moon signs
Gana	6	Basic nature	Deva, Manushya or Rakshasa gana of each star; a bride-by-groom table
Bhakoot	7	Family welfare and prosperity	Distance between the two Moon signs; 2/12, 5/9 and 6/8 score 0
Nadi	8	Health of the couple and of children	Adi, Madhya or Antya nadi of each star; the same nadi scores 0

The points rise with each koota, from 1 to 8, so the last three (Gana, Bhakoot, Nadi) hold 21 of the 36. Only two inputs are needed for each person: the birth star (nakshatra) and the Moon sign (rashi). If you do not know your star, the free birth star finder works it out from the date, time and place of birth.

How is each koota counted?

Varna (1 point). Each Moon sign has a varna. Karka, Vrischika and Meena are Brahmin; Mesha, Simha and Dhanu Kshatriya; Vrishabha, Kanya and Makara Vaishya; Mithuna, Tula and Kumbha Shudra. The bride gets the point when the groom's varna is the same as hers or higher.

Vashya (2 points). The signs fall into five groups: Chatushpada (four-footed) is Mesha, Vrishabha, the second half of Dhanu and the first half of Makara; Manava (human) is Mithuna, Kanya, Tula, Kumbha and the first half of Dhanu; Jalachara (water) is Karka, Meena and the second half of Makara; Vanachara (wild) is Simha; Keeta (insect) is Vrischika. The same group scores 2; other pairs score 1, 0.5 or 0 from a fixed bride-by-groom grid:

Bride's group	Groom Chatushpada	Groom Manava	Groom Jalachara	Groom Vanachara	Groom Keeta
Chatushpada	2	1	1	0	1
Manava	1	2	0.5	0	1
Jalachara	1	0.5	2	1	1
Vanachara	0	0	1	2	0
Keeta	1	0	1	0	2

Tara (3 points). Count from the bride's star to the groom's, counting her own star as 1, and divide by 9. Do the same from the groom's star to the bride's. Remainders 3 (Vipat), 5 (Pratyari) and 7 (Vadha) are unfavourable; the other six are favourable. Both directions favourable give 3, one gives 1.5, neither gives 0.

Yoni (4 points). Each of the 27 stars has one of 14 animals. The same animal scores 4, friendly animals 3, neutral 2, unfriendly 1. The seven pairs of sworn enemies score 0: horse and buffalo, elephant and lion, sheep and monkey, serpent and mongoose, dog and deer, cat and rat, cow and tiger.

Graha Maitri (5 points). Take the lords of the two Moon signs and the natural friendships of Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. The same lord, or two lords that are friends to each other, give 5. Friend and neutral give 4; neutral both ways 3; friend one way and enemy the other 1; neutral and enemy 0.5; enemies both ways 0.

Gana (6 points). Every star is Deva (divine), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (fierce). The table is not the same in both directions:

Bride's gana	Groom Deva	Groom Manushya	Groom Rakshasa
Deva	6	5	1
Manushya	6	6	0
Rakshasa	0	0	6

Bhakoot (7 points). Count the groom's Moon sign from the bride's and the bride's from the groom's. If the pair of counts is 2/12, 5/9 or 6/8, Bhakoot scores 0 (Bhakoot dosha). The other pairs, 1/1 (same sign), 7/7, 3/11 and 4/10, score 7.

Nadi (8 points). The stars follow the order Adi, Madhya, Antya, Antya, Madhya, Adi, repeating. Adi: Ashwini, Ardra, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Jyeshtha, Mula, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada. Madhya: Bharani, Mrigashira, Pushya, Purva Phalguni, Chitra, Anuradha, Purva Ashadha, Dhanishta, Uttara Bhadrapada. Antya: Krittika, Rohini, Ashlesha, Magha, Swati, Vishakha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Revati. The same nadi scores 0 (Nadi dosha); different nadis score 8.

How is Guna Milan calculated for a real pair?

The bride is born in Magha, Moon in Simha. The groom is born in Anuradha, Moon in Vrischika. Here is the Guna Milan for Magha and Anuradha, step by step:

1. Varna: Simha is Kshatriya, Vrischika is Brahmin. The groom's varna is higher, so 1 of 1.
2. Vashya: Simha is Vanachara, Vrischika is Keeta. This pair scores 0 of 2.
3. Tara: Magha is the 10th star, Anuradha the 17th. Bride to groom is 8 (Mitra, favourable). Groom to bride is 21, remainder 3 (Vipat, unfavourable). One direction favourable: 1.5 of 3.
4. Yoni: Magha is the rat, Anuradha the deer. Neutral animals: 2 of 4.
5. Graha Maitri: The Sun rules Simha, Mars rules Vrischika, and they are mutual friends: 5 of 5.
6. Gana: Rakshasa bride, Deva groom: 0 of 6.
7. Bhakoot: Vrischika is 4th from Simha and Simha is 10th from Vrischika. 4/10 is not a dosha distance: 7 of 7.
8. Nadi: Magha is Antya, Anuradha is Madhya. Different nadis: 8 of 8.

The same pair in our free check, calculated with the same code:

Koota	What it looks at	Points	Out of
Varna	Spiritual outlook	1	1
Vashya	Mutual influence	0	2
Tara	Health and well-being (birth-star count)	1.5	3
Yoni	Physical and emotional closeness	2	4
Graha Maitri	Friendship of the Moon-sign lords	5	5
Gana	Temperament	0	6
Bhakoot	Moon-sign distance: family welfare	7	7
Nadi	Health of the couple and children	8	8
Total		24.5	36

The total is 24.5 of 36: acceptable by the widely used reading (18 to 24.5), and very good by Drik Panchang's (21 to 30 with Bhakoot favourable). Points were lost in Vashya, Tara, Yoni and Gana. Neither Nadi nor Bhakoot is a dosha.

Swap the two and the kootas move. With an Anuradha bride and a Magha groom, Varna drops to 0 (the groom's varna is now lower) while Gana rises to 1 (a Deva bride with a Rakshasa groom scores 1, the reverse scores 0), so the total happens to stay 24.5. That is why every Guna Milan result must say who is the bride and who is the groom. The 10-porutham method, which most families in Tamil Nadu use, gives this same pair 6 of 10 with Rajju and Vedha passing: an average match. See Gun Milan or 10 poruthams?.

When are Nadi and Bhakoot dosha cancelled?

The classical texts give exceptions for both doshas. Our check never adds points back for them. It shows the score as counted and then says "dosha present, traditionally cancelled because…", so families see both facts.

Nadi dosha is traditionally cancelled when:

• the stars differ but the Moon sign is the same (Krittika in Vrishabha with Rohini, both Antya);
• the star is the same but the Moon signs differ (Krittika in Mesha with Krittika in Vrishabha);
• the star is the same but the padas (quarters) differ, which needs both birth times.

Bhakoot dosha is traditionally cancelled when both Moon signs have the same lord, or the two lords are natural friends of each other. Mrigashira in Vrishabha with Swati in Tula is a 6/8 pair, but Venus rules both signs, so the dosha is cancelled. The same-lord cases are Mesha with Vrischika (Mars), Vrishabha with Tula (Venus) and Makara with Kumbha (Saturn).

A total of 18 can still carry two doshas. A Pushya bride (Karka) with an Uttara Bhadrapada groom (Meena) scores 18: both stars are Madhya nadi, the signs are 5/9 apart, the Moon and Jupiter are not friends both ways, and no exception applies. This is why families look at which kootas are zero before the total. More in Nadi dosha explained and Bhakoot dosha explained.

Where does the 36-point method come from?

The eight kootas and their points (1 to 8, totalling 36) are set out in the Vivaha Prakarana, the marriage chapter, of the Muhurta Chintamani, a muhurta text written by Rama Daivajna around 1600. The planetary friendships used in Graha Maitri come from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. The structure is the same in every reference we checked: the same eight kootas, in the same order, with the same maximum points.

Where do references differ?

Calculators agree on the structure but not on every cell of the tables. We compared several in October 2026 and found these differences:

• Vashya half-signs. Dhanu and Makara are split at 15 degrees, so Purva Ashadha and Shravana, which cross the middle, can fall in either group depending on the exact degree. Some calculators give each whole sign to one group instead.
• Vashya points grid. Several bride-by-groom grids are published, and some calculators use a sign-by-sign list of which sign is "vashya" to which instead of the five groups.
• Gana matrix. Tables disagree on the mixed cells. Prokerala, which we follow, gives a Deva bride with a Manushya groom 5 and the reverse 6, and a Deva bride with a Rakshasa groom 1 and the reverse 0; other published tables swap these.
• Yoni and Tara. A few friendly and neutral animal pairs differ, and some calculators count Tara in one direction only. Prokerala gives a Tiger bride with a Cow groom 1 point; we keep it at 0, as for every pair of sworn enemies (Prokerala itself gives the reverse pair 0).
• Score bands. The widely used reading is below 18 not recommended, 18 to 24.5 acceptable, 25 to 32.5 good, 33 to 36 excellent. Drik Panchang reads the total differently and lowers the bands when Bhakoot fails.

The result is usually a difference of a point or two between websites. We take every table from one named reference, Prokerala's Guna Milan, and test our check against 137 bride-groom pairs read from it koota by koota (all agree, apart from the one Tiger-Cow cell above). The method is in our editorial standards.

What can Guna Milan not tell you?

• It is a star match, not a horoscope match. It does not look at Mangal dosha, the 7th house, or the running dasha of either person. Those need both full kundlis; see Mangal dosha and checking a proposal horoscope.
• It leaves out the South Indian gates. Rajju and Vedha are must-pass checks in the poruthams but have no place in the 36 points. Read Rajju and Vedha.
• It does not say when. If the question is why marriage is late, that is a timing question; see marriage delay.
• It is guidance, not a guarantee. A score describes traditional tendencies. It is one input to a family decision, beside what the families know of the two people.

How do you check your own Guna Milan?

1. Find both birth stars and Moon signs (the birth star finder helps; no birth time is needed for most stars, see matching without birth time).
2. Enter them in the free kundli matching check. It shows all eight kootas, both doshas with any cancellation, and the 10 poruthams for the same pair.
3. When a proposal is serious, send both horoscopes to your personal astrologer on WhatsApp. No need to go anywhere: talk free, and pay only when you are sure. The full reading adds Mangal dosha, dosha balance (dosha samya) and the timing of both lives; the prices are in rupees, all taxes included.

What do families most often ask about Guna Milan?

What is a good Guna Milan score? 18 of 36 is the usual minimum, 25 or more is good and 33 or more excellent. Always check Nadi and Bhakoot separately. Read how many gunas should match.

Which koota is the most important? Nadi (8 points) and Bhakoot (7) carry the most weight and are read as doshas when they score zero. After them come Gana (6) and Graha Maitri (5).

Is 36 out of 36 possible? Yes, but very rarely, because every koota must be at its maximum at once: the same yoni animal and Vashya group, yet different nadis. With our tables only one star pair reaches 36: a Rohini bride with a Mrigashira groom, both with the Moon in Vrishabha.

Why does another website give a different total? Calculators use slightly different cells for Vashya, Gana, Yoni and Tara, so totals can differ by a point or two. The eight kootas and their maximum points do not change.

Do I need the birth time for Guna Milan? Usually not. The birth star and Moon sign are enough. The time matters when the Moon is near the edge of a sign or star, or for the same-pada Nadi exception.

Is Guna Milan the same as the 10 poruthams? No. Guna Milan is the North Indian 36-point score; the poruthams are the South Indian yes-or-no checks with Rajju and Vedha as gates. Some checks overlap. See the 10 poruthams explained.