How many gunas should match for marriage?

The short answer is 18 out of 36. In Gun Milan (Ashtakoot), 18 gunas is the minimum most families accept, 25 or more is a good match and 33 or more an excellent one. But the total is only half the answer: which kootas scored zero matters more than the number, and families who follow the South Indian 10 poruthams ask a different question altogether.

This guide puts the score bands of two references side by side, explains what an 18 really tells you, and shows why Nadi, Bhakoot, Rajju and Vedha decide more than any total.

How many gunas should match for marriage?

Gun Milan, also called Ashtakoot or Ashtakoota, compares the bride's and groom's birth stars and Moon signs in eight kootas worth 36 points in all: Varna 1, Vashya 2, Tara 3, Yoni 4, Graha Maitri 5, Gana 6, Bhakoot 7 and Nadi 8. How the total is read depends on the reference. Here are the two most used, side by side:

Total gunas	Widely used reading	Drik Panchang, Bhakoot favourable	Drik Panchang, Bhakoot unfavourable
0 to 16	Not recommended	Inauspicious	Inauspicious
17	Not recommended	Middling	Inauspicious
18 to 20	Acceptable	Middling	Inauspicious
21 to 24	Acceptable	Very good	Middling
25	Good	Very good	Middling
26 to 29	Good	Very good	Very good
30	Good	Very good	Cannot occur
31 to 32	Good	Excellent	Cannot occur
33 to 36	Excellent	Excellent	Cannot occur

Two things stand out. First, the references agree on the shape (more is better, below about 17 is a no) but not on the exact lines. Second, Drik Panchang does not read the total on its own: when Bhakoot fails, every band moves down (and the total cannot pass 29, since Bhakoot's 7 points are lost), and it adds that when Nadi fails, even 28 gunas is inauspicious. Both readings come from the same classical idea, set out in texts such as the Muhurta Chintamani: a few kootas carry the real weight.

Our free kundli matching check shows both readings for your pair, so you never have to guess which one a relative or a website is using.

Is 18 gun milan good or bad?

18 is acceptable, not strong. It is half of 36, the usual floor. Whether your 18 is comfortable depends on where the other 18 points were lost:

• Lost in the small kootas (Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, worth 1 to 4 points each): most families are comfortable going ahead to the full horoscopes.
• Lost in Nadi (8) or Bhakoot (7): the total can still reach 18 with one of these at zero, but each zero is a dosha in its own right. The question is then whether a classical cancellation applies, not whether 18 is high enough.

So when someone says "we got 18", the next question should always be: which kootas scored zero?

Shaadi ke liye kitne gun milne chahiye?

Kam se kam 18 gun, aur 25 se upar ho to accha mana jata hai. Lekin sirf total mat dekhiye: Nadi ya Bhakoot zero hai to pehle dekhiye ki dosh cancel hota hai ya nahi. In plain English: at least 18, 25 or more is good, and read Nadi and Bhakoot before you trust the total.

How often do star pairs reach 18 gunas or 7 poruthams?

A birth star has four quarters (padas), and there are 108 in all. We paired every bride pada with every groom pada, 11,664 pairs, and ran each one through the same code as our free check. Every pada is treated as equally likely, so these are shares of star pairs, not of real couples.

• 68.8% of pairs reach 18 or more gunas; 31.2% fall below 18.
• 29.9% reach 25 or more, and only 1.4% reach 33 or more.
• The middle score is 21 out of 36.
• In the 10-porutham method, 35.2% of pairs pass both Rajju and Vedha and reach 7 or more of 10, a good match. 38.2% are average, and 26.7% are not recommended on the stars.

Reaching 18 is common, so an 18 does not single out a special match. Reaching 7 good poruthams with both gates passing is rarer, which is one reason the two systems often give different answers.

Why do Nadi and Bhakoot matter more than the total?

Nadi (8 points) and Bhakoot (7 points) are 15 of the 36. They are scored all or nothing, so a single failure removes a large block of points, and tradition reads each failure as a dosha: Nadi for the health of the couple and children, Bhakoot for family welfare and harmony.

• Nadi dosha comes when both stars belong to the same nadi (Adi, Madhya or Antya). It affects 33.3% of pairs. It is traditionally cancelled when the stars differ but the Moon sign is the same, when the star is the same but the Moon signs differ, or when the star and sign are the same but the padas differ.
• Bhakoot dosha comes when the two Moon signs are 2 and 12, 5 and 9, or 6 and 8 apart. It affects 50% of pairs, and 47.2% of those are traditionally cancelled because both signs have the same lord or the two lords are natural friends.

Our check never adds points back for a cancellation. It shows the score as counted, then says "present, traditionally cancelled because…", so you can see both. Read more in Nadi dosha explained and Bhakoot dosha explained.

How many poruthams should match for marriage?

In Tamil Nadu and much of South India, families use the 10 poruthams instead. There is no 36-point total; each check is a yes or a no, and two of them are gates:

1. Rajju must match. Two stars in the same Rajju group (head, neck, stomach, waist or feet) fail it.
2. Vedha must match. Certain fixed star pairs obstruct each other.
3. Then count the rest. Many families look for 6 or 7 of the 10. Navatara follows the stricter line: with both gates passing, 7 or more is a good match and 5 or 6 is average, with the weak checks named. Below 5, or with either gate failing, the proposal is not recommended on the stars alone.

Do not wait for 10 out of 10: only 0.4% of pairs get all ten. Vasiyam and Mahendram are missing in most pairs (they pass in only 23.6% and 29.6%), so their absence alone is rarely a reason to stop. See Rajju and Vedha and the 10 poruthams explained.

How do two real star pairs score?

Rohini (Vrishabha) for the bride and Hasta (Kanya) for the groom, calculated with the same code as our free check:

Koota	What it looks at	Points	Out of
Varna	Spiritual outlook	1	1
Vashya	Mutual influence	1	2
Tara	Health and well-being (birth-star count)	3	3
Yoni	Physical and emotional closeness	1	4
Graha Maitri	Friendship of the Moon-sign lords	5	5
Gana	Temperament	6	6
Bhakoot	Moon-sign distance: family welfare	0	7
Nadi	Health of the couple and children	8	8
Total		25	36

• Bhakoot dosha present, traditionally cancelled because the two rasi lords are natural friends.

The total is 25. On the widely used reading, that is good. Bhakoot scores zero because Vrishabha and Kanya are 5 and 9 apart, so Drik Panchang's unfavourable column applies, and 25 is only middling. The Bhakoot dosha is traditionally cancelled, because Venus and Mercury, the lords of the two signs, are natural friends.

Now the 10 poruthams for the same pair:

Porutham	Result
Dina	Does not match
Gana	Matches
Mahendra	Matches
Stree Deergha	Does not match
Yoni	Matches
Rashi	Matches
Rashi Adhipati	Matches
Vashya	Matches
Rajju (must match)	Does not match
Vedha (must match)	Matches
Total	7 of 10 poruthams match · Not recommended

Seven of ten match, which would be good, but Rohini and Hasta are both in the neck (Kanta) Rajju group. Rajju fails, so the pair is not recommended on the stars, whatever the count.

A second pair shows the opposite case. Rohini (Vrishabha) with Revati (Meena) scores 20 gunas, acceptable on the widely used reading. But both stars are Antya nadi, so Nadi is zero, and no cancellation applies; by Drik Panchang's Nadi rule the match is inauspicious. On the 10 poruthams the same pair passes Rajju and Vedha and reaches 7 of 10, a good match. You can check both pairs yourself in the free check.

The lesson: a total, or a count, never tells the whole story. The gates and the big kootas do.

What should you do with your score?

1. Treat 18 as a floor, not a target. Look at which kootas are zero before you look at the total.
2. If Nadi or Bhakoot is zero, check whether a classical cancellation applies before you worry.
3. If your family follows the poruthams, read Rajju and Vedha first, then count.
4. If the two systems disagree, go by the one your family follows, and take the full horoscopes before deciding. They add Mangal dosha (check yours with the free Mangal dosha check), dosha balance (dosha samya) and the timing of both lives.
5. Keep it in proportion. A match describes tendencies. It is guidance, not a guarantee, and what the families know of the two people matters as much.

If the proposal is serious, forward both horoscopes on WhatsApp. Your personal astrologer looks at both charts, Rajju and Vedha first, the doshas and their cancellations, and gives a clear answer with the reasons. Talking is free; a proposal check is ₹199, all taxes included, and you see the price in the chat before you pay. All prices are on the prices page. Not sure of the birth stars? Use the free birth star finder first.

Questions families ask

What is the minimum gun milan for marriage? 18 of 36 on the widely used reading. Drik Panchang calls 17 to 20 middling when Bhakoot is favourable, and needs 21 or more when it is not.

Can we marry with less than 18 gunas? Many families do not go ahead. But if the low score comes from the small kootas, and Nadi and Bhakoot are fine or cancelled, the full charts may show a better picture. Ask for the full check before deciding.

Is 36 out of 36 possible? Yes, but it is rare: every koota must be at its maximum. A very high score is not needed for a good marriage.

Can you marry without nakshatra porutham? Many couples do, especially in love marriages. If Rajju or Vedha fails, see both full horoscopes before deciding; the full charts can show what the stars alone cannot. Read Is kundli matching necessary?

Why does another website give a different score? Calculators use slightly different tables for Vashya, Yoni, Gana and Tara, so totals can differ by a point or two. Our tables and their sources are listed in our editorial standards, and the Gun Milan or 10 poruthams? guide explains why the two systems differ.

Does a high score guarantee a happy marriage? No. Matching is a traditional first filter and a starting point for a calm conversation, not a promise.