English
Kundali Milan: Ashtakoot Guna Milan explained
कुंडली मिलान — अष्टकूट गुण मिलान (36 गुण)
Kundali Milan (कुंडली मिलान) is the traditional Vedic way of checking marriage compatibility. The most widely used method in North India is Ashtakoot Guna Milan: eight factors (kootas) are compared between the bride's and groom's charts and scored out of 36 points (gunas). Every one of them is read from the Moon — its sign (rashi) and its nakshatra at birth — which is why the score needs an accurate birth date and place, but barely depends on the birth time.
Match two kundalis now — freeDon't know the birth times? Try Naam se Kundali Milan — the traditional match by the first letter of each name.
The 8 kootas and their points
| Koota | Points | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Varna (वर्ण) | 1 | Spiritual and working temperament, from the Moon sign's varna. Full point when the groom's varna is not below the bride's. |
| Vashya (वश्य) | 2 | Mutual attraction and influence — which sign “draws” the other. |
| Tara (तारा (दीना)) | 3 | Health and wellbeing, from the count between the two birth nakshatras; the 3rd, 5th and 7th taras are unfavourable. |
| Yoni (योनि) | 4 | Physical and intimate compatibility; each nakshatra has an animal yoni, and sworn-enemy animals score zero. |
| Graha Maitri (ग्रह मैत्री) | 5 | Friendship between the lords of the two Moon signs — the mental wavelength of the couple. |
| Gana (गण) | 6 | Temperament: Deva (divine), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (fierce). |
| Bhakoot (भकूट) | 7 | The relative placement of the two Moon signs. The 2/12, 5/9 and 6/8 positions form Bhakoot dosha, cancelled when the sign lords are the same or friends. |
| Nadi (नाड़ी) | 8 | The highest-weighted koota, tied to health and progeny. The same nadi for both is Nadi dosha, with classical cancellations for the same sign/different nakshatra or same nakshatra/different pada. |
| Total | 36 |
What is a good Guna Milan score?
| Gunas | Conventional reading |
|---|---|
| Below 18 | Not recommended |
| 18–24 | Acceptable |
| 25–32 | Good |
| 33–36 | Excellent |
18 is the conventional minimum. The total alone is not the whole story: a high score with an uncancelled Nadi or Bhakoot dosha is read with caution, and a modest score with strong Graha Maitri and no doshas is often considered workable. These bands are a convention with a long history, not a measurement — they are guidance, not a verdict on a relationship.
Mangal Dosha (Manglik)
Mangal Dosha is checked separately from the 36 points. A chart is Manglik when Mars sits in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house counted from the Lagna (ascendant), the Moon or Venus. Classical texts exempt certain sign placements (for example Mars in its own sign Aries in the 1st), and Jupiter's aspect on Mars is held to soften it. When both partners are Manglik the dosha is conventionally treated as mutually cancelled — which is why Manglik matches are made with Manglik partners. Because it depends on the Lagna, Mangal Dosha does need a reliable birth time.
How our matching tool works
Enter both people's date, time and place of birth. Both charts are cast with the sidereal zodiac (Lahiri ayanamsa) from the Swiss Ephemeris, and each koota is scored by table lookup from the classical tables, with every cancellation named. You get the full 36-point breakdown and both partners' Mangal Dosha status, in English or हिन्दी, free and without signing up.
Open Kundali Milan