Kundli Milan ("matching of charts") is the traditional comparison of two horoscopes before a marriage. In North and West India the standard method is Ashtakoot Guna Milan, "the matching of qualities in eight parts". It uses only two inputs from each chart: the sign (rashi) and the nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth. Everything else in the two kundlis is ignored by this score.
The Moon's sign and nakshatra are calculations: at a given birth moment the Moon stands at one sidereal longitude, which falls in one of the 12 signs of 30° and one of the 27 nakshatras of 13°20′. What the eight kootas say about those positions is traditional interpretation, set out in Muhurta Chintamani's chapter on marriage, the Vivaha prakarana.
The eight kootas and their points
Each koota carries a maximum, and the maxima rise from 1 to 8, so the later kootas weigh more: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 36.
- Varna (1 point): the signs are grouped into four classes by element — water signs Brahmin, fire signs Kshatriya, earth signs Vaishya, air signs Shudra. The manuals give the point when the groom’s class is the same as or above the bride’s.
- Vashya (2): the signs are grouped as human, quadruped, water-dwelling, wild (Leo) and insect (Scorpio), and the groups are compared for mutual influence.
- Tara (3): the nakshatras are counted from each partner to the other and the count divided by 9; a remainder of 3, 5 or 7 is unfavourable. Each favourable direction earns 1.5 points.
- Yoni (4): each nakshatra has an animal symbol, 14 animals in all. The same animal earns 4; traditional enemy pairs such as cat and rat, or cow and tiger, earn 0.
- Graha Maitri (5): the friendship of the lords of the two Moon signs. The same lord or mutual friends earn 5; mutual enemies earn 0.
- Gana (6): each nakshatra is Deva (divine), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (fierce). The same gana earns 6; Deva with Rakshasa scores lowest. Tables differ in the in-between values.
- Bhakoot (7): the distance between the two Moon signs. The pairs 6–8, 9–5 and 2–12 earn 0; every other pair earns 7.
- Nadi (8): each nakshatra belongs to Adi, Madhya or Antya nadi. Different nadis earn 8; the same nadi earns 0, which is called Nadi dosha.
A worked example
Suppose the bride’s Moon is in Ashwini (the 1st nakshatra, in Aries) and the groom’s is in Rohini (the 4th, in Taurus). Tara: from Ashwini to Rohini is 4, remainder 4, Kshema — favourable, 1.5 points. From Rohini back to Ashwini is 25, and 25 ÷ 9 leaves 7, Vadha — unfavourable, 0. Tara scores 1.5 of 3.
Bhakoot: from Aries to Taurus is 2 and from Taurus back to Aries is 12, a 2–12 pair, so Bhakoot is 0 of 7. Nadi: Ashwini is Adi and Rohini is Antya — different nadis, so Nadi earns the full 8. Gana: Ashwini is Deva and Rohini is Manushya, an in-between case. A single pair can therefore be weak on one koota and strong on another.
Because Milan depends entirely on the Moon’s nakshatra and sign, it is worth knowing yours precisely. A birth time error of an hour can move the Moon about half a degree, which occasionally crosses a nakshatra boundary. Your Moon sign and nakshatra are shown below.
Try it: Lagna, Moon and Sun
Example: the sky at your place this hour, as if someone were born now. Sign in and save your birth details to see your own chart.
- Lagna
- వృశ్చికం 22.3°
- Moon sign
- కర్కాటకం 19.5°
- నక్షత్రం
- ఆశ్లేష · pada 1
- Sun sign
- తుల 15.5°
The threshold of 18
By a widely followed convention, a total of 18 or more out of 36 is treated as acceptable, and below 18 as weak. The number is a custom of practice, not a rule derived from observation, and families and astrologers weigh it differently. Many give more importance to whether Nadi and Bhakoot are clear than to the total.
Porutham: the South Indian tradition
In Tamil Nadu, Kerala and much of South India, matching uses the Porutham system instead. It checks ten agreements (poruthams) — Dina, Gana, Mahendra, Stree Deergha, Yoni, Rasi, Rasi Adhipati, Vasya, Rajju and Vedha — and counts how many are satisfied rather than adding points. Rajju and Vedha are often treated as essential. Some kootas overlap with Ashtakoot, but the two methods can disagree about the same couple.
The Varna koota uses old social class names as labels for groups of signs. They describe the signs in a classical scheme, not the worth of any person, and the gendered rules of several kootas reflect the period in which the manuals were written.