How the ashtakoota (guna milan) score is calculated
Every table used by our marriage matching tool is on this page. Each one was read from the page scans of two printed books: Daivajna Rama's Muhurta Chintamani (vivaha prakarana, verses 21–37, with the Piyushadhara commentary and Kedar Datt Joshi's Hindi tika and point charts) and Nemichandra Shastri's Bharatiya Jyotish (1970, chapter 5). The yoni animals and enemy pairs, the planetary friendships and the nadi groups were also checked against B. V. Raman's Muhurtha (1948). Six kootas – varna, tara, graha maitri, gana, bhakoot and nadi – have identical tables in both books. The yoni and vashya tables differ; there we use Muhurta Chintamani and show Nemichandra Shastri's value next to ours.
| Koota | Max |
|---|---|
| Varna | 1 |
| Vashya | 2 |
| Tara (Dina) | 3 |
| Yoni | 4 |
| Graha maitri | 5 |
| Gana | 6 |
| Bhakoot (Rasi) | 7 |
| Nadi | 8 |
| Total | 36 |
Varna (1 point)
1 point when the groom's varna is equal to or higher than the bride's, else 0 (Muhurta Chintamani v. 22; Bharatiya Jyotish p. 609).
| bride ↓ / groom → | Brahmin | Kshatriya | Vaishya | Shudra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kshatriya | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vaishya | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Shudra | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Brahmin: Karkataka, Vrischika, Meena; Kshatriya: Mesha, Simha, Dhanus; Vaishya: Vrishabha, Kanya, Makara; Shudra: Mithuna, Tula, Kumbha
Vashya (2 points)
Sign classes and point chart from the commentary to Muhurta Chintamani v. 23 and the chart on p. 332. Bharatiya Jyotish (p. 610) uses other classes and another chart; when its value differs, the result shows it as the other value.
| bride ↓ / groom → | Dvipada (human) | Chatushpada (quadruped) | Jalachara (water) | Keeta (insect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dvipada (human) | 2 | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| Chatushpada (quadruped) | ½ | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jalachara (water) | ½ | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Keeta (insect) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Dvipada (human): Mithuna, Kanya, Tula; Chatushpada (quadruped): Mesha, Vrishabha, Simha, Dhanus; Jalachara (water): Karkataka, Makara, Kumbha, Meena; Keeta (insect): Vrischika
Nemichandra Shastri’s table (shown as the other value):
| bride ↓ / groom → | Chatushpada | Keeta | Sarpa | Dvipada | Jalachara |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatushpada | 2 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 2 |
| Keeta | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sarpa | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Dvipada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Jalachara | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Chatushpada: Mesha, Vrishabha, Simha, the second half of Dhanus, the first half of Makara; Keeta: Karkata; Sarpa: Vrischika; Dvipada: Mithuna, Kanya, Tula, the first half of Dhanus; Jalachara: the second half of Makara, Kumbha, Meena.
Tara / dina koota (3 points)
Count from the bride's nakshatra to the groom's, and from the groom's to the bride's; the remainder after dividing by 9 (0 = 9) is the tara. 3, 5 and 7 are unfavourable. Both favourable 3, one 1½, none 0 (v. 24; Bharatiya Jyotish p. 611).
| bride's tara ↓ / groom's tara → | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Janma | 3 | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 |
| 2 Sampat | 3 | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 |
| 3 Vipat | 1½ | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 1½ |
| 4 Kshema | 3 | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 |
| 5 Pratyak | 1½ | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 1½ |
| 6 Sadhana | 3 | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 |
| 7 Naidhana | 1½ | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 0 | 1½ | 1½ |
| 8 Mitra | 3 | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 |
| 9 Parama Mitra | 3 | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 1½ | 3 | 3 |
Yoni (4 points)
Same yoni 4, friendly 3, neutral 2, enemy 1, great enemy 0 (Daivajna Manohara, quoted in Muhurta Chintamani). The matrix is Muhurta Chintamani's chart on p. 335. Cells marked * are corrected: the verse itself makes horse and buffalo great enemies, but the chart prints 1 (we use 0, as Bharatiya Jyotish does), and the mongoose-bride / monkey-groom cell prints 4, which is reserved for the same yoni (we use 2, the mirror cell and Bharatiya Jyotish's value). A small superscript gives Bharatiya Jyotish's value (p. 613) where it differs.
Horse: Ashwini, Shatabhisha; Elephant: Bharani, Revati; Sheep: Krittika, Pushya; Serpent: Rohini, Mrigashira; Dog: Ardra, Mula; Cat: Punarvasu, Ashlesha; Rat: Magha, Purva Phalguni; Cow: Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Bhadrapada; Buffalo: Hasta, Swati; Tiger: Chitra, Vishakha; Deer: Anuradha, Jyeshtha; Monkey: Purva Ashadha, Shravana; Mongoose: Uttara Ashadha; Lion: Dhanishta, Purva Bhadrapada.
Great-enemy pairs (0 points): Horse–Buffalo, Elephant–Lion, Sheep–Monkey, Serpent–Mongoose, Dog–Deer, Cat–Rat, Cow–Tiger.
| bride ↓ / groom → | Horse | Elephant | Sheep | Serpent | Dog | Cat | Rat | Cow | Buffalo | Tiger | Deer | Monkey | Mongoose | Lion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0* | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Elephant | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Sheep | 3 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| Serpent | 2 | 2 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 2 |
| Dog | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Cat | 23 | 23 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 23 | 12 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Rat | 23 | 23 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 21 | 1 |
| Cow | 3 | 23 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 23 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 1 |
| Buffalo | 0* | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 31 |
| Tiger | 1 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 21 |
| Deer | 3 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| Monkey | 2 | 32 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 32 |
| Mongoose | 2 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2* | 4 | 2 |
| Lion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 31 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Graha maitri (5 points)
Natural friendship of the lords of the two birth rasis: same lord or mutual friends 5, friend–neutral 4, both neutral 3, friend–enemy 1, neutral–enemy ½, mutual enemies 0 (v. 27–28 and the chart on p. 338; Bharatiya Jyotish p. 614 is identical).
| bride's rasi lord ↓ / groom's rasi lord → | Sun | Moon | Mars | Mercury | Jupiter | Venus | Saturn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Moon | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | ½ | ½ |
| Mars | 5 | 4 | 5 | ½ | 5 | 3 | ½ |
| Mercury | 4 | 1 | ½ | 5 | ½ | 5 | 4 |
| Jupiter | 5 | 4 | 5 | ½ | 5 | ½ | 3 |
| Venus | 0 | ½ | 3 | 5 | ½ | 5 | 5 |
| Saturn | 0 | ½ | ½ | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Sun – friends Moon, Mars, Jupiter; enemies Venus, Saturn; Moon – friends Sun, Mercury; Mars – friends Sun, Moon, Jupiter; enemies Mercury; Mercury – friends Sun, Venus; enemies Moon; Jupiter – friends Sun, Moon, Mars; enemies Mercury, Venus; Venus – friends Mercury, Saturn; enemies Sun, Moon; Saturn – friends Mercury, Venus; enemies Sun, Moon, Mars.
Gana (6 points)
Gana of each nakshatra and the point chart from Muhurta Chintamani v. 29–30 (chart p. 340) and Bharatiya Jyotish p. 615, which agree. Some online calculators use this chart transposed (bride and groom swapped).
| bride ↓ / groom → | Deva | Manushya | Rakshasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deva | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Manushya | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Rakshasa | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Deva: Ashwini, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Shravana, Revati; Manushya: Bharani, Rohini, Ardra, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada; Rakshasa: Krittika, Ashlesha, Magha, Chitra, Vishakha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha.
Bhakoot / rasi koota (7 points)
0 when the groom's rasi is 2/12, 5/9 (nava-panchama) or 6/8 (shashtashtaka) from the bride's; 7 for all other positions (same rasi, 3/11, 4/10, 7/7) (v. 31; Bharatiya Jyotish p. 616).
Nadi (8 points)
0 when both birth stars are in the same nadi, else 8 (v. 34; Bharatiya Jyotish p. 617; Raman p. 91).
Adi (Vata): Ashwini, Ardra, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Jyeshtha, Mula, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada; Madhya (Pitta): Bharani, Mrigashira, Pushya, Purva Phalguni, Chitra, Anuradha, Purva Ashadha, Dhanishta, Uttara Bhadrapada; Antya (Kapha): Krittika, Rohini, Ashlesha, Magha, Swati, Vishakha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Revati.
Exceptions (parihara)
- Bhakoot dosha (2/12, 5/9, 6/8): the marriage is auspicious when both rasis have the same lord or the lords are mutual friends, provided there is no nadi dosha (Muhurta Chintamani v. 32).
- Gana dosha: no dosha when the rasi lords and the navamsa lords are friends (v. 33, quoting Atri).
- Same rasi with different nakshatras, or the same nakshatra in different rasis: no nadi and no gana dosha; with the same nakshatra and rasi the match is auspicious only in different padas (v. 37).
- These exceptions do not change the total; the tool lists them under the result.
Not included
Kuja (Mangal) dosha, the South Indian rajju, vedha, mahendra and stree deergha checks, and the comparison of the full horoscopes (longevity, 7th and 8th houses) are not part of this tool. The texts set 18 points as the minimum and call a higher total better; we do not add other bands (such as 'excellent' or 'average').
Sources
- Daivajna Rama, Muhurta Chintamani, vivaha prakarana, with Piyushadhara commentary and the Hindi tika and charts of Kedar Datt Joshi (Motilal Banarsidass), pp. 329–355 (scan: archive.org, muhurta-chintamani-kedar-datt-joshi_202501).
- Nemichandra Shastri, Bharatiya Jyotish, Bharatiya Jnanpith, 1970, ch. 5, pp. 608–617 (scan: archive.org, wg987).
- B. V. Raman, Muhurtha or Electional Astrology, 1948, pp. 82–92 (scan: archive.org, in.ernet.dli.2015.128092).