The eight heads are varna, vashya, tara, yoni, graha maitri, gana, bhakoot, and nadi, weighted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight points respectively. Nadi carries the highest weight and bhakoot the second highest, which is why those two dominate most matching conversations.
A total is a screening signal, not a decision. Eighteen points has become the conventional threshold, but the pattern of which koots scored and which did not matters more than the number. This is belief-based guidance for family discussion, not medical, legal, or financial advice, and never a reason to pressure anyone.
What the eight koots measure
Varna (1 point) compares broad temperament grouping, and vashya (2) compares the natural influence between the two Moon signs. Tara (3) counts the nakshatra distance in both directions to read mutual auspiciousness, and yoni (4) compares the animal symbols for instinctive and physical fit.
Graha maitri (5) compares the friendship between the lords of the two Moon signs, which is traditionally read as mental compatibility. Gana (6) compares the deva, manushya, and rakshasa temperament classes.
Bhakoot (7) measures the sign distance between the two Moon signs, with certain relative positions scoring zero. Nadi (8) compares the constitutional grouping and is the koot most weighted for health and progeny. Together these two carry fifteen of the thirty-six available points.
How the total should be read
Below eighteen is conventionally treated as needing careful review. Eighteen to twenty-four is considered acceptable, twenty-five to thirty-two good, and above thirty-two excellent. These bands are convention rather than scripture, and experienced astrologers weight them loosely.
The pattern matters more than the sum. A total of twenty-six with nadi at zero is a very different conversation from a total of twenty-two with all eight koots scoring partially. A high number hiding a zero in the heaviest koot can mislead a family badly.
Classical practice also allows cancellations. Bhakoot dosha is often treated as cancelled when the Moon sign lords are the same or mutually friendly, and nadi dosha has recognised exceptions when both partners share the same nakshatra but different padas, among others. The tool states which apply.
How the calculation is done
Both Moon positions are computed as sidereal longitudes with the Lahiri ayanamsa, then converted to moon sign, nakshatra, and pada. Every koot is derived from those values using classical tables rather than an arbitrary scoring formula.
Because everything rests on the Moon, birth time accuracy matters. A birth near a nakshatra boundary can shift tara, yoni, gana, and nadi at once, which can move the total by several points. The tool asks for time and place instead of assuming them.
Where both nakshatras are entered directly, the koot tables still apply, but the report notes that pada-dependent exceptions cannot be checked without the underlying calculation.
Worked example: reading a score of twenty-two
Suppose a pair scores 22 out of 36. Varna, vashya, tara, yoni, graha maitri, and gana all score fully or partially, contributing twenty-two points, but bhakoot scores zero because the two Moon signs sit in a six–eight relationship.
The first check is cancellation. If the two Moon sign lords are the same planet or mutual friends, classical practice commonly treats bhakoot dosha as cancelled, and the practical weight of that zero drops considerably. Nadi scoring fully in this example is a genuinely positive signal.
The sensible next step is not to accept or reject on twenty-two. It is to note the bhakoot position, check the cancellation, run dosha screening for manglik on both charts, and then have a conversation about temperament, expectations, and timing.
Honest limits and next steps
Guna milan uses only the Moon. It does not examine the seventh house, Venus, Mars, dasha timing, or chart strength, so it cannot substitute for a full kundli matching review by an experienced astrologer.
A high score does not guarantee a happy marriage and a low score does not doom one. Communication, consent, finances, health, and family conduct decide outcomes far more than any koot total, and no number here should ever be used as pressure.
Continue to Nakshatra Matching for the attribute detail behind the koots, Dosha Checker for manglik and kaal sarp screening, and Shaadi Ke Yog when the question is timing. The Marriage hub links these paths together.
