Ashta Koota Matching Explained, All Eight Kootas and How Each One Scores

Ashta koota matching is the north Indian system that sits behind gun milan. Ashta means eight, and koota means a point of comparison. The method takes the Moon's position in each partner's birth chart and runs it through eight separate tests. Each test looks at one dimension of compatibility, from temperament to health to emotional bond. Each koota carries a different maximum, from 1 point up to 8 points, and the eight maximums add up to 36. That is where the famous 36 points come from.

Almost every test uses just two pieces of information per person. The first is the janma nakshatra, the lunar constellation the Moon occupied at birth. There are 27 of these. The second is the janma rashi, the Moon sign, of which there are 12. If you already know the overview from our gun milan 36 points guide, this article goes one level deeper into how each koota actually awards its points.

One note before we start. Ashta koota is a traditional belief system, not a scientifically proven method. Many families in India treat it as one input among several when considering a match. With that framing in place, here is how each koota works, in order of increasing weight.

The Eight Koota, One by One

Varna Koota, 1 point

Varna uses the Moon rashi. Each of the 12 rashis is assigned to one of four varnas. Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are Brahmin. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are Kshatriya. Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are Vaishya. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are Shudra. These labels describe temperament categories in the tradition, not social status.

The scoring rule is simple. The tradition holds that the boy's varna should be the same as or higher than the girl's in the order Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra. If it is, the couple gets 1 point. If the girl's varna ranks higher, the score is 0.

Mini example. Her Moon is in Scorpio, so her varna is Brahmin. His Moon is in Leo, so his varna is Kshatriya. Brahmin ranks above Kshatriya, so this pair scores 0 out of 1. At 1 point, a varna miss barely dents the total.

Vashya Koota, 2 points

Vashya also uses the Moon rashi. The 12 rashis are sorted into five traditional groups. Chatushpada means four legged signs like Aries and Taurus. Manava means human signs like Gemini, Virgo, Libra and Aquarius. Jalachara means water signs like Cancer and Pisces. Vanachara means the wild sign, Leo. Keeta means the insect group, Scorpio. Some signs are split, for example the first half of Sagittarius is treated as human and the second half as four legged.

Scoring works from a traditional influence table. If the two rashis fall in the same group, or one is naturally receptive to the other, the pair gets the full 2 points. If one sign is treated as food or prey for the other, the score drops to 0. In between combinations earn 1 point, and some tables use half points too.

Mini example. Both partners have human group rashis, say Gemini and Libra. Same group, full 2 points. A Leo and Cancer pairing, wild sign with water sign, would score much lower on most tables.

Tara Koota, 3 points

Tara uses the nakshatra, and it is the first koota where you actually count. Start from the girl's nakshatra and count forward to the boy's nakshatra, including both ends. Divide that count by 9 and note the remainder. Then do the same in reverse, from his nakshatra to hers.

Each remainder maps to a tara. Remainders of 3, 5 and 7 are traditionally considered inauspicious. All other remainders, including 0, are considered favourable. If both counts land on favourable remainders, the couple gets the full 3 points. If only one direction is favourable, they get 1.5. If both are inauspicious, they get 0.

Mini example. Her nakshatra is Rohini, the 4th, and his is Magha, the 10th. Counting from Rohini to Magha gives 7 nakshatras. Seven divided by 9 leaves remainder 7, which is inauspicious. Counting back from Magha to Rohini gives 22, and 22 divided by 9 leaves remainder 4, which is favourable. One good direction, one bad, so this pair earns 1.5 out of 3.

Yoni Koota, 4 points

Yoni uses the nakshatra as well. Each of the 27 nakshatras is mapped to one of 14 animals, such as horse, elephant, cow, serpent, dog, cat, rat, tiger, deer, monkey, mongoose, buffalo, lion and sheep. For example, Ashwini maps to horse and Bharani maps to elephant. This koota is traditionally read as a marker of physical and instinctive compatibility.

Scoring follows a friendship grid between the animals. The same animal earns the full 4 points. Friendly animals earn 3. Neutral pairs earn 2. Unfriendly pairs earn 1. Sworn enemy pairs earn 0. The classic enemy pairs include cat and rat, cow and tiger, horse and buffalo, dog and deer, serpent and mongoose, monkey and sheep, and elephant and lion.

Mini example. Her nakshatra is Magha, which maps to rat. His is Punarvasu, which maps to cat. Cat and rat are enemy yonis, so the score is 0 out of 4, even if other kootas look strong.

Graha Maitri Koota, 5 points

Graha maitri switches back to the rashi, but this time it looks at the planet that rules each Moon sign. Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, the Moon rules Cancer, the Sun rules Leo, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius.

Classical texts give a fixed friendship table for these planets. Each pair of lords is either mutual friends, mutual neutrals, mutual enemies, or a mix. If the two lords are mutual friends, or the same planet, the couple gets the full 5 points. One friend and one neutral gives 4. Both neutral gives 3. A friend and enemy mix gives around 1, and mutual enemies give 0. This koota is traditionally read as mental wavelength, how naturally the two minds get along.

Mini example. Her Moon is in Cancer, ruled by the Moon. His Moon is in Leo, ruled by the Sun. The Sun and Moon are listed as friends in the classical table, so this pair takes the full 5 points.

Gana Koota, 6 points

Gana uses the nakshatra. Every nakshatra belongs to one of three ganas. Deva gana is described as gentle and calm. Manushya gana sits in the middle, practical and balanced. Rakshasa gana is described as intense and strong willed. These are temperament labels, not judgments of character.

Same gana earns the full 6 points. Deva with manushya scores high, usually 5 or 6 depending on who holds which gana. The difficult combinations involve rakshasa with the other two. Manushya with rakshasa traditionally scores 0, and deva with rakshasa scores 0 or 1 depending on the table used. Because 6 points can vanish in one stroke, this koota causes more failed matches than almost any other. We cover the mismatch in detail, including how astrologers handle it, in our guide to the gana koota clash.

Mini example. Her nakshatra is Anuradha, a deva nakshatra. His is Bharani, a manushya nakshatra. Deva and manushya is a workable mix, so they score around 5 or 6 out of 6.

Bhakoot Koota, 7 points

Bhakoot uses the rashi and counts positions between the two Moon signs, from hers to his and from his to hers. Three pairings are treated as doshas. The 2 and 12 pairing, where the signs sit next to each other, is linked in tradition to money stress. The 5 and 9 pairing is linked to concerns around children. The 6 and 8 pairing is linked to health and conflict.

The scoring is all or nothing. If the pair falls into any of these three patterns, the score is 0 out of 7. Every other position combination earns the full 7. There is no middle score, which is why a bhakoot dosha hits the total so hard.

Mini example. Her Moon is in Taurus and his is in Gemini. Gemini is 2nd from Taurus, and Taurus is 12th from Gemini. That is the 2 and 12 pattern, so bhakoot scores 0. Had his Moon been in Virgo, the count would have been 5 and 9, also 0. Taurus with Leo, on the other hand, gives a clean 7.

Nadi Koota, 8 points

Nadi is the heaviest koota, and it uses the nakshatra. The 27 nakshatras are split evenly into three nadis of nine each. Adi nadi is linked to vata. Madhya nadi is linked to pitta. Antya nadi is linked to kapha. In the tradition, nadi relates to health, constitution, and the wellbeing of future children.

Scoring is again all or nothing. Different nadis earn the full 8 points. The same nadi earns 0, a condition called nadi dosha, which many traditional astrologers treat as the single most serious flag in the whole exercise. Because same nadi wipes out 8 of 36 points, a couple with nadi dosha cannot cross 28 no matter how well everything else lines up.

Mini example. Her nakshatra is Ashwini, which falls in adi nadi. His is Bharani, which falls in madhya nadi. Different nadis, so they collect the full 8 points.

If you want to see all eight of these calculations done on your own details, you can run all eight kootas on your details free and get the per koota breakdown along with the total.

How South Indian Matching Differs

South Indian families often use a related but different system called dasha koota, meaning ten kootas. It shares some tests with the north Indian method, but it adds checks like rajju, vedha, mahendra, stree deergha and dina. The bigger difference is in scoring style. Many south Indian traditions treat each koota as a pass or fail check rather than adding points toward a single total. Rajju in particular is often treated as non negotiable, so a match can be declined on rajju alone even if everything else agrees. If your families follow different regional customs, it helps to know which system each side is quoting. Our piece on nakshatra matching for marriage explains how the rashi and nakshatra inputs feed both systems.

Why the Koota Breakdown Matters More Than the Total

Experienced practitioners rarely stop at the bare number. Two couples can both score 24, yet one lost points across several small kootas while the other lost everything to nadi or bhakoot. Traditional practice treats those two situations very differently. Scattered small losses are usually read as minor friction. A zero in nadi, bhakoot or gana is read as a specific dosha that needs a closer look at the full charts.

Practitioners also check for cancellations. Classical texts list conditions under which nadi dosha or bhakoot dosha is considered nullified, for example when the rashi lords are friends or when both Moons share the same rashi with different nakshatras. This is why a koota level report is far more useful than a lone score. If a free check shows you the breakdown, you can ask an astrologer the right question, not just report a number. You can run all eight kootas on your details free to get that breakdown in a couple of minutes.

Treat the result as a traditional lens, one voice at the table. It was never designed to replace conversation, shared values, or plain time spent together.

Sources and further reading

• Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra: the foundational Parashari text this material derives from.
• Nakshatra: the 27 lunar mansions and their traditional attributes.
• Hindu astrology: overview of the wider Jyotish tradition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does ashta koota mean?

Ashta means eight and koota means a point of comparison or matching factor. Ashta koota is the north Indian method of comparing eight dimensions of two birth charts, using each partner's Moon nakshatra and Moon rashi. The eight scores add up to a maximum of 36 points.

Which koota carries the most points?

Nadi koota carries the most at 8 points, followed by bhakoot at 7 and gana at 6. Together these three control 21 of the 36 points, which is why a single dosha in any of them can drag an otherwise good match below the traditional 18 point threshold.

Is ashta koota used in south India?

South Indian families more commonly use dasha koota, a ten factor system that includes checks like rajju and vedha. It is usually scored as pass or fail per koota rather than as a running total out of 36. Some families consult both systems before deciding.

Can a koota score be partially earned?

Some can and some cannot. Tara, yoni, vashya, gana and graha maitri all have middle scores, for example 1.5 out of 3 in tara. Varna, bhakoot and nadi are all or nothing, so you either get the full points or zero for those three.