Bhakoot Dosh Meaning, How It Is Counted and What Cancels It

Bhakoot dosh comes from the distance between the two partners' Moon signs, called rashis. In gun milan, the Bhakoot koota is worth 7 points. If the two rashis fall in certain positions from each other, the score drops to zero. Tradition flags three pairings: 6-8, 2-12, and 5-9. Every other pairing scores the full 7 points. There is no middle score in Bhakoot. It is all or nothing.

That is the short answer. Now let us slow down and understand what this actually means, how the counting works, and why a zero in Bhakoot is not the end of the road.

How the Bhakoot Count Works

The zodiac has 12 rashis, from Mesha (Aries) to Meena (Pisces). To check Bhakoot, you count the position of one partner's rashi from the other partner's rashi. Then you count back the other way. You always start counting from the rashi itself, so the starting sign counts as 1.

Here is a simple worked example. Say one partner's Moon sign is Mesha (Aries) and the other's is Kanya (Virgo).

• Count from Mesha to Kanya: Mesha is 1, Vrishabha is 2, Mithuna is 3, Karka is 4, Simha is 5, Kanya is 6. So Kanya is 6th from Mesha.
• Now count back from Kanya to Mesha: Kanya is 1, Tula is 2, Vrishchika is 3, Dhanu is 4, Makara is 5, Kumbha is 6, Meena is 7, Mesha is 8. So Mesha is 8th from Kanya.

This pair sits in a 6-8 position. By tradition, that is Bhakoot dosh, and the couple scores zero out of 7 on this koota.

Notice something useful here. The two counts always pair up the same way. If one direction gives 6, the other gives 8. If one gives 2, the other gives 12. If one gives 5, the other gives 9. That is why the doshas are named as pairs: 6-8, 2-12, and 5-9. Any other combination, such as 1-1 (same rashi), 3-11, 4-10, or 7-7, scores the full 7 points.

If counting feels tedious, you do not have to do it by hand. You can see your Bhakoot result free along with the rest of your gun milan score in a couple of minutes.

What Each Pairing Traditionally Signifies

Each of the three flagged pairings carries its own traditional meaning. These are readings passed down through the classical texts, not scientific claims. Different astrologers weigh them differently.

6-8 (Shadashtak): health and conflict

The 6-8 pairing is often treated as the heaviest of the three. In the traditional framework, the 6th and 8th positions relate to disputes, illness, and obstacles. So a 6-8 Bhakoot is read as a signal of possible health troubles and frequent friction between partners. Tradition treats this pairing with the most caution.

2-12 (Dwirdwadash): money and loss

The 2nd position relates to wealth and family in the traditional scheme, and the 12th relates to expenses and loss. A 2-12 pairing is therefore linked to financial strain. The classical reading is that money may come in but drain out, or that the couple may struggle to build savings together.

5-9 (Nav Pancham): children and family growth

The 5th position is traditionally tied to children and the 9th to fortune. A 5-9 pairing is read as a possible signal of difficulty or delay related to children. Interestingly, some astrologers treat 5-9 as the mildest of the three doshas, because the 5th and 9th are otherwise considered gentle positions.

Again, these are traditional interpretations. They describe how the system reads the chart, not a prediction carved in stone.

Why Bhakoot Carries 7 Points

Gun milan, also called Ashtakoota milan, checks eight kootas that add up to 36 points. Each koota gets a different weight based on how central it is to married life in the traditional view. Bhakoot gets 7 points, the second highest after Nadi's 8. You can see the full breakdown in our guide to the gun milan 36 points chart.

Why so heavy? In this system, the Moon stands for the mind and emotions. Bhakoot compares the two Moon signs directly, so it is read as a measure of how the couple's emotional worlds sit next to each other. Tradition treats it as a marker of day to day harmony, shared prosperity, and the growth of the family. Because it touches so much of married life at once, it was given the second largest share of points.

The all or nothing scoring also matters. A zero in Bhakoot removes 7 points from the total in one stroke. That can pull an otherwise decent score below the commonly used 18 point threshold. This is exactly why cancellations are checked before anyone panics over the number.

What Traditionally Cancels Bhakoot Dosh

Classical practice does not stop at the raw count. Astrologers look for conditions that are said to cancel or soften Bhakoot dosh. These are the ones most commonly cited.

• Same rashi lord. Every rashi is ruled by a planet. If both Moon signs share the same lord, tradition holds that the dosh is cancelled. For example, Mesha and Vrishchika are both ruled by Mars. Vrishabha and Tula are both ruled by Venus. Mithuna and Kanya are both ruled by Mercury. Makara and Kumbha are both ruled by Saturn. So our earlier Mesha and Kanya example would not qualify, but a Mithuna and Kanya 6-8 pairing would, since Mercury rules both.
• Friendly rashi lords. If the two lords are natural friends in the planetary friendship scheme, many astrologers treat the dosh as cancelled or greatly reduced.
• A strong Graha Maitri score. Graha Maitri is the separate 5 point koota that measures the friendship of the two Moon sign lords. A full or near full Graha Maitri score is traditionally read as evidence that the mental bond is sound, which softens Bhakoot's warning.
• A clean Nadi koota. Nadi carries 8 points and is weighed alongside Bhakoot. If Nadi is clean, many traditions treat the overall match as far safer even with a Bhakoot zero. Nadi has its own cancellation rules too, which we cover in our article on nadi dosha cancellation.

Notice the pattern. Every cancellation asks the same question in a different way: do the deeper layers of the match support the couple even though the surface count looks bad? Very often the answer is yes.

Traditional Remedies

Where Bhakoot dosh stands without a cancellation, tradition offers remedies rather than a flat refusal. The most common ones involve the lords of the two Moon signs.

• Puja traditions. Families often arrange a puja for the rashi lords of both partners before the wedding. The specific ritual varies by region and by the planets involved.
• Mantra of the rashi lords. Chanting or having chanted the mantras of the two ruling planets is a widely suggested remedy. For example, Mars mantras where Mars rules a Moon sign, or Venus mantras where Venus does.
• Charity linked to the planets. Donating items associated with the relevant planets on their weekdays is another traditional practice.

Whether these remedies change outcomes is a matter of faith, and we will not pretend otherwise. What they clearly do is give families a traditional path forward instead of a dead end. In practice, most astrologers prescribe remedies and proceed rather than call off a match over Bhakoot alone.

The Honest Closing: One Koota Out of Eight

Here is the part that matters most. Bhakoot is one koota out of eight. Tradition itself never read it in isolation. An experienced astrologer looks at the whole picture: the total score, the Nadi result, the Graha Maitri bond, Manglik status, and the strength of each birth chart on its own.

A zero in Bhakoot inside an otherwise strong match, say 28 or 30 points with a clean Nadi, is treated very differently from a chart where Bhakoot dosh sits alongside Nadi dosh and a weak Graha Maitri. The first case is usually cleared with a cancellation check or a simple remedy. The second calls for a much more careful reading. If you want to understand how the full matching process works from start to finish, our kundli milan for marriage guide walks through it step by step.

So if someone has told you that you have Bhakoot dosh, take a breath. First confirm the count. Then check the cancellations, because a large share of Bhakoot doshas dissolve right there. You can see your Bhakoot result free, with the cancellation checks applied, before you make any decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bhakoot dosh serious?

Tradition treats it as significant because it carries 7 of the 36 points, but not as automatically serious. Many Bhakoot doshas are cancelled by the rashi lord rules, and even an uncancelled one is weighed against the rest of the chart. It becomes a real concern mainly when it appears together with other doshas.

What cancels Bhakoot dosh?

The most cited cancellation is both Moon signs sharing the same ruling planet, such as Mars ruling both Mesha and Vrishchika. Friendly rashi lords, a strong Graha Maitri score, and a clean Nadi koota are also traditionally weighed as softening or cancelling factors.

Can we marry with Bhakoot dosh?

Within the tradition, yes, in most cases. Astrologers first check for cancellations, then look at the total score and the other kootas. If the overall match is strong, the usual advice is to proceed, often with a puja or mantra remedy for the rashi lords rather than calling off the match.

Which is worse, Nadi dosh or Bhakoot dosh?

Nadi carries 8 points and Bhakoot carries 7, so Nadi is weighted slightly higher and many traditions treat it as the more serious of the two. That said, both have well known cancellation rules, and the honest answer depends on the specific charts. A match with both doshas together deserves far more caution than either one alone.