01What gun milan actually is
Ashtakoota works almost entirely from each person's Moon — its sign and nakshatra — not the full chart. Eight factors, the kootas, each test one layer of compatibility and carry a different weight. Add them up and the maximum is 36 gunas.
02The eight kootas — what each point measures
| Points | What it tests | |
|---|---|---|
| Varna | 1 | Spiritual and work temperament; ego balance |
| Vashya | 2 | Mutual attraction and influence |
| Tara | 3 | Health, well-being and destiny — birth-star compatibility |
| Yoni | 4 | Physical and sexual compatibility |
| Graha Maitri | 5 | Mental and intellectual friendship — the sign lords |
| Gana | 6 | Temperament type — deva, manushya or rakshasa |
| Bhakoot | 7 | Emotional bond, family and prosperity — the Moon signs |
| Nadi | 8 | Health of progeny and constitutional compatibility |
Eight kootas stack to 36 gunas — the weights climb from Varna (1) to Nadi (8), the heaviest test of all.
Gun milan compares two Moons — it was never designed to compare two lives.
03What score is "good"?
18 of 36 is the traditional minimum for marriage; 18–24 is workable, 24–32 very good, and above 32 excellent. Below 18 is traditionally considered weak. But the total is a screen — a good astrologer reads the whole picture, never just the number.
04How a proper matching is done
1
Cast both kundlis
Accurate birth date, time and place for each person — everything downstream depends on this.
2
Locate the two Moons
Ashtakoota scores from each person's Moon sign and nakshatra, not the full chart.
3
Score the eight kootas
Each koota awards its points fully, partially or not at all; the total lands out of 36.
4
Check Nadi and Bhakoot
The two heaviest kootas get special scrutiny — including the classical parihara (cancellation) rules.
5
Read the whole charts
Mangal dosha, the 7th houses, Venus and dasha timing — the score was only the opening screen.
05Matching myths vs what the shastra says
✕ The fear
Below 18 gunas, the marriage is doomed.
Nadi dosha (0 of 8) means the match must be rejected.
A 32+ score guarantees a happy marriage.
✓ What the shastra says
18 is a screening threshold, not a prophecy. Astrologers routinely pass lower scores when the full charts support the match — and fail high scores that hide real afflictions.
Classical texts describe parihara — cancellations where other chart factors neutralise Nadi or Bhakoot dosha. A raw zero is the start of the enquiry, not the end of it.
Gun milan sees two Moons only. It cannot see individual chart strength, mangal dosha or dasha timing — let alone communication, values, effort and choice, which actually make a marriage.
06What gun milan does not tell you
Ashtakoota says nothing about each person's individual chart strength, their mangal dosha, their dasha timing, or the Venus and 7th-house health that governs relationships. Treat the score as one input among many — guidance, not a verdict.