2 August 2026 · 3 min read
Ashtakoot Guna Milan Explained: All 8 Kootas Guide
A complete guide to the eight kootas in Ashtakoot Gun Milan – Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, Graha Maitri, Gana, Bhakoot, and Nadi – what each one checks and how many points it's worth.
Ashtakoot Gun Milan is the traditional 36-point system for checking marriage compatibility, made up of eight factors (kootas) compared between the bride's and groom's Moon sign and nakshatra. Each koota checks a different dimension of the relationship – from spiritual temperament to health and progeny – and is worth a different number of points based on how much classical astrology weighs it.
This is the same method behind "Guna Milan," "Gun Milan," or – in Tamil-speaking families – closely related to (though not identical to) the concept of Porutham, which uses ten checks (Dasakoot) instead of eight.
The eight kootas, in order of weight
| Koota | Points | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| Nadi | 8 | Health, genetics, and progeny – the single highest-weighted factor |
| Bhakoot | 7 | Love, finances, and family growth |
| Gana | 6 | Temperament and behavioural compatibility |
| Graha Maitri | 5 | Mental compatibility and friendship between the ruling planets |
| Yoni | 4 | Physical and intimate compatibility |
| Tara | 3 | Health, destiny, and mutual well-being |
| Vashya | 2 | Mutual attraction and influence |
| Varna | 1 | Spiritual compatibility and ego balance |
What each one actually measures
Varna (1 point) groups signs into four spiritual classes (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra) and checks the groom's class ranks at or above the bride's – an old, largely symbolic measure of ego and value alignment today.
Vashya (2 points) looks at which of five "control" groups each sign belongs to (human, quadruped, wild, water-born, insect), as a rough measure of mutual influence and attraction.
Tara (3 points) counts the distance between the two Moon nakshatras to judge whether it falls on an auspicious or inauspicious count – read as an indicator of general well-being.
Yoni (4 points) matches each nakshatra to one of fourteen symbolic animals. Same-animal pairs score highest; a handful of specific "enemy" animal pairs (like cat–rat or cow–tiger) score zero. This koota speaks to physical and intimate compatibility.
Graha Maitri (5 points) compares the planetary rulers of both Moon signs for natural friendship – the classical measure of mental compatibility and how naturally the couple gets along.
Gana (6 points) sorts every nakshatra into Deva (divine), Manushya (human), or Rakshasa (demonic) temperament groups. Same-Gana pairs score highest; Deva–Rakshasa pairs score lowest.
Bhakoot (7 points) checks the angular distance between the two Moon signs. Certain distances (2/12, 5/9, or 6/8 houses apart) are considered a dosha and zero out the koota – see our dedicated guide to Bhakoot Dosha.
Nadi (8 points) – the heaviest single factor – checks whether both partners share the same constitutional type. A shared Nadi zeroes out these 8 points and is treated as a serious flag; read the full breakdown in our Nadi Dosha guide.
How the total is read
Add up all eight and you get a score out of 36. As a rule of thumb: 18 is the traditional minimum, 25-32 is considered very good, and 32+ is excellent – but Nadi and Bhakoot dosha are checked independently of the total, since either can be a concern even in an otherwise high-scoring match.
Manglik (Mangal) Dosha is checked separately from these eight kootas entirely – it comes from Mars's house position, not the Moon. See our Manglik Dosha guide for that side of the picture.
Get your own Ashtakoot report
Our free Kundli matching tool computes all eight kootas from real planetary positions – VSOP87/ELP2000 ephemeris data with the Lahiri ayanamsa – and shows the full score breakdown, Manglik status, and doshas in one report, in English or Hindi.