Guna milan: the 36 gunas explained

What guna milan is

Guna milan is the traditional heart of kundli milan. It is also called Ashtakoot milan, which means the eight-part match. Each of the eight kootas (areas of the match) carries a set number of gunas (points), and together they add up to 36.

Every koota is worked out from the bride’s and the groom’s Moon: the Moon sign, the nakshatra (birth star) the Moon sits in, or the planet that rules the Moon sign. That is why two people born on the same day often have similar guna results, and why the rest of the chart needs its own checks.

The eight kootas and their points

The points rise as you go down the list, so the later kootas count for more. Bhakoot and Nadi together carry 15 of the 36 gunas. That is why a 0 in either one moves the total so much.

How each koota is scored

• Varna (temperament class) gives 1 point when the groom’s Moon-sign varna is equal to or higher than the bride’s.
• Vashya (influence) comes from a table of five sign groups, such as human and four-footed, and can give half points.
• Tara (birth-star harmony) counts the nakshatras from each partner to the other. Each direction gives 1.5 points unless the count lands on an unfavourable star.
• Yoni (instinct) gives each nakshatra an animal and scores the pair from 0 to 4.
• Graha Maitri (planetary friendship) scores how the two Moon-sign lords regard each other.
• Gana (nature) sorts each nakshatra as Daiva (gentle), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (intense).
• Bhakoot (Moon-sign relationship) gives 7 points or 0, depending on how far apart the two Moon signs are.
• Nadi (pulse or constitution) gives 8 points when your Nadis differ and 0 when they are the same.

The tables are read with the bride on one side and the groom on the other, and some of them are not the same both ways. Varna gives its point only when the groom’s varna is equal or higher. In Gana, a Daiva bride with a Manushya groom scores 5, while a Manushya bride with a Daiva groom scores 6. So swapping the two names on a form can change the total slightly, which is why the form asks for her details and his details separately.

Bhakoot and Nadi are the two kootas that score all or nothing, and they are also the two with classical exceptions. When one of them scores 0, the next question is always whether an exception cancels it.

What your guna total means

We grade the total on this scale:

When Bhakoot or Nadi scores 0 and a classical exception cancels it, we give the full points back. So the total you see on KundliScore already includes those exceptions.

Is 18 gunas enough for marriage?

You will often hear that 18 gunas is the minimum. Some lessons and worksheets do use 18. The scale we follow sets the pass mark at 16, so 18 gunas clears it.

Clearing the pass mark is different from a strong match, though. A total from 16 up to just under 20 is borderline. In that range we only accept the match when the key parts of both charts are very strong. Otherwise it is marked as needing a closer look. From 20 up, the gunas stop being the main question and the rest of the reading takes over.

Below 16, a match is not ruled out by gunas alone. A low total does mean the overall verdict cannot be the top one, and a very low total weighs more. Real couples with modest guna totals have lived long, happy marriages when the rest of their charts supported them.

Why 36 gunas alone are not enough

Guna milan reads only the two Moons. It cannot see the rising sign, the 7th house of marriage, Mars from the Lagna or the strength of Venus and Jupiter. A high score does not make up for serious differences in the houses of marriage, and a modest score can sit inside two charts that support each other well.

So treat the guna total as the first check. After it come Manglik with its cancellations, house matching, the planets of marriage and timing. Our guide on how to choose the best kundli matching tool explains each one, and the guides to Nadi dosha and Bhakoot dosha cover the two kootas people ask about most.