Kundli Matching: the 36 Gunas, Eight Factors and Exception Rules

Start with the eight questions, not a verdict

Ashtakoot is a traditional comparison of two birth charts through eight weighted factors. The maximums are Varna 1, Vashya 2, Tara 3, Yoni 4, Graha Maitri 5, Gana 6, Bhakoot 7 and Nadi 8. Together they make 36. The total compresses several different rules into one number, which is why a useful report must show the factors separately. Two couples with the same total may have lost points in completely different places.

What the inputs actually determine

The Moon’s sidereal longitude determines its sign, Nakshatra and Pada. Those are the main astronomical inputs for Ashtakoot. A birth date without a reliable time can straddle a Nakshatra boundary. The same spelling of a city can also refer to different locations, and a wrong time zone changes the moment being calculated. Check the input record before debating a score. A calculator should explain uncertainty rather than quietly replacing an unknown time with an apparently exact result.

Why the order can matter

Some traditional tables are directional. Our implementation labels chart A as the traditional groom position and chart B as the bride position. Reversing those positions can change Varna, Vashya or Gana results even though the people are unchanged. This is a property of the chosen historical scoring table, not a statement that one person is more valuable. A report that hides its order or table convention is difficult to reproduce.

Exceptions belong before the conclusion

Nadi and Bhakoot exceptions vary between schools. Our tool checks its supported exceptions before showing the summary, and keeps both the raw and adjusted totals visible. It restores Nadi points for its documented same-sign/different-Nakshatra or same-Nakshatra/different-sign exceptions, and checks the selected Moon-lord relationship for Bhakoot. This does not prove that every school would use the same adjustment. Never compare an adjusted total on one site with an unadjusted total on another without checking the factors.

A worked way to read a report

Suppose a hypothetical report has a raw total of 24 and shows zero for Nadi. First check whether the birth inputs are stable. Next inspect the two Nakshatras and signs. If a supported eight-point exception applies, the selected method may display 32 after adjustment while retaining 24 as the raw total. If it does not apply, the report should not invent a correction. Either way, the numbers do not measure consent, shared priorities or the practical quality of the relationship.

What a score cannot establish

A matching total cannot diagnose fertility, health, safety or the probability of divorce. It cannot replace conversation about finances, care responsibilities, family expectations or personal boundaries. The often-quoted threshold of 18 belongs to the tradition’s scoring conventions; it is not a scientifically validated dividing line between viable and unviable relationships. The most responsible use of this framework is to understand what it claims, inspect how it was calculated, and keep human judgment and mutual consent central.

Try a small learning exercise

Choose a hypothetical pair and record the two Moon longitudes, their Nakshatras and the order of the charts. Copy the eight raw factor scores before looking at the total. Then list each supported exception separately and add only the points that the declared method restores. Check that the adjusted result can be reconstructed from the raw result. Finally, write one sentence about what the score does not measure. This keeps the exercise about understanding a framework rather than turning an unverified label into a decision about two people.

The method used on this site

Chart A uses the traditional groom position and chart B the bride position for directional tables. Vashya uses exact half-sign boundaries. Exception rules vary by school; both raw and adjusted points remain visible. Mars screening is separate from the 36 points.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further context

• getVEDANGA methodology — the implementation and its limits
• Astronomy Engine — astronomical calculations and validation
• Sanskrit Documents — Jyotisha texts and editions (traditional context)

Sources have different roles: astronomical documentation supports the calculation, while traditional texts describe a historical framework. A citation does not by itself validate a personal prediction.