Guna Milan Out of 36: Every Possible Total, Counted
Ashtakoot guna milan reads one thing from each person — the Moon’s nakshatra and pada at birth — and there are 108 of those, so there are 11,664 possible bride-and-groom pairings and every one of them can be scored. Doing so settles questions usually answered by opinion. The lowest total any pairing reaches is 2. The highest is 35, on the strict reading of Yoni and Vashya as well as the generous one. No pairing scores 36. Yoni and Gana are full only when the two stars are alike and Nadi only when their nadis differ, and just 3 pairs of birth stars satisfy all three: Chitra and Vishakha (best 34.5, short on Tara 1.5 of 3); Uttara Phalguni and Uttara Bhadrapada (best 29, short on Vashya 1 of 2, Tara 1.5 of 3, Graha Maitri 0.5 of 5); Hasta and Swati (best 27.5, short on Tara 1.5 of 3, Bhakoot 0 of 7). The median total is 20.5.
Families commonly read totals in bands: below 18, "traditionally not recommended", 36.4% of pairings; between 18 and 24, "acceptable", 43.4% of pairings; between 25 and 32, "good", 19.4% of pairings; above 32, "excellent", 0.8% of pairings. Those bands and the 18 behind them are a convention, not a rule in any classical text, and two pairings with the same total can have lost entirely different kootas. Each score page below shows what its total is made of.
| Total | Pairings (n and n.5) | Share | With Nadi dosha |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 out of 36 | 16 | 0.1% | 100.0% |
| 3 out of 36 | 88 | 0.8% | 100.0% |
| 4 out of 36 | 28 | 0.2% | 100.0% |
| 5 out of 36 | 72 | 0.6% | 100.0% |
| 6 out of 36 | 35 | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| 7 out of 36 | 60 | 0.5% | 100.0% |
| 8 out of 36 | 99 | 0.8% | 100.0% |
| 9 out of 36 | 187 | 1.6% | 100.0% |
| 10 out of 36 | 256 | 2.2% | 99.2% |
| 11 out of 36 | 354 | 3.0% | 85.6% |
| 12 out of 36 | 352 | 3.0% | 69.6% |
| 13 out of 36 | 473 | 4.1% | 78.9% |
| 14 out of 36 | 364 | 3.1% | 54.4% |
| 15 out of 36 | 617 | 5.3% | 50.6% |
| 16 out of 36 | 638 | 5.5% | 57.8% |
| 17 out of 36 | 606 | 5.2% | 29.9% |
| 18 out of 36 | 718 | 6.2% | 22.1% |
| 19 out of 36 | 675 | 5.8% | 22.4% |
| 20 out of 36 | 625 | 5.4% | 19.2% |
| 21 out of 36 | 708 | 6.1% | 12.6% |
| 22 out of 36 | 606 | 5.2% | 14.7% |
| 23 out of 36 | 734 | 6.3% | 3.8% |
| 24 out of 36 | 996 | 8.5% | 6.0% |
| 25 out of 36 | 630 | 5.4% | 0.0% |
| 26 out of 36 | 472 | 4.0% | 3.0% |
| 27 out of 36 | 278 | 2.4% | 0.0% |
| 28 out of 36 | 585 | 5.0% | 61.2% |
| 29 out of 36 | 84 | 0.7% | 0.0% |
| 30 out of 36 | 62 | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 31 out of 36 | 60 | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 32 out of 36 | 88 | 0.8% | 0.0% |
| 33 out of 36 | 70 | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| 34 out of 36 | 12 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 35 out of 36 | 16 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
The eight kootas one by one, with the yoni animals, ganas, nadis, taras, varnas and vashya groups scored against each other, are on the koota pages. Matching by name rather than by birth details is explained in kundli matching by name and date of birth.
Your own total needs both Moon positions, and the koota-by-koota breakdown is what tells two 24s apart. The Free Kundli Matching tool gives the eight koota scores and the total, which is the headline answer; the Kundali Milan detailed report works the same arithmetic further from your own birth details, and its page lists what it contains.
For the method, see the 36 gunas explained and the kundli milan guide; for any pair of birth stars, nakshatra matching. This page in Hindi: गुण मिलान.