Ashtakoot Guna Milan

Ashwini nakshatra matching

All 36 guna computed against each of the 27 nakshatras, both as bride and as groom, with the reasoning for every koota.

Adi (Vata) nadi · Horse yoni (male) · Deva gana · lord Ketu

What Is Being Scored

Ashtakoot Guna Milan scores a match out of 36 across eight kootas: Varna (1), Vashya (2), Tara (3), Yoni (4), Graha Maitri (5), Gana (6), Bhakoot (7) and Nadi (8). Every one of them is a function of a single point in each chart — the Moon’s sidereal longitude, expressed as a nakshatra and a pada. Nothing else enters: not the ascendant, not the Sun, not the date of birth. Given the same two Moons, any pandit works from the same numbers, which is why this table can be computed rather than asserted.

Six kootas worth 30 of the 36 have rules identical across every source. Yoni and Vashya do not: their extremes are agreed but the intermediate grades vary between lineages, so those two are shown as a range and the total inherits it. Across the whole grid that range never exceeds three guna, and a range that was computed beats a single number that was not. Totals ending in a half are also correct rather than rounded: Tara Koota is classically scored in half units out of its 3.

Ashwini Against All 27 Nakshatras

Both columns are computed. They differ because Varna and Gana are directional — see the note below the table. 18 of the 27 reach the conventional threshold of 18.

Ashtakoot Guna Milan totals out of 36 for Ashwini against each of the 27 nakshatras, computed with pada 1 on both sides, shown separately for Ashwini as bride and as groom.
Partner nakshatra	Ashwini as bride	Ashwini as groom	Reading	All 16 padas
Ashwini(same star)	28	28	Good	Nadi dosha, cancelled by a different pada
Bharani	32–34	32–34	Good	Breakdown →
Krittika*	25.5–27.5	26.5–28.5	Good	Breakdown →
Rohini	20.5–22.5	21.5–23.5	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Mrigashira*	21.5–23.5	22.5–24.5	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Ardra	15–18	16–19	Below 18	Breakdown →
Punarvasu*	16–19	17–20	Below 18	Breakdown →
Pushya	28.5–31.5	27.5–30.5	Good	Breakdown →
Ashlesha	24–27	24–27	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Magha	18–21	19–22	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Purva Phalguni	23–26	23–26	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Uttara Phalguni*	13.5–16.5	13.5–16.5	Below 18	Breakdown →
Hasta	8–9	9–10	Below 18	Breakdown →
Chitra*	11–14	13–16	Below 18	Breakdown →
Swati	25.5–26.5	26.5–27.5	Good	Breakdown →
Vishakha*	20.5–23.5	22.5–25.5	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Anuradha	22.5–25.5	21.5–24.5	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Jyeshtha	10–13	10–13	Below 18	Breakdown →
Mula	10–13	11–14	Below 18	Breakdown →
Purva Ashadha	23–26	23–26	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Uttara Ashadha*	23.5–25.5	23.5–25.5	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Shravana	26–28	27–29	Good	Breakdown →
Dhanishta*	18–21	20–23	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Shatabhisha	13–14	15–16	Below 18	Breakdown →
Purva Bhadrapada*	15–18	16–19	Below 18	Breakdown →
Uttara Bhadrapada	21.5–24.5	20.5–23.5	Acceptable	Breakdown →
Revati	24–27	23–26	Acceptable	Breakdown →

Totals are out of 36 and computed with pada 1 on both sides. A range means Yoni or Vashya falls in the graded middle where traditions differ. Rows marked * involve a nakshatra whose four padas do not all fall in the same rashi, so the real pada shifts Varna, Vashya, Graha Maitri and Bhakoot — 15 of the 36 guna. The Breakdown link on each row opens that pair’s own page, which resolves all sixteen pada combinations, gives the eight kootas one by one, and checks whether the Nadi and Bhakoot cancellations apply — on 231 of the 351 pairs at least one koota reads differently once the real padas are used, and on 120 none of the eight moves at all. The total is the figure that survives more often: it holds across all sixteen combinations on 146. For a real pair of birth times, use the Guna Milan calculator.

Highest Totals

Bharani32–34 / 32–34
Pushya28.5–31.5 / 27.5–30.5
Ashwini28 / 28
Shravana26–28 / 27–29
Krittika25.5–27.5 / 26.5–28.5

As bride / as groom. High totals usually mean the two Moons sit close together, which makes several kootas agree at once.

Lowest Totals

Hasta8–9 / 9–10
Jyeshtha10–13 / 10–13
Mula10–13 / 11–14
Chitra11–14 / 13–16
Uttara Phalguni13.5–16.5 / 13.5–16.5

A low total is a reason to read the breakdown, not a verdict. Which kootas failed decides what, if anything, it means.

The Three Kootas Fixed by Ashwini Alone

Five kootas need both Moons. Three are read off the birth star by itself, which means they are the same in every match Ashwini enters — 18 of the 36 guna decided before the partner is known.

Nadi Koota — 8 guna

Ashwini is Adi (Vata), shared with 8 of the other 26 nakshatras. Same nadi scores 0 of 8 — the largest single deduction in the system — which is what happens on 9 of the rows above. The exceptions are specific and common: same nakshatra in different padas, a shared rashi lord, or both nakshatras inside the same rashi.

Yoni Koota — 4 guna

Ashwini carries the horse (male) yoni, shared with Shatabhisha — those pairings score the full 4. The classical opposite is the buffalo, held by Hasta and Swati, scoring 0.

Gana Koota — 6 guna

Ashwini is Deva gana, nine nakshatras to each of the three. Deva with Deva scores the full 6, and Deva with Manushya scores 5. Deva with Rakshasa is the pairing the classics warn about — it scores 1 when the woman is Deva and 0 when the man is, because a gentle temperament matched to a forceful one is held to suffer more than the reverse.

The remaining five — Varna, Vashya, Tara, Graha Maitri and Bhakoot — depend on the partner. Four of those five run off the Moon rashi rather than the nakshatra, which is why the pada matters for the nine nakshatras that straddle a sign boundary. Full profile on the Ashwini nakshatra page.

What Ashtakoot Does Not Look At

Worth stating plainly, because it is most of a chart. Ashtakoot reads one point from each side — the Moon — and these are outside it entirely:

The seventh house of either chart, its lord, and any planet sitting in it — the house of marriage itself contributes nothing to the 36 guna.
Venus and Mars, which between them carry most of what an astrologer reads about attraction, desire and marital friction.
Mangal Dosha. It is checked separately and is not one of the eight kootas, despite being the objection families raise most often.
The running Vimshottari dasha of either partner, which decides when a marriage is favoured rather than whether the pair matches.
Every planet's strength, aspect and dignity — Ashtakoot uses only the Moon, so two people with identical Moons score identically no matter what the rest of their charts say.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which nakshatra is the best match for Ashwini?

On Ashtakoot alone, the highest totals against Ashwini are Bharani (32–34 as bride, 32–34 as groom), Pushya (28.5–31.5 as bride, 27.5–30.5 as groom), Ashwini (28 as bride, 28 as groom), Shravana (26–28 as bride, 27–29 as groom) and Krittika (25.5–27.5 as bride, 26.5–28.5 as groom). Worth knowing what the ceiling is: across all 11,664 possible pairings of two Moon positions the highest total the eight kootas can produce is 35, so no pairing scores 36 and a site reporting one has added something. And this is a filter result, not a recommendation — Ashtakoot reads only the two Moons, so it says nothing about the seventh house, Venus, Mars, Mangal dosha or the running dasha of either partner. A high total sitting on top of a zero in Nadi or Bhakoot is a different proposition from the same total earned evenly.

How many nakshatras score 18 or more with Ashwini?

18 of the 27, taking the conservative end of each range and the better of the two directions. For context, across all 11,664 possible pairings of two Moon positions 63.6% clear 18 and the median total is 20.5, so clearing the bar is the ordinary outcome rather than a distinction. Eighteen of 36 is the threshold most families use and it is a convention rather than a rule from any classical text — no source says 18 guna guarantees anything, and none says 17 forbids anything. What the breakdown shows matters more than which side of 18 the total lands on.

Why do the two columns differ for Ashwini?

Because two of the eight kootas are directional. Varna tests only whether the groom's varna reaches or exceeds the bride's, so it is deliberately one-way. Gana scores a Deva chart with a Rakshasa chart differently depending on which partner holds which, on the reasoning that a gentle temperament matched to a forceful one bears the cost unevenly. Across the full grid, swapping the partners changes the total for 562 of the 702 distinct ordered pairs; for Ashwini specifically it changes 19 of the 27 rows. Any tool that gives one number for a pair without asking who is the bride has silently picked a direction.

What is Ashwini's nadi, and how much does it cost?

Ashwini is Adi (Vata). Nadi Koota is worth 8 of the 36 guna — the heaviest single koota — and it is all or nothing: a match with any other Adi nadi nakshatra scores zero, and 8 of the other 26 nakshatras share this nadi, which is why 9 rows in the table above lose those eight guna. The recognised exceptions are real and commonly applicable: the dosha is held cancelled when both partners share the same nakshatra in different padas, when the two nakshatras share a rashi lord, or when both sit in the same rashi.

Which nakshatras are incompatible with Ashwini?

On Yoni Koota, Ashwini carries the horse yoni, whose classical opposite is the buffalo — held by Hasta and Swati, which scores 0 of 4. On Bhakoot, 14 of the 27 fall at one of the three forbidden sign distances (6/8 Shadashtaka, 5/9 Navapanchaka, 2/12 Dwirdwadasha) and lose all seven guna. Neither is a veto. Bhakoot dosha in particular has two specific classical cancellations — both signs sharing a lord, or the two lords being mutual friends — and whether either applies is a question for the charts.

Is Ashtakoot enough to decide a marriage for Ashwini?

No, and the system does not claim to be. Ashtakoot uses one point from each chart — the Moon — so two people with the same Moon score identically no matter what the rest of their charts say. It does not look at the seventh house or its lord, at Venus or Mars, at Mangal dosha, or at the dasha running for either partner. It is a first filter that narrows a list; the chart is what answers the question.

Match the Actual Padas

This table fixes pada 1. Your real padas come from the two birth times, and for the nine nakshatras that straddle a sign boundary they move up to 15 of the 36 guna.

Run the full 36-guna match Have an astrologer read both charts

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