Two moons, compared
Ashtakoota milan - "the meeting of eight factors" - compares two people's moon positions: their rashis and nakshatras. Each factor examines one layer of how two temperaments live together, and each carries a weight. The weights sum to 36 - the famous gunas.
The eight kootas
- Varna1 guna
- Vashya2 gunas
- Tara3 gunas
- Yoni4 gunas
- Graha maitri5 gunas
- Gana6 gunas
- Bhakoot7 gunas
- Nadi8 gunas
From social harmony (Varna) through temperament (Gana) to constitution (Nadi) - the heavier the koota, the more weight tradition gives it.
Reading the score
Convention reads the total in bands - 18 is the traditional floor, the mid-twenties comfortable, above 32 rare and celebrated:
- < 18Traditionally not endorsed
- 18-24Acceptable, workable
- 25-32Very good
- 33-36Exceptional
What the score can't see
Guna milan looks only at two moons. It doesn't see Venus (love), the 7th house (partnership), or the dasha periods two lives are moving through. A 30 with a hard Nadi clash reads very differently from a 22 with strong mutual Venus placements - which is why a careful astrologer checks Mangal dosha and the full charts before saying anything about a number.
Read the score as a conversation starter about how you two move together - at different speeds, sometimes, and that can be the point.