Reading techniques

How to do kundli matching for a couple, step by step

Families bring kundli matching to an astrologer with one number in mind. Here is how the 36-point method works, which doshas have classical exceptions, what the South Indian method adds, and how to explain a score.

Updated 2026-11-05

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Short answer

To do kundli matching, compare the couple's Moon nakshatras across eight kootas, varna, vashya, tara, yoni, graha maitri, gana, bhakoot and nadi, worth 1 to 8 points and 36 in all ¹. Check bhakoot and nadi dosha and their classical exceptions before quoting a verdict ^3,4,5,6, and read each birth chart for longevity and the 7th and 8th houses first, as B. V. Raman advises ⁷. A score is one input, not a yes or no. On Kismo you can take matching questions as chats, calls or both, with a separate per-minute rate for each.

Total: 36 points across 8 kootas; nadi carries the most, 8 ¹
Score bands (Drik Panchang): 31 to 36 excellent, 21 to 30 very good, 17 to 20 middling, 0 to 16 inauspicious ²
Bhakoot dosha: Moon signs 6/8, 5/9 or 2/12 apart (Muhurta Chintamani 6.31) ³
Nadi dosha: Both in the same nadi; the middle nadi read as most serious (6.34) ⁵
Tamil matching: Ten poruthams, with rajju and vedha among them ⁸
Before any koota: Longevity, then the strength of the 7th and 8th houses (B. V. Raman) ⁷

The 36 points

What are the eight kootas in kundli matching and their points?

The eight kootas in North Indian kundli matching are varna, vashya, tara, yoni, graha maitri, gana, bhakoot and nadi, worth 1 to 8 points in that order, 36 in all ¹. Muhurta Chintamani reads a higher total as better ¹.

Koota	Points [1]
Varna	1
Vashya	2
Tara	3
Yoni	4
Graha maitri	5
Gana	6
Bhakoot	7
Nadi	8
Total	36

Drik Panchang, a panchang publisher, grades totals as 31 to 36 excellent, 21 to 30 very good, 17 to 20 middling and 0 to 16 inauspicious ². When bhakoot is unfavourable it never calls a match excellent: 26 to 29 is very good, 21 to 25 middling, 0 to 20 inauspicious ².

Reading order

In what order should you do kundli matching?

Kundli matching starts with each person's own chart, not the score. B. V. Raman puts longevity first and then the strength of the 7th and 8th houses, before any kuta ⁷.

Confirm both sets of birth details, and each person's Moon nakshatra and pada.
Read each chart alone: longevity, then the 7th and 8th houses ⁷. See how to read the 7th house.
Score the eight kootas ¹.
Check bhakoot, the distance between the two Moon signs ³, and test its exceptions if it fails ⁴.
Check nadi, then its exceptions ^5,6.
Check manglik status in both charts, as in how to check manglik dosha.
Explain the result in plain words, with the score last.

Bhakoot

When is bhakoot dosha cancelled?

Bhakoot dosha is cancelled, in Muhurta Chintamani, when both Moon signs share a lord, such as Aries and Scorpio or Taurus and Libra, or when the two sign lords are friends, provided nadi and nakshatra are clean ⁴. Friendship of the navamsha lords, vashya and tara purity are further exceptions, and nadi must be clean in every case ⁴.

The dosha itself is Moon signs 6/8, 5/9 or 2/12 apart, which verse 31 reads as harmful to life, to children and as poverty ³. The Hindi commentary marks verse 31 as a later insertion, and splits 6/8 into an enemy kind read as harmful and a friendly kind read as auspicious ³.

Those old labels never reach a couple. A 6/8 bhakoot is not a death prediction, and a 5/9 is not a statement about future children.

Nadi

When does nadi dosha not apply?

Nadi dosha does not apply, by Muhurta Chintamani verse 37, when the couple share a Moon sign but have different nakshatras, share a nakshatra but have different Moon signs, or share a nakshatra but were born in different padas ⁶. Those three cases lift gana dosha too ⁶.

Nadi dosha itself is both people in the same of the three nadis, adi, madhya or antya, and verse 34 treats the middle nadi as the most serious ⁵. It carries 8 of the 36 points, so a nadi fault alone takes a perfect score down to 28 ⁵.

The commentary on verse 34 names shanti for nadi, Mrityunjaya and other japa and the gift of a gold nadi, with gifts of a cow, grain, cloth and gold for the other kootas ¹¹. It states no amount and no result ¹¹, so never quote a price or promise one.

South India

How is South Indian porutham matching different?

South Indian porutham matching compares the two birth stars across a list of named agreements rather than 36 points. The Tamil Lexicon records ten: dina, gana, mahendra, stree deergha, yoni, rasi, rasi adhipati, vasya, vedha and rajju ⁸.

Method	Items	Key items named
Ashtakoota, North India	8 kootas, 36 points ¹	Nadi carries the most points ¹
Tamil porutham	10 poruthams ⁸	Rajju and vedha among them ⁸
Prasna Marga, Kerala	Up to 23 items ⁹	Five essential: vasya, mahendra, yoni, Janma rasi and its lord ⁹
B. V. Raman	12 factors ⁷	Rasyadhipati most important; nadi most significant ⁷

Ask which method the family uses before you start. A family that checks rajju will not be reassured by 26 out of 36.

In the chat

How do you explain a low matching score to a couple?

A low matching score is explained as one part of the picture, after you have said what the two charts show on their own. Lead with the 7th houses, then the doshas and their exceptions, and give the number last.

Say	Do not say
Your score is 17, but your Moon signs share a lord, and the classical rule cancels the bhakoot fault.	17 is too low, do not marry.
You share a nakshatra but were born in different padas, which verse 37 treats as an exception.	Nadi dosha means problems for your children.
Each chart looks steady for marriage; the score is one input.	This match will end in separation.
Your families can decide with this in mind.	Do a costly shanti or the marriage will fail.

Some families do not use horoscopes for marriage at all. The Sikh Rehat Maryada says a Sikh man and woman marry without regard to caste or descent, and calls consulting horoscopes for an auspicious wedding day a sacrilege ¹⁰. If a family follows it, answer only what they ask.

Example

What does a good kundli matching reply look like?

A good kundli matching reply gives the charts first, then the doshas with their exceptions, then the score. This is a made-up example, not a real couple.

Client
Our score is 18 out of 36. The pandit said it is borderline. Should we go ahead?
You
I read both charts first. Both 7th houses are well supported, and neither chart has Mars in a manglik house.
You
Your bhakoot is 6/8, which costs points. But your Moon signs are Aries and Scorpio, both ruled by Mars, and your nadis differ. Muhurta Chintamani cancels bhakoot dosha in exactly that case.
Client
So it is a good match?
You
By the classical rules the main fault is cancelled, and each chart supports marriage. The decision is yours and your families'. The score is one input, not a verdict.

On Kismo

How do you do kundli matching in a Kismo session?

Kundli matching in a Kismo session runs in chat or on a call, depending on what you switch on. Once approved you choose chats, calls or both, and set a separate per-minute rate for each, from Rs 20 to Rs 1,000 in Rs 5 steps.

Matching needs two sets of birth details, so ask for both in your first message, as one list: name, date, time and place of birth for each person. The request card tells you before you accept whether the session is a chat or a call.

The Astrologer Agreement shapes what you say about a weak match. Death predictions are not allowed, and nothing may be said on a pregnancy's outcome, so the old bhakoot labels stay out of the chat. Remedies, if any, go only through the app's own Remedies.

Questions

What do astrologers ask about this?

What is the minimum guna score for a match?

Muhurta Chintamani gives the 36-point total and reads a higher total as better ¹. Drik Panchang calls 17 to 20 middling and 0 to 16 inauspicious ². Check the bhakoot and nadi exceptions before judging a low score.

Is nadi dosha cancelled when the couple share a nakshatra?

It can be. Muhurta Chintamani verse 37 lifts nadi dosha when the couple share a nakshatra but have different Moon signs, or share it but were born in different padas ⁶. Same star, same sign and same pada leaves the dosha in place.

Do I need birth times for kundli matching?

For the koota score you need each person's Moon nakshatra and pada, so check the Moon is not near a nakshatra edge when the time is rough. For the 7th and 8th houses that Raman reads first ⁷, you need good times; see birth time rectification.

Which matters more, the guna score or the two charts?

The charts, in B. V. Raman's order: longevity and the 7th and 8th houses come before any kuta ⁷. Prasna Marga names five essentials, vasya, mahendra, yoni, Janma rasi and its lord ⁹, and mahendra is not even one of the eight kootas.

Should I suggest nadi dosha shanti on Kismo?

Only describe it if asked. The commentary on Muhurta Chintamani 6.34 names japa and the gift of a gold nadi but states no amount or result ¹¹. On Kismo any remedy goes through the app's own Remedies, never as a private sale.

How long should I spend on a matching reading on Kismo?

Long enough to read both charts before the score, and no longer. Sessions on Kismo are billed per started minute from the client's wallet, so collect both sets of birth details in one message and say up front roughly how long the work takes.

Read for clients on Kismo

Set your own per-minute rate for chat and calls, from Rs 20 to Rs 1,000. Apply in your browser with your Aadhaar or PAN and one reading.