Tradition · Ashtakoota

Ashtakoota 36

The method actually used when marriages are discussed in India. Eight items, each with a fixed weight.

What sets it apart is transparency. Instead of "you match well," it says which of eight items scored what. So a low item tells you exactly what to handle with care.

How it is calculated

All it needs is each person's birth star — one of the 27 sections the Moon occupied. Age, gender, and occupation play no part. Each birth star carries a temperament, an animal symbol, a ruling planet, and an energy type, and the eight items compare those combinations.

The weights differ by item: the lightest is 1 point, the heaviest 8. They add up to 36.

The eight items

ItemPointsWhat it measures
ValuesVarna1 ptWhat each of you puts first in life
PullVashya2 ptThe attraction between you and who leads
Star DistanceTara3 ptThe flow of luck created by the distance between your birth stars
InstinctYoni4 ptHow well your bodies and instincts match (judged by 14 animal symbols)
Planet FriendshipGraha Maitri5 ptWhether your ruling planets are friends or enemies
TemperamentGana6 ptInnate temperament type (Deva, Manushya, Rakshasa)
HouseholdBhakoot7 ptStability and prosperity when living together
EnergyNadi8 ptConstitution and energy type (Adi, Madhya, Antya)

Total 36 years

How to read the score

Tradition treats 18 as the floor. This service, however, does not issue a verdict on marriage.

  1. 0 – 17Needs a lot of tuningYour basic grains differ in many places. Not a "no" — a list of things to agree on.
  2. 18 – 24A steady matchThe range tradition treats as the floor. Most couples land here.
  3. 25 – 32A good matchSeveral axes line up together. It runs without much friction.
  4. 33 – 36An excellent matchNearly full marks across the board. Genuinely uncommon.

Why we do not ask for gender

Ashtakoota traditionally assigns male and female roles, so the same two people score differently depending on who goes first. Across 150 test pairs, 103 differed — by as much as 2 points.

So this service calculates in both directions and averages the result. The score is the same whoever goes first, at the cost of the occasional .5 at the end.

What this score is not for

It does not decide whether to marry. Some calculation libraries in circulation attach verdicts like "Mismatch" even to couples scoring above 18. This service does not use that language.

Read a low item as "handle this with care," not "you do not match." If Energy (Nadi) overlaps, you tire out together — so take your rest at different times.

Frequently asked

Is it a no below 18?

Tradition treats 18 as the floor, but that standard comes from an era of arranged matches. What matters more is which of the eight items is low. If Household (Bhakoot) is low, agree on money and living arrangements in advance; if Energy (Nadi) is low, stagger your rest.

What if we do not know our birth times?

It still calculates. But the birth star depends on the Moon, so without a time one of you may land on a different star. In that case the result is marked as provisional.

Why is Manglik (Mars affliction) not shown?

There is a traditional verdict that a certain Mars placement flaws a marriage. Run the numbers and it lands on roughly seven people in ten. At that rate it is not information, only anxiety — so this service leaves it out.

Can I use it with friends or colleagues?

Yes. Because we ask no gender and average both directions, it applies to any pair. The item descriptions, though, are written assuming people who live together.

Check our compatibility

Two dates of birth is all it takes.