The Ashtakoota System is also called the Kuta System or Kundli milan. It is the North Indian System. In this system, the placement of the Moon’s in each chart plays major role. There are 8 main Ashtakoota factors that are considered. There is total of 36 points. A score below 18 is not considered good and a score of 21 or above is considered better. However, when you are past child bearing age, some of the factors may not be as important, so this also needs to be considered.
The eight Ashtakoota factors
1. Mental compatibility, approach to work & luck (Varna)
This shows each person’s basic potential of a person and your inherent skills and abilities according to four personality types. This also reflects your approach to work. It also looks at how compatible your egos are. Some say it indicates your spiritual development. If you both have the same type of personality, you get the maximum value of 1 point.
- A. Intellectual, philosophical, spiritual.
- B. Leaders, protectors of society, courageous, decisive and doing battle with the world.
- C. Business people and professionals. They can be skilled in various crafts and professions.
- D. Hardworking. Enjoy doing physical work. They take responsibility for getting things done.
Maximum 1 point.
2. Power compatibility – dominance (Vashya)
This looks at who would be the more dominant partner in the relationship. Some also say it indicates the amount of magnetic attraction between you.
You are said to have one of 5 different personalities which reflects your power status.
- A. Individualistic and likes to have control, with their own opinions and the power to discriminate.
- B. Powerful and tends to dominate (like a lion).
- C. Less powerful (like a deer).
- D. Has their own power but only within a smaller sphere of influence (like a whale).
- E. Brings balance and exerts a quiet power within a smaller sphere of influence (like a bee).
Maximum 2 points.
3. Health and well-being together (Tara)
This indicates whether if you marry it will be beneficial to your health, well-being and compatibility together. Some say it also indicates good fortune and longevity. This can be either auspicious or inauspicious.
Maximum 3 points.
4. Physical and sexual compatibility (Yoni)
This shows your sexual and biological compatibility, as well as mutual love and sexual inclinations reflecting attraction, love and sexual joy. Each person’s sexual tendencies are described in terms of certain animal. Some animals have either a natural affinity, or are neutral or enemies to each other.
Here are the 14 different types of animals:
- Horse (Ashwa)
- Elephant (Gaja)
- Sheep (Mesha)
- Serpent (Sarpa)
- Dog (Shwana)
- Cat (Marjara)
- Rat (Mushaka)
- Cow (Gow/Gau)
- Buffalo (Mahisha)
- Tiger (Vyaghra)
- Deer (Mriga)
- Monkey (Vanara)
- Lion (Simha)
- Mongoose (Nakula).
Sometimes animals can imitate another animal and this can also change the score.
Maximum 4 points.
5. Progeny, harmony and affection (Grahamaitri)
This shows how likely you are to have children, mental qualities and the mutual affection between you both. It also shows one’s outlook, objective, and intellectual level as well as on the spiritual plane of existence. It reflects the fundamental difference in daily behavior, attitude and norm by which you would relate to each other. Some say it shows psychological compatibility.
Maximum 5 points.
6. Outlook on life (Gana)
There are three types of outlook on life:
- A. Lives life a bit more on the lofty or cosmic plane. Sometimes more spiritual than materialistic.
- B. Evenly balanced between earthiness and loftiness.
- C. Down to earth. Sometimes maybe a little wicked in either thoughts or actions. Sometimes more materialistic than spiritual (but not always).
The highest score is when both partners belong to the same type as this signifies an identical outlook on life.
Maximum 6 points.
7. Prosperity – love (Bhakoot)
This shows if by marrying you (and the family you create together) will become more prosperous. Some say it also indicates longevity, happiness/sorrow, children and health. See Bhakoot Dosha for details on what it means if you get zero out of seven. It isn’t always as bad as it looks!
Maximum 7 points.
8. Life force compatibility & health of partners & progeny (Nadi)
This shows the whether you have similar physiological and heredity factors. It compares the Ayurvedic mind/body doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) of each person (what they were at birth not what they may currently be), to show how their psycho-physiological energies resonate with each other. Some also say this indicates spiritual compatibility. It may also show whether you will both live long lives if you are together. It also measures the genetic compatibility between the couple to produce healthy progeny after marriage. There are said to be remedies that can be done if this is not good.
Maximum 8 points.
Note: If you do not receive high scores for factors like 5 (Gana), 6 (Grahamaitri) or 8 (Nadi) or if you face other compatibility difficulties, you can get Yagyas to minimize the effects of this (specifically a Nakshatra Yagya for each person and a Yagya for “Happiness and Harmony in the Relationship”). These low scores are known as “doshas” or “issues/challenges”, so Gana Dosha, Grahamaitri Dosha and Nadi Dosha respectively. But, as mentioned, there are remedies for them.