Bhakoot Dosha in Kundli Matching
Bhakoot carries seven of the thirty-six points in Guna Milan and is calculated from the distance between the two partners' Moon signs. Certain distances are traditionally held to constitute a dosha, and where one is present the koota scores zero. Together with Nadi's eight points, Bhakoot accounts for fifteen of the thirty-six — which is why these two factors decide so many matches.
Which distances count
The distance is counted both ways between the two Moon signs. The combinations traditionally held to be afflicted are 6–8 (shadashtak), 9–5 (navpancham) and 2–12 (dwirdwadash).
Where the distance falls outside these, the koota awards its full seven points. Like Nadi, it is scored all or nothing.
The cancellation conditions
Classical practice records exceptions. The most commonly cited are that the dosha is considered cancelled where the lords of the two Moon signs are the same planet, and where the two rashi lords are mutual friends.
Some sources also set aside the affliction where the Graha Maitri koota has scored fully, on the reasoning that the underlying relationship between the sign lords is what the Bhakoot rule is standing in for.
Reading it alongside the rest
Because Bhakoot is scored all or nothing on seven points, its presence can move a match from comfortably above the conventional 18-point threshold to below it without anything else changing.
AaradhyaHub's free Kundli Milan reports each koota separately and states whether a recognised cancellation condition is present, rather than reporting only the total.
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Check Kundli Milan freeCommon questions
What is shadashtak dosha?
The 6–8 Moon-sign distance, one of the three combinations traditionally counted as Bhakoot dosha. The others are 9–5 (navpancham) and 2–12 (dwirdwadash).
Is Bhakoot dosha cancelled if the rashi lords are friends?
That is one of the classical cancellation conditions most commonly cited, along with the two Moon signs sharing the same lord. Practice varies between traditions on how the exceptions are applied.
Is 9–5 considered a good match or a dosha?
Navpancham is counted among the afflicted distances in the Bhakoot rule, though several sources treat it as the least severe of the three and some regard it favourably on other grounds. This is one of the places where classical opinion genuinely differs.
Read next
- 36 Guna Milan — the Ashtakoota System — How the eight kootas divide 36 points in Kundli Milan, what score is traditionally considered acceptable, and what it omits. Free to check.
- Nadi Dosha in Kundli Matching — What Nadi dosha is, why it carries 8 of the 36 gunas, and the classical conditions under which it is held to be cancelled.
- Rashi (Moon Sign) in Vedic Astrology — What rashi means, why Vedic astrology reads the Moon sign rather than the Sun sign, and how it drives matchmaking. Find yours free.