Bhakoot

The distance between the two Moon-signs. A 6-8, 2-12 or 5-9 gap is held to be a dosha. But if the rashi is the same, the nakshatra-lord is the same, or the rashi lords are the same planet or friends, the dosha stands cancelled.

What a zero means

Bhakoot scores zero at a 6-8, 2-12 or 5-9 rashi gap. The same three exemptions apply. Uncancelled, it is not bought off by the guna count — even at 28 gunas it is not read as a clear go-ahead.

How it is counted

1. Count the distance between the two Moon-signs, each way.
2. If the pair comes to 2–12, 6–8 or 5–9 it is a dosha and scores 0; any other distance takes the full 7.
3. On a dosha the same three cancellations are checked — same rashi, same nakshatra-lord, or rashi lords that are the same or friends. If one applies, the full 7 comes back.

Its weight in the verdict

Besides the 36 gunas, this koota also has a separate voice of its own, weight 1.1. A zero here is not covered by the guna count — which is exactly why it is weighed apart.

Our verdict is built by weighing 39 voices, whose weights total 29.7. All thirty-six gunas together are one of them — about 3.4% of the whole verdict. The rest is decided by the 7th house, the Navamsha, the Saptamsha, Vimsopaka, Jaimini, the dasha timing, Manglik and the others. That is why this report never tells anyone to call off a marriage over a low count.

The classical table

The other seven kootas