Is rakshasa gana bad?

No. The classical sense is forceful, independent and intense — not malevolent. The English connotation of the word is much heavier than the technique intends, and nine of the twenty-seven nakshatras fall in this gana.

Which gana pairing scores zero?

Deva with rakshasa, read as the genuinely opposed combination. Same-gana pairings score the full six.

How much of the total score depends on the nakshatra?

Gana (6) and Nadi (8) together are fourteen of the 36 points, and both come from the birth nakshatra alone — so well over a third of the score rests on that single placement in each chart.

Gana Koota

गण कूट

What does Gana koota measure in kundli matching?

Gana koota carries 6 points of the 36 and compares temperament using a threefold classification of the nakshatras — deva (divine), manushya (human) and rakshasa (demonic). The same gana scores the full 6 points; a deva-rakshasa pairing is the one read as genuinely opposed and scores zero.

Three temperaments, nine nakshatras each

The twenty-seven nakshatras divide evenly into three ganas of nine. Deva is described as gentle and outward-facing, manushya as balanced and worldly, rakshasa as forceful and self-directed. The names carry heavy connotations in English translation that the classical usage does not intend — rakshasa here describes intensity and independence, not malevolence, and treating the label as a character verdict about a person is a misreading.

How the six points are scored

Both partners in the same gana scores the full six. Deva with manushya scores well, and manushya with rakshasa partially. The pairing classical practice reads as genuinely opposed is deva with rakshasa, which scores zero — and since this is a six-point koota, that is a sixth of the whole score gone. Some traditions score the deva-rakshasa combination differently depending on which partner holds which gana.

Gana and Nadi both come from the nakshatra

Gana carries six points and Nadi eight, and both are read from the birth nakshatra alone. Together that is fourteen of the thirty-six — well over a third of the total resting on a single placement in each chart. This is the strongest practical argument for getting the birth nakshatra right before running a match, and for treating the guna score as a screen rather than as the reading itself.

Common questions

How many points does Gana carry?: Six points out of 36.
Is rakshasa gana bad?: No. The classical sense is forceful, independent and intense — not malevolent. The English connotation of the word is much heavier than the technique intends, and nine of the twenty-seven nakshatras fall in this gana.
Which gana pairing scores zero?: Deva with rakshasa, read as the genuinely opposed combination. Same-gana pairings score the full six.
How much of the total score depends on the nakshatra?: Gana (6) and Nadi (8) together are fourteen of the 36 points, and both come from the birth nakshatra alone — so well over a third of the score rests on that single placement in each chart.