Which taras are considered inauspicious?

Vipat (remainder 3), Pratyari (remainder 5) and Vadha (remainder 7). The other six are read as favourable.

Why is Tara counted in both directions?

Because the count is not symmetric — from the bride's nakshatra to the groom's gives a different remainder than the reverse. Full marks need both directions to be favourable.

Do we need exact birth times for Tara?

Tara depends on the birth nakshatra, and the Moon takes roughly a day to cross one, so a reasonable estimate is usually enough. An exact time matters more for the pada, and therefore for Nadi and Gana.

Tara Koota

तारा कूट

What does Tara koota measure in kundli matching?

Tara koota carries 3 points of the 36 and tests the fortune between the two birth nakshatras. It is counted both ways — from the bride's nakshatra to the groom's and back — and each count is divided by nine. Remainders of 3, 5 and 7 are the inauspicious taras; the rest are favourable.

The nine taras and the three that count against

Counting from one nakshatra to another and dividing by nine gives a remainder that names one of nine taras: Janma, Sampat, Vipat, Kshema, Pratyari, Sadhaka, Vadha, Mitra and Ati-Mitra. Three of them — Vipat at 3, Pratyari at 5 and Vadha at 7 — are read as inauspicious. Because the count runs in both directions, a pairing can be favourable one way and not the other, and the score reflects that.

Why it is counted both ways

Tara is not symmetric: counting from the bride's nakshatra to the groom's gives a different remainder from the reverse. Classical practice therefore takes both. Full marks require both counts to fall on favourable taras; one favourable and one not gives a partial score, and both unfavourable gives zero. This two-way structure is what distinguishes Tara from the kootas that depend only on a single relationship between two signs.

Tara in matching versus Tara in muhurta

The same nine-tara scheme is used in electional astrology to judge whether a day is favourable for a person, counted from their own birth nakshatra to the nakshatra of the day. Readers sometimes meet the terms in that context first. The classification is identical; only what it is counted between changes.

Common questions

How many points does Tara carry?: Three points out of 36.
Which taras are considered inauspicious?: Vipat (remainder 3), Pratyari (remainder 5) and Vadha (remainder 7). The other six are read as favourable.
Why is Tara counted in both directions?: Because the count is not symmetric — from the bride's nakshatra to the groom's gives a different remainder than the reverse. Full marks need both directions to be favourable.
Do we need exact birth times for Tara?: Tara depends on the birth nakshatra, and the Moon takes roughly a day to cross one, so a reasonable estimate is usually enough. An exact time matters more for the pada, and therefore for Nadi and Gana.