Tara kuta in guna milan
Tara kuta compares the birth nakshatras of the two people, counting the distance between them in groups of nine.
What it is
The count from one nakshatra to the other is taken in a cycle of nine, and the remainder of certain groups is read as favourable or not. The traditional maximum is 3 points.
How it is worked out or read
The counting rule is the same across most texts, but the reading of each remainder is stated differently, so the table should be checked against the source.
Where it appears on this site
The site does not compute this kuta. The Moon's nakshatra for each person is in the panchang and the dasha tool.
Counting between nakshatras
Tara kuta counts the distance between the two birth nakshatras, moving from one to the other in the order of the 27 lunar mansions. The count is taken in groups of nine, so that the remainder falls into one of a few classes. The classical texts read certain remainders as favourable and others as less so, and the kuta is one of the more mechanical parts of the method.
Because the count is mechanical, it is easy to make an error, and a reader should write the count out step by step. The nakshatra order is fixed, so the count can be repeated by anyone with the nakshatra list.
The remainders and their readings
After the count, the reader looks up the remainder in the classical table. Different books give slightly different descriptions of each remainder, and some assign more or fewer favourable groups. The kuta is therefore best described as a table-driven observation, and the source should be stated whenever a reading is given.
Teachers commonly say that the tara kuta describes the rhythm of the two nakshatras in relation to each other, rather than a fixed quality of either person. This is a helpful way to think about it.
Using the tara kuta with care
Like the other kutas, the tara kuta is one of eight observations and carries a small weight in the traditional total. It should not be read as a guarantee of any outcome in the relationship. This site does not compute the kuta, but the reader who meets it elsewhere can check the count against the nakshatra order given on the nakshatra pages.
Tara and the chain of nakshatras
Tara kuta uses the chain of nakshatras to measure the distance between two births. A reader who wants to understand the kuta should first learn the order of the twenty-seven nakshatras, because the whole method depends on counting along that chain.
Tara and the rhythm of two lives
Tara can be read as an image of how the rhythms of two lives relate. Some distances suggest harmony in pace, others suggest a need to adjust. A reader may describe the kuta as a question of pace and timing, rather than of worth.
A worked count
Suppose one birth nakshatra is Rohini, the fourth, and the other is Hasta, the thirteenth. Counting from Rohini to Hasta gives ten, and dividing by nine leaves one. The reader then looks up a remainder of one in the chosen table. Writing the count out like this makes the kuta easy to check.