Lesson 10 of 14
Porutham: what the ten matches check
Ten comparisons of two birth stars, each graded full, partial or none.
| Porutham | What it checks | Poosam groom, Rohini bride |
|---|---|---|
| Dina | Health, well-being and prosperity of the couple | Does not match |
| Gana | Temperament: whether the two natures get along | Matches |
| Mahendra | Children and growth of the family | Does not match |
| Stree Deergha | The wife’s long life and the marriage lasting | Does not match |
| Yoni | Physical and intimate compatibility | Matches |
| Rasi | Emotional harmony between the two | Partial |
| Rasi Adhipathi | Friendship between the two ruling planets | Does not match |
| Vasya | Mutual attraction and influence | Matches |
| Rajju | Long life of the couple. The most important check | Matches |
| Vedha | No mutual affliction between the two stars | Matches |
When a Tamil family looks at a proposal, the first thing it asks for is the : ten comparisons between the bride’s birth star and rasi and the groom’s. Most rest on a single count: walk forward from the bride’s star to the groom’s, counting both ends, which gives a number from 1 to 27. Each check is graded , a full match, , a partial one, or , no match.
The ten
- : the count from the bride’s star to the groom’s; 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 24 and 26 match. Read for health and prosperity.
- : the temperament groups, Deva, Manushya and Rakshasa. The same group matches.
- : a count of 4, 7, 10 and every third after. Read for children.
- : the groom’s star well ahead of the bride’s. Read for the marriage lasting.
- : each star’s animal, compared in a table. Read for physical compatibility.
- : the groom’s rasi the seventh or later from the bride’s. Read for emotional harmony.
- : whether the two rasi lords are friends.
- : whether either rasi is drawn to the other. Read for mutual attraction.
- : the stars grouped by body part, head to foot; the two must differ. Read for the couple’s long life.
- : thirteen pairs of stars that obstruct each other; the two must not be such a pair.
Two that can end the reading
Rajju and Vedha are treated differently from the rest. If either fails, the verdict is "not recommended" whatever the other nine say, because that is how the tradition reads them. Rajju in particular is the first thing many astrologers check: two stars in the same group is the strongest objection in Tamil matching.
Adding it up
A full match scores 1, a partial one half, and none zero, so the total runs from 0 to 10. Eight or more is excellent, six or more good, five borderline and worth a conversation with the family astrologer, and below five poor. Take the pair of stars the app starts with, a groom and a bride: Rajju and Vedha clear, but the score is only 4, a poor match on stars alone.
Stars are only the start
The ten poruthams use the birth star and rasi and nothing else, so they can be checked from a star written on a piece of paper. A full reading also looks at both charts: on each side, , the weighing of the malefics, and . The porutham page does both when both birth details are given.
The North Indian is a different system of eight checks out of 36 points, shown beside the Tamil reading as a second opinion. Its check, worth 8 points, is read in the North the way Rajju is read in the South.
A porutham is a first filter, not the whole decision. Families weigh it together with everything else they know about the two people, and a borderline score is a reason to look at the full charts rather than to stop.