Porutham
Star matching between the groom and a prospective bride, checked the way a Tamil astrologer would.
Stars and rasis
Groom மாப்பிள்ளை
Bride பெண்
In plain words
The Tamil porutham scores 5.5 of 10: 5 of the ten match fully, 1 partly and 4 not at all, which the almanac reads as "Borderline, consult the family astrologer".
Rajju and Vedha, the two that must clear, both clear; the ones that do not match are Dina (health and prosperity), Mahendra (children and the growth of the family), Stree Deergha (the marriage lasting) and Rasi Adhipathi (friendship between the two rasi lords).
The North Indian Ashta Koota gives 27 of 36, rated good.
Groom: Poosam · Kadagam · Bride: Rohini · Rishabam
- Dina Does not match
- Gana Matches
- Mahendra Does not match
- Stree Deergha Does not match
- Yoni Matches
- Rasi Partial
- Rasi Adhipathi Does not match
- Vasya Matches
- RajjuMust clear Matches
- VedhaMust clear Matches
✓ matches, ~ is partial, ✗ does not match. Rajju and Vedha, marked “Must clear”, must match; most astrologers stop if either fails.
5 of the 10 match fully, 1 partly, 4 do not. Rajju and Vedha, the two that must clear, are both clear.
The two birth stars on the cycle of 27 nakshatras.
- Groom Poosam (8 / 27)
- Bride Rohini (4 / 27)
- The arc counts forward from the bride's star to the groom's; the number in the middle is that count.
- Ticks on the outer edge are the twelve rasi boundaries; a rasi holds 2¼ stars.
Counting from the bride's star forward to the groom's gives 5 — the count Dina and Mahendra porutham below are read from.
The ten poruthams, one by one
Each line gives the count, the rule, and the result.
| Porutham | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dina தின பொருத்தம் Health, well-being and prosperity of the couple | ✗ Does not match | Dina porutham is present when that count is 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 24 or 26. 5 is not in that list, so this does not match. How it is counted Show lessCounting from the bride’s star Rohini to the groom’s star Poosam gives 5, the Pratyak tara (obstacles). |
| Gana கண பொருத்தம் Temperament: whether the two natures get along | ✓ Matches | The same gana is a full match; a Deva groom with a Manushya bride is a full match and a Manushya groom with a Deva bride a partial one; any pairing with Rakshasa on one side only is treated as a clash of temperaments. The groom is Deva and the bride Manushya, so this matches. How it is counted Show lessPoosam belongs to the Deva (gentle, godly) gana and Rohini to the Manushya (human, balanced) gana. |
| Mahendra மகேந்திர பொருத்தம் Children and growth of the family | ✗ Does not match | The count from Rohini to Poosam is 5. Mahendra is present only when this count is 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 or 25 (every third star from the fourth). 5 is not in that list, so this does not match. |
| Stree Deergha ஸ்திரீ தீர்க்க பொருத்தம் The wife’s long life and the marriage lasting | ✗ Does not match | The count from Rohini to Poosam is 5. The groom’s star should lie well ahead of the bride’s: a count above 13 is a full match, 8 to 13 is partial, 7 or less is none. 5 is 7 or less, so this does not match. |
| Yoni யோனி பொருத்தம் Physical and intimate compatibility | ✓ Matches | Seven pairs are born enemies — cow and tiger, elephant and lion, horse and buffalo, dog and deer, rat and cat, sheep and monkey, serpent and mongoose — and only those fail. These two are not enemies (they score 2 of 4 on the koota table), so this matches. How it is counted Show lessEvery star is assigned an animal. Poosam is the male Sheep and Rohini is the male Serpent. |
| Rasi ராசி பொருத்தம் Emotional harmony between the two | ~ Partial | Counting from the bride’s rasi Rishabam to the groom’s rasi Kadagam gives 3. The 3rd and 5th places are middling (சுமார்): not an objection, but not a match either. |
| Rasi Adhipathi ராசி அதிபதி பொருத்தம் Friendship between the two ruling planets | ✗ Does not match | Mutual friends, or a friend with a neutral, is a full match; two neutrals or a friend with an enemy is partial; an enemy with a neutral, or two enemies, does not match. So this does not match. How it is counted Show lessKadagam is ruled by Moon and Rishabam by Venus. Moon is neutral towards Venus, and Venus counts Moon as an enemy. |
| Vasya வசிய பொருத்தம் Mutual attraction and influence | ✓ Matches | Each rasi draws one or two others (its vasya rasis). Rishabam’s are Kadagam and Thulam; Kadagam’s are Viruchigam and Dhanusu. The groom’s Kadagam is in the bride’s list, which is the match the table asks for. |
| RajjuMust clear ரஜ்ஜு பொருத்தம் Long life of the couple. The most important check | ✓ Matches | The two must be different. They are different, so this matches. How it is counted Show lessEvery star belongs to one of five body groups called rajju: head, neck, navel, thigh or foot. Poosam is Uru (thigh) rajju and Rohini is Kanta (neck) rajju. |
| VedhaMust clear வேதை பொருத்தம் No mutual affliction between the two stars | ✓ Matches | Certain pairs of stars are held to obstruct each other (vedha). Poosam’s vedha star is Pooradam, and Rohini is not that star, so this matches. |
Ashta Koota, 36 points
The North Indian system, as a second opinion. 18 is the usual minimum, 25 and above is good.
No koota scored zero.
| Koota | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Varna Spiritual and ego compatibility | 1 of 1 | The groom’s varna should be equal to or higher than the bride’s. It is, so this scores the full 1 point. How it is counted Show lessEach rasi is assigned a varna, ranked Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra. Kadagam is brahmin and Rishabam is vaishya. |
| Vashya Mutual attraction and control | 1 of 2 | The table is read from the bride’s group across to the groom’s: the same group scores 2, a compatible pairing 1 or ½, and one that the table reads as predator and prey 0. This pairing scores 1. How it is counted Show lessRasis are grouped by nature. Kadagam is jalachara (water-dwelling) and Rishabam is chatushpada (four-legged). |
| Tara Health and fortune, counted both ways | 1.5 of 3 | Remainders 3, 5 and 7 are inauspicious; each auspicious direction earns 1½. One direction is auspicious, so this scores 1½. How it is counted Show lessCounted both ways and divided by 9. Bride to groom leaves remainder 5 (Pratyak, obstacles); groom to bride leaves 6 (Sadhaka, achievement). |
| Yoni Physical and intimate compatibility | 2 of 4 | Poosam is the male Sheep and Rohini is the male Serpent. These two animals are neutral to each other, which scores 2 out of 4. |
| Graha Maitri Friendship of the two moon-sign lords | 0.5 of 5 | Kadagam is ruled by Moon and Rishabam by Venus. Moon is neutral towards Venus, and Venus counts Moon as an enemy. Mutual friends score 5, friend and neutral 4, two neutrals 3, friend and enemy 1, neutral and enemy ½, two enemies 0. This pairing scores 0.5. |
| Gana Temperament: whether the two natures get along | 6 of 6 | The same gana scores 6; a Deva groom with a Manushya bride 6 and a Manushya groom with a Deva bride 5; a Rakshasa groom with a Deva bride 1, a Deva groom with a Rakshasa bride 0; Manushya with Rakshasa 0 either way. This pairing scores 6. How it is counted Show lessPoosam is Deva (gentle, godly) gana and Rohini is Manushya (human, balanced) gana. |
| Bhakoot Family welfare, finances and emotional bond | 7 of 7 | Placements 1/1, 3/11, 4/10 and 7/7 score the full 7; 2/12, 5/9 and 6/8 are Bhakoot dosha and score 0. So this scores 7. How it is counted Show lessCounting from Rishabam to Kadagam gives 3, the 3/11 placement. |
| Nadi Health and children. A shared nadi is a common reason for rejection | 8 of 8 | Different nadis score 8; the same nadi scores 0 and is called Nadi dosha. They differ, so this scores the full 8. How it is counted Show lessStars are divided into three nadis: aadi, madhya and antya (linked to the vata, pitta and kapha constitutions). Poosam is madhya nadi and Rohini is antya nadi. |
Dosha detail
Nadi, Bhakoot and Rajju, with the exceptions the texts allow. These are judged from the stars and rasis alone, so they need no birth time.
How this is worked out
- Counts run from the bride's star to the groom's star, which is the Tamil convention.
- Dina accepts the counts the Tamil almanacs list — 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 24 and 26 — and grades a shared star by the almanac's own list of stars a couple may share. Stree Deergha needs a count above 13; 8 to 13 counts as partial. Yoni fails only for the seven pairs of animals that are born enemies. Rasi porutham takes the same rasi, the 7th (except Kadagam with Magaram and Simmam with Kumbam) and the 9th, 10th and 11th as matches, the 3rd and 5th as middling, and the rest as objections, the 6th standing unless the pair is one of the six favourable shashtashtaka ones. Vasya is read from the bride's rasi.
- Rajju and Vedha are treated as rejections, as most Tamil astrologers do.
- Ashta Koota uses the standard tables: Varna 1, Vashya 2, Tara 3, Yoni 4, Graha Maitri 5, Gana 6, Bhakoot 7, Nadi 8.
- Full horoscope: sidereal positions with the chosen ayanamsa, whole-sign houses from the lagna, Vimshottari dasha with 365.25-day years, Sevvai dosham from the lagna, Chandran and Sukran in houses 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 12 with the usual cancellations, Papa samya with Sevvai 1, Sani 1, Suriyan ½, Rahu ½, Ketu ½, Dasa sandhi when both are within a year of a mahadasha change, Kala sarpa when all seven grahas fall on one side of the Rahu-Ketu axis.
- Dosha detail: the South Indian house set for Sevvai dosham is 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 12; the North Indian set drops the 2nd, which is the only reason the two columns ever differ. Two doshams, one on each side, are read as balanced; a strong dosham on one side against a clear chart on the other is the case that is flagged.
- Nadi dosham is set aside when both are in one rasi under different stars, under one star in different rasis (or different padas), when the rasi lords are the same or mutual friends, or when the two stars share a Vimshottari lord. Bhakoot dosham is set aside when the rasi lords are the same or friendly, and for the 6/8 pairs one graha owns both ends of (Mesham with Viruchigam, Rishabam with Thulam).
- Rajju runs Siro, Kanta, Nabhi, Uru, Pada from the strongest objection to the mildest. A shared rajju with different padas, different ganas, or one star rising and the other falling is read as milder by some; it is printed as a note, and the objection still stands.