Pillar article
Bhakoot Dosha: Moon-Sign Distance in Matching
Bhakoot is the Moon-sign koota, worth 7 of the 36 Ashtakoot points. It compares the distance between the two natal Moons. The distances commonly flagged as dosha are 2 and 12, 5 and 9, and 6 and 8. Opposition, 7 and 7, is not on that list.
How the count is made
Take one Moon's sign as 1 and count to the other Moon's sign. Mesha to Vrishabha is 2. Mesha to Meena is 12 if you count backward, which is the same pair seen from the other chart, so 2/12 is one dosha, not two. Mesha to Simha is 5, and the reverse is 9. Mesha to Kanya is 6, and the reverse is 8. The 6/8 pair is the one matchers treat as heaviest, because it is said to press health and longevity of the match. That saying is not a medical prediction and not a date of death. It is a reason they pause. The 2/12 pair is talked about as family or money friction. The 5/9 pair is talked about as a strain on children or fortune. Pause is not a ban.
Where an exception is argued
The usual exception is friendship between the lords of the two Moon signs. Mars and Jupiter, or Venus and Saturn in certain schemes, are cited when a 6/8 pair belongs to friendly lords. Tables differ by school, so this page does not print a full exception grid as if it were one sutra. What you can do is name the two lords. Moon in Mesha is Mars. Moon in Kanya is Mercury. If your school counts Mars and Mercury as neutral or hostile, do not invent a friendship to clear the dosha. Nadi is a separate 8-point test. A clear bhakoot does not clear nadi.
Bhakoot is not the 7th house
Two people can have friendly Moon signs and damaged 7th lords, or a 6/8 bhakoot and strong 7th lords in Navamsa. The koota is a lunar-distance screen used before or beside the horoscope reading. It does not replace D9. Remedies that claim to delete a 6/8 count cannot move a Moon. Families either weigh the 7 points against the other 29 and the two 7th houses, or they treat the flag as decisive. Both choices should be stated out loud. Silent panic is not a calculation.
Frequently asked questions
Is opposite Moon signs a bhakoot dosha?
No. Seven from seven is the natural partnership distance. The flagged distances are 2/12, 5/9, and 6/8.
Which pair is considered the heavy one?
6 and 8. Matchers associate it with strain on the pair's wellbeing. It is still 7 points inside 36, not a diagnosis, and the 7th lords can outweigh it.
Does the Sun sign enter bhakoot?
It does not. Bhakoot uses the Moon signs only. Two people with the same Sun rashi can have any Moon-sign distance.
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D1, D9, D10, dashas, yogas, and transits, the same calculations referenced in this article.