Graha Maitri is the fifth koota of Kundli Milan and is worth 5 of 36 points. It compares the planets that rule the bride’s and groom’s Moon signs. If the two lords are friends or the same planet, the couple scores 5; if they are enemies of each other, 0. Tradition reads it as mental compatibility.
Key takeaways
- You only need the two Moon signs (rashis). Each sign has a ruling planet, and the koota looks at how those two planets regard each other.
- Friendship is checked in both directions, because it is not always mutual. The classic scale is 5, 4, 3, 1, 0.5 and 0.
- A 0 is uncommon. It needs the Sun on one side and Venus or Saturn on the other, so every 0 involves a Leo Moon.
- Some calculators use 2 and 1 instead of 1 and 0.5 for the mixed cases, so scores can differ slightly.
- Friendly Moon-sign lords are also a classical reason to cancel Bhakoot and Gana dosha, so this koota matters beyond its 5 points.
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What does Graha Maitri measure?
Ashtakoot Guna Milan scores a couple on eight kootas for a total of 36 points. Graha Maitri (“planetary friendship”) is the fifth and carries 5 points. It sits between Yoni Koota (4 points) and Gana (6 points).
In Jyotish the Moon stands for the mind, so the lord of your Moon sign is read as the ruler of your mindset. If the two rulers are natural friends, tradition expects the couple to think alike and understand each other easily. If they are enemies, it expects more effort to see eye to eye. Only the Moon signs matter here. Nakshatras, the ascendant and the Sun sign are not used.
Moon-sign lords and their natural friends
Seven planets rule the twelve signs. Rahu and Ketu are not used as sign lords in this koota. The friendships below are the “natural” (naisargika) relationships listed in Muhurta Chintamani 6.27-6.28, the same table that Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra derives in chapter 3.
| Planet | Rules (Moon sign) | Friends | Neutral | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Leo | Moon, Mars, Jupiter | Mercury | Venus, Saturn |
| Moon | Cancer | Sun, Mercury | Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn | None |
| Mars | Aries, Scorpio | Sun, Moon, Jupiter | Venus, Saturn | Mercury |
| Mercury | Gemini, Virgo | Sun, Venus | Mars, Jupiter, Saturn | Moon |
| Jupiter | Sagittarius, Pisces | Sun, Moon, Mars | Saturn | Mercury, Venus |
| Venus | Taurus, Libra | Mercury, Saturn | Mars, Jupiter | Sun, Moon |
| Saturn | Capricorn, Aquarius | Mercury, Venus | Jupiter | Sun, Moon, Mars |
Read each row as how that planet regards the others. They do not always match. The Sun treats Mercury as neutral, but Mercury treats the Sun as a friend. The Moon treats Mercury as a friend, while Mercury treats the Moon as an enemy. That is why Graha Maitri checks both directions. Not sure of your sign? See how to find your Moon sign (Rashi).
How the 5 points are scored
| How the two Moon-sign lords regard each other | Points (classic table) | Alternative scale |
|---|---|---|
| Same planet, or friends both ways | 5 | 5 |
| One friend, one neutral | 4 | 4 |
| Neutral both ways | 3 | 3 |
| One friend, one enemy | 1 | 2 |
| One neutral, one enemy | 0.5 | 1 |
| Enemies both ways | 0 | 0 |
The middle column is the scale behind the classic printed Graha Maitri tables (for example on OnlineJyotish and FreeHoroscopesOnline). Some sites, such as Saravali and AnytimeAstro, use the right-hand column, and a few apps use their own steps. Everyone agrees on 5 for mutual friends and 0 for mutual enemies. Because both views are combined, swapping bride and groom never changes the score.
How to find your Graha Maitri score in 4 steps
- Get both Moon signs from your Janam Kundli. Birth date, time and place give the most reliable result, but the Moon sign alone is enough for this koota.
- Find each sign’s lord using the table above (for example Cancer = Moon, Pisces = Jupiter).
- Look up how each lord regards the other: friend, neutral or enemy.
- Combine the two views with the points table, or read the score straight off the grid.
A note on how scores spread: if you pair all 12 Moon signs with all 12 (144 combinations), 56 give the full 5, only 8 give 0, and the average is exactly 3. The four zero pairs are Leo with Taurus, Libra, Capricorn or Aquarius, because the Sun and Venus, and the Sun and Saturn, are the only planets that count each other as enemies. A Cancer Moon can never score 0, since the Moon has no enemies.
Worked example (illustrative)
This is a made-up couple used only to show the method. It is not a reading of real people.
- Moon signs. The bride’s Moon is in Cancer, so her lord is the Moon. The groom’s Moon is in Pisces, so his lord is Jupiter.
- Both directions. The Moon regards Jupiter as neutral. Jupiter regards the Moon as a friend.
- Score. One friend plus one neutral gives 4 of 5, not the full 5 some quick guides give for this pair.
- Check Bhakoot too. Pisces is the 9th sign from Cancer, and Cancer is the 5th from Pisces. That 5/9 position is a Bhakoot dosha in most calculators, worth 0 of 7. The usual cancellation needs the two Moon-sign lords to be the same planet or friends. Here the friendship runs one way only, so a strict calculator will not cancel it. Some astrologers then look at the Navamsa lords as well.
Two quick contrasts. A Taurus and Libra couple share Venus as lord, so they score 5 even though their signs differ. A Gemini and Cancer couple score just 1: the Moon counts Mercury as a friend, but Mercury counts the Moon as an enemy. If one koota leaves your total low, read what a low Kundli Milan score means or see how the 36-point Guna Milan score is calculated.
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Why Graha Maitri matters beyond 5 points
Classical matching rules use this same friendship to set other doshas aside. In rules traced to Muhurta Chintamani’s marriage chapter, Bhakoot dosha is treated as cancelled when the two Moon-sign lords are the same or friends (with a clean Nadi), and the same condition is used to cancel Gana dosha. So a full 5 here can rescue a low score elsewhere, while a low score here removes that safety net. Details vary between schools and calculators, so check which rules your report applies.
A low Graha Maitri score on its own is not normally called a dosha. Some reports print “Maitri dosha” next to it, but it only means a low score on this one koota. Tradition’s advice is modest: talk openly about how each of you makes decisions, handles money and settles disagreements, since that is what this koota is trying to describe.
Tradition vs science
The method is real as a tradition. The planet friendships and the scoring scale come from classical texts and long practice, and with the same birth details any good calculator will find the same Moon signs and lords.
The predictions are not proven. There is no scientific evidence that the planets ruling two Moon signs shape how well two people think alike, or that Graha Maitri points predict a happy marriage. Astrology has not shown predictive power in controlled tests and is generally considered a pseudoscience. Use Kundli Milan as a cultural tool and a conversation starter, not as a verdict on someone you know and trust.
To see your own Moon sign, its lord and a full match with every koota explained in plain language, try Astrova AI’s free Kundli Milan, and ask follow-up questions in the AI astrologer chat. If you do not know a birth time, read whether Kundli Milan can be done without birth time.
FAQs
What happens if Graha Maitri is 0?
A 0 means the two Moon-sign lords are enemies of each other. Only four sign pairs can give it, and all involve Leo: Leo with Taurus, Libra, Capricorn or Aquarius. It takes 5 points off the total, but it is not usually treated as a separate dosha like Nadi or Bhakoot. Astrologers read it with the other seven kootas.
Do two people with the same Moon sign get full Graha Maitri points?
Yes. The same Moon sign means the same lord, which scores 5 of 5. Different signs with the same lord also score 5, for example Aries and Scorpio (both Mars) or Taurus and Libra (both Venus). Other kootas, such as Nadi, still need checking separately.
Why do different calculators show different Graha Maitri scores?
The classic printed tables use 5, 4, 3, 1, 0.5 and 0, but some give 2 for friend plus enemy and 1 for neutral plus enemy, and a few use other steps. All agree on 5 for mutual friends and 0 for mutual enemies. A few also adjust for Navamsa lords. Check which scale your report uses.
Can a low Graha Maitri score be cancelled?
Classical cancellation rules mostly run the other way: friendly Moon-sign lords are used to cancel Bhakoot and Gana dosha. Some astrologers say friendly Navamsa lords of the two Moons can offset a low Graha Maitri, but this is a school-specific view, and most calculators simply show the points.
Why is Graha Maitri called mental compatibility?
In Jyotish the Moon stands for the mind and emotions, so the planet that rules your Moon sign is read as the ruler of your mindset. Graha Maitri asks whether those two rulers get along, which tradition takes as a sign of shared outlook and easy understanding. This is a symbolic reading, not a psychological test.
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Sources: Muhurta Chintamani 6.27, natural planetary friendships (VedicPupil; the list continues in 6.28, quoted in full by OnlineJyotish) · Graha Maitri scoring table (OnlineJyotish) · alternative 5-4-3-2-1-0 scale (Saravali) · Astrology and science (Wikipedia)
