Question:

Is tarabala the same as the tara-kuta of the traditional Indian “kuta” compatibility system?

My Reply:

Yes, in fact it is!

(Check this post, Tarabala 101, for an intro to what “Tarabala” is.)

Tara-kuta is based on the simple idea that odd numbered tarabala are negative, and even numbered are positive. By “odd numbered” we mean

• janma – coborn (1),
• vipat – falling apart (3),
• pratyak – turning away (5), and
• naidhana – regressing (7)

The “even numbered” positive tarabala are

• atimitra – bonding in mutual love (0),
• sampat – coming together (2),
• kṣema – staying in safety (4),
• sādhana – progressing (6), and
• mitra – bonding in friendship (8)

Its done like this:

1. Take the Moon nakshatras of the two people in the marriage / partnership
2. Count nakshatras from partner A to partner B (with Partner A’s nakshatra itself being counted as “1” – If A’s nakshatra is Rohini, count Rohini as “1”, Mṛgaśīrṣa as 2, etc.).
3. Divide this count by 9 to find the remainder. If it is even, give it one and a half points.
4. Do the same, counting from B to A.

If you have 3 points, the couple has total tara-kuta compatibility. If you have 1.5, they have half compatibility. And if you have 0 they have no tara-kuta compatibility.

Note that the 4th step is unnecessary. I just described it this way because its the conventional way of explaining it, and it makes it clear how the 3 points are divided equally. The 4th step is unnecessary because if the remainder found in step 3 is 1, it will also be 1 found in step 4 – so you can give 0 points to tara-kuta. If the remainder is 0 or 2, it will also be 0 or 2 in step 4 – so you can give 3 points to tara-kuta. And if it is any other number, it will be the other type of number in step 4 (if step 3 gives and even number, step four will give an odd one) – so you can give 1.5 points. This is because only janma-janma (1/1) and atimitra-sampat (0/2) tarablas are reciprocal. Please see Tarabala 101for an easier-to-understand explanation of this.

Tara-kuta is one of eight compatibility factors in traditional Indian compatibility. It contributes 3 out of 108 total points, so its not considered extremely important. Also, most couples (statistically 3 out of 5) will have 1.5 compatibility, and only a few (statistically 1 out of 5) will have 0 or 3, so it is not a very sensitive scoring system.