Gana dosha: Deva, Manushya and Rakshasa

Gana asks whether two temperaments will sit easily together at home, and carries 6 of the 36 gunas.

Gana dosha means one person's Moon nakshatra is of Rakshasa gana and the other's is Deva or Manushya. Two Rakshasas are not a dosha, and neither is Deva with Manushya.

Where the idea comes from

Gana means a company, a band of one kind. The old texts sort the 27 nakshatras into three companies named after the beings of the Puranas: the devas, gentle and giving; humans, who live between the two; and the rakshasas, strong and unbending. Each star was believed to lend the people born under it something of its company’s nature.

Marriage, in this way of thinking, is two natures learning to share one roof, one kitchen and the hundred small decisions of a day. Deva and Manushya natures were thought to find a common rhythm; a Rakshasa nature beside either was thought to bring frequent quarrels and a struggle over who has the upper hand. Two Rakshasa natures meet as equals, which is why tradition sees no dosha there.

The three temperaments

• Deva - divine: gentle, generous and content.
• Manushya - human: practical, balanced and worldly.
• Rakshasa - fierce: strong-willed, outspoken and fearless.

The names sound harsher than they are: a gana is a temperament, not a judgement on a person.

It can be cancelled, as below. Even when it stands, a match with 18 or more gunas, and Manglik suiting, stays a good match in the Gun Milan app, with a note, because Gana dosha is held mainly by Vaishya families.

Find each gana

Every nakshatra has a gana. Find each person's Moon nakshatra:

The Gana points

The Gun Milan app gives the Gana points from this table, with the boy's gana down the side and the girl's across the top:

When Gana dosha is cancelled

It is cancelled when the lords of the two Moon rashis are the same planet, or friends each to the other - a full 5 of 5 in Graha Maitri. These lords are friends each to the other:

• Sun (Simha) - Moon (Karka)
• Sun (Simha) - Mars (Mesha, Vrischika)
• Sun (Simha) - Jupiter (Dhanu, Meena)
• Mars (Mesha, Vrischika) - Jupiter (Dhanu, Meena)
• Mercury (Mithuna, Kanya) - Venus (Vrishabha, Tula)
• Venus (Vrishabha, Tula) - Saturn (Makara, Kumbha)

A cancelled dosha keeps its Gana points; the result says it is cancelled.

What the result shows

If the dosha stands, the total is 18 or more and Manglik suits, the answer stays green - "Good match" - with a one-line note that Gana dosha is considered mainly in Vaishya families. The Gun Milan app does not ask your caste, so it leaves that to you.

Under 18 gunas, the answer is "Low guna score" whatever the Gana. If your family holds Gana dosha, your pandit ji has the final word.

Related guides

• How kundali matching worksWhere the gunas and Manglik come from, and how to read the result
• How many gunas should match?The 18-guna mark, what a total means, and the four answers the Gun Milan app gives
• Manglik doshaWhat being Manglik means, and which pairings suit
• Nadi doshaHealth and children: the heaviest koota, and when its dosha is cancelled
• The 27 nakshatrasThe nature and story of the people of each birth star, and the partner they suit
• The 12 rashisWhat the people of each Moon sign are like, at home and in marriage