Nadi Dosha Cancellation Rules, with Examples

Nadi dosha is most often cancelled in two cases: when the boy and girl have the same nakshatra but different rasis, and when they have the same rasi but different nakshatras. Some astrologers also cancel it when the padas of a shared star are different, or when the two rasi lords are friends. Ask your pandit which of these rules he follows, because they are not all accepted everywhere.

Online matching reports usually print nadi as 0 and stop there. The exceptions only come out when someone looks.

A Quick Recap of Nadi Dosha

Nadi dosha means the boy and girl were born under stars of the same nadi, Adi, Madhya or Antya. Nadi koota then gives 0 out of its 8 gunas. Drik Panchang's matching page says nadi has "supreme priority" and that even a 28-guna match is read as inauspicious when nadi is unfavourable.

That is why the cancellation question matters so much. Our main page on nadi dosha has the full star-to-nadi table.

The Cancellation Rules in One Table

These rules are quoted from classical texts in the nadi kootam article on OnlineJyotish, a Telugu astrologer's site. The pada rule is common practice but has a weaker footing in the texts.

The two star lists in rows 6 and 7 do not match each other. Narada Samhita, as quoted, names Rohini, Ardra, Magha, Pushya, Vishakha, Shravana, Bharani and Uttara Bhadrapada. The Piyushdhara list names Rohini, Ardra, Mrigashira, Krittika, Pushya, Shravana, Revati and Uttara Bhadrapada. If your star is on only one list, your pandit's choice of text decides it.

OnlineJyotish also quotes Vasistha Samhita to say some practitioners treat nadi dosha as less severe outside Brahmin families. Many pandits do not use this rule today, and we would not lean on it.

Same Nakshatra, Different Rasi

Nine nakshatras are split across two rasis. Krittika is a good example. Its first pada falls in Mesha and its other three padas fall in Vrishabha.

So a boy born in Krittika pada 1 (Mesha rasi) and a girl born in Krittika pada 3 (Vrishabha rasi) share both the star and the nadi. By rule 1 above, the nadi dosha does not apply, because their rasis differ.

The other eight split stars are Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalguni, Chitra, Vishakha, Uttara Ashadha, Dhanishta and Purva Bhadrapada.

Same Rasi, Different Nakshatra

Krittika and Rohini are both Antya nadi. A boy born in Rohini (Vrishabha rasi) and a girl born in Krittika pada 2 (also Vrishabha rasi) have the same nadi and the same rasi, but different stars. By rule 2, the dosha is cancelled.

This case comes up often, because each rasi holds two and a quarter nakshatras and stars next to each other can share a nadi.

Same Nakshatra, Different Charan

Each nakshatra has four padas, also called charans. When two people share the star and the rasi, some astrologers still cancel nadi dosha if their padas are different. For example, both Rohini, the boy in pada 1 and the girl in pada 3.

This rule is the one most often argued over. Some pandits accept it without fuss. Others say it is not in the main texts and refuse it. If your match depends on this rule, ask two astrologers before deciding.

The pada also matters for the cancellation in rule 1, because the pada decides the rasi in split stars. So the biodata should carry the charan, not just the nakshatra.

When the Gunas Are High

Families often ask whether a total of 28 or more can make up for nadi dosha. Drik Panchang's answer is no. With nadi unfavourable, it reads even 28 gunas as inauspicious.

So the total does not cancel nadi dosha. Only one of the rules above does, and even then, it is the pandit's reading that counts.

Remedies Families Commonly Perform

When nadi dosha stands and the family still wishes to proceed, these are the remedies astrologers suggest most often:

• Mahamrityunjaya jaap, often sava lakh (1,25,000) recitations done by priests over several days
• A nadi dosha nivaran puja at a temple
• Donation of grain, gold or a cow (godaan), as the priest advises
• A Shiva abhishekam on Mondays

Costs vary a lot between temples and priests. Fix the amount in advance and get a receipt. No remedy changes the nadi of either person. These are done in faith, and many pandits approve the match afterwards.

When to Get a Second Opinion

Get one more reading when any of these is true:

1. The match depends on the pada rule (rule 3) or a star list (rules 6 and 7).
2. Two software reports disagree on the nakshatra or pada of one person.
3. The birth time of either is approximate, and the moon was near the edge of a star or pada.
4. Your pandit gave a verdict without saying which rule he used.

Point 3 is more common than people think. The moon spends about a day in each nakshatra and about six hours in each pada, so an hour's error in the birth time can change the pada.

If the answer is still no, see what to do when the kundli is not matching for the options, including how to say no politely.

Printing the Pada on Your Biodata

Most cancellation checks need three things: the nakshatra, the pada and the rasi. Print all three.

In our maker the pada prints with the star on one row, like "Rohini, Pada 3", under the label "Nakshatra". All three are worked out from the birth date, time and place.

What if the birth time is not known? If the moon changed star or rasi that day, the maker leaves those rows empty. You pick the values your family horoscope shows. Start with a biodata with the horoscope filled in.

For the other heavy koota, see bhakoot dosha. For all 8 kootas, see 36 gun milan.