Mahendram porutham counts the stars from the bride's birth star to the groom's, counting both. Kalaprakasika (1917, p. 72) says it agrees when the groom's star is at one of these counts: 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25. That is every third star, starting from the 4th. Any other count does not agree.
☕ How to count it
Mahendram uses one fact about each person: the birth star (janma nakshatra), the star the Moon was in at birth. Start at the bride's star and call it 1, then count forward through the 27 stars until you reach the groom's, counting it too.
If you land on 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, Mahendram agrees. Those are every third star, starting from the 4th: 4, then add three each time, up to 25. The same star (count 1) and every other count do not agree. That is all the rule says; it says nothing about which person is better.
Nava Panchangam now matches two charts by these ten poruthams: sign in and open Marriage matching at navapanchangam.com/matching for a Nava verdict. This page explains the rule as the book gives it.
The rule in two lists
- The groom's star is the 4th from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 7th from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 10th from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 13th from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 16th from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 19th from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 22nd from the bride's
- The groom's star is the 25th from the bride's
- Start from the bride's birth star and call it 1
- Count forward to the groom's birth star, counting it too
- The count runs from 1 to 27
- Any count not in the list does not agree
Frequently Asked Questions
Which counts give Mahendram porutham?
Counting from the bride's birth star to the groom's, both included, Kalaprakasika lists 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25. Any other count does not agree.
Is there a pattern to the numbers?
Yes. They are every third star, starting from the 4th: 4, then add three each time up to 25.
Does it matter whose star I count from?
The book counts from the bride's star. By our arithmetic, Mahendram happens to give the same answer the other way round, because swapping two stars turns a count of n into 29 minus n, and the list pairs off that way. Dinam does not.
What if both have the same birth star?
The count is then 1, which is not in the Mahendram list. Kalaprakasika has separate rules for a shared birth star.
From the source
A worked count, the book's line, and what this page leaves out.
🧮 A worked count
Bride Ashwini, groom Rohini: counting Ashwini as 1, Rohini is the 4th star. That is in the list, so Mahendram agrees.
Bride Bharani, groom Rohini: Rohini is the 3rd star from Bharani. That is not in the list, so Mahendram does not agree.
Swap the first pair (bride Rohini, groom Ashwini) and the count is 25, which is also in the list. By our own count: for two different stars, swapping them turns a count of n into 29 minus n, and the eight steps pair off that way (4 and 25, 7 and 22, 10 and 19, 13 and 16). So Mahendram gives the same answer whichever star you count from, unlike Dinam.
📖 The book's line
Kalaprakasika (1917, ch. XIII, p. 72) gives Mahendram third among the ten poruthams, in one sentence: the groom's birth star "should be the 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd or 25th asterism from that of the bride". It counts the same way as Dinam, both stars included. The next check, Stree Deergham, also counts from the bride's star.
✂️ What this page leaves out
The book closes the line with an outcome for the couple. This page keeps the count and leaves that clause out. The series starts at the ten poruthams overview.