Kundli milan beyond 36 gunas: match two charts the full way

What the 36 gunas measure

• Varna 1, Vashya 2, Tara 3, Yoni 4, Graha Maitri 5, Gana 6, Bhakoot 7, Nadi 8: they compare the two Moon signs and nakshatras.
• 18 or more is the traditional pass mark, but the score does not read the 7th house, Venus, the Navamsa or the dashas.
• A 36/36 match can still have weak 7th houses; a 20/36 match can be strong in the Navamsa. That is why the full match looks at both.

Questions

How many gunas should match for marriage?

Traditionally 18 of 36 is the minimum. But the guna score only compares Moon signs and nakshatras. A careful match also reads each person's 7th house, Venus, the Navamsa (D9) chart and the dasha periods ahead.

What is Nadi dosha, and can it be cancelled?

Nadi dosha is when both people have the same Nadi (Aadi, Madhya or Antya), scoring 0 of 8 points. Classical texts cancel it in several cases, for example when both share the same rashi but different nakshatras, or the same nakshatra with different padas.

What is Bhakoot dosha?

Bhakoot compares the Moon signs. The 6-8, 2-12 and 9-5 placements are traditionally called Bhakoot dosha, and they are cancelled when the sign lords are the same or friends.

Is a Manglik–Manglik match good?

When both charts are Manglik, the dosha is traditionally considered balanced. The rest of the match (7th houses, Navamsa, dashas) still matters more than the label.

Can kundli milan be done by name only (naam se kundli milan)?

Only as a fallback. Name matching takes the first syllable of each name and assumes it gives the birth nakshatra (the namakshar). That holds only if the name was chosen from the birth nakshatra, and many names are not. The 36 gunas compare the real Moon nakshatras, which need the date, time and place of birth. When birth details are known, match with them; use names only when they are not.