vaastu shashtra - a guide to architecture

cosmological or metaphysical background

VAASTU SHASTRA is the traditional Indian system of Architecture & Design of Vedic origin.
Vaastu means the dwelling of humans & Gods.
Many Vaastu rules are derived from Vaastu Purusha Mandala.which is dedicated as a man lying with his head pointing North East. In a grid of usually 64 squares.The different Directions and sectors are assigned to different Gods ..& Guardians.

How Does Vaastu Help ?
The world comprises of five basic and essential elements known as SPACE, AIR, FIRE, WATER & EARTH.

There is a constant relation between these elements. Man can improve his condition by properly designing his buildings & using the effectiveness of these five fundamental natural forces.

The location, direction and disposition of buildings have a direct bearing on life of the inmates. Vaastu Shastra, the Ancient Indian Scripture Contains the essence of these knowledge.

VAASTU SHASTRA is essentially the art of correct setting where by one can place himself in such a manner so as to absorb the maximum benefits of the Pancha Bhutas as well as the magnetic field surrounding them.

* Proper use of the five elements creates a perfectly balanced environment which ensures good health wealth and prosperity


Vaastu means : a surrounding, environment, matter or nature, (Prakriti in Sanskrit).

Purush means : energy, work power, vigour or soul, (Shakti in Sanskrit).

Mandal means : the astrological chart-which relates the layout to the orientation.

The principles of orientation of building, is intimately related Vaastu-Purush-Mandal, the metaphysical plan of Vedic building, a temple or a site plan of a house. It is the intellectual foundation of the building. The surface of earth in traditional Indian Cosmology is regarded as demarcated by sunrise and sunset, by East and West, and also by North and South points, and is represented by a diagram or mandal of a square. Vaastu Purush and Mandal are equally important and significant. The Vaastu Purush Mandal is a
square which is its essential form and it takes its symbolism and significance from the square mandal of the earth and of the ecliptic and is therefore symbolical of recurrent cycles of time.

The science of architecture is a part of the science of luminaries. The Vaastu had come to the place of adjustment of solar and lunar cycles. The number 32 of the divinities residing in the squares of the border of the Vaastu mandal is also the sum of 4 and 28,the number of regents of the four planets who rule the equinoctial and solistical points referred to the cardinal points and of regents of 28 nakshatras (constellation). Each of the divisions in the mandal is called a pad and has a presiding deity associated with it.


The name Vaastu derived from Vaastu (Matter) a really existing thing, signifies residence as well as residue.

The Vaastu Vidhaana (VIII-26-32) of Narad says that the Vaastu Purush Mandal is the magic diagram (yantra) and the form (roop) of the Vaastpurush. It is the body (sharir) and a bodily device (sharir yantra) by which those who have requisite knowledge attain the best results in the temple building.

In Purush, the celestial man, the supreme principle is seen. Beyond form and non-contingent, it is beyond description. It is known by intellectual intuition as residing in man, the microcosm and in Universe, the macrocosm. Man and Universe are equivalent in this, their indwelling center, of third equivalence the Purush is an image. Any place where this body lies down, where this plan is laid out by those who know it, exemplifies the presence of the Purush and its Bhoomi (Prakriti), the ground on which it rests.


The image of Vaastu Purush, one with mandal is drawn in the likeness of man. His head lies in the North-East in the mandal of 64 squares, the legs in the South-West, right hand in North-West, left hand in South-East and other parts of the body fill the square.

Forty Five Gods or dieties are constituent of the body of Vaastupurush, their number necessarily is the same in the mandal of 64,81 or any other number. Only the extent alloted to each of the diety differs but not their relative position in the plan.

The lord of central square is always the Lord of cosmos: Brahma and is attributed to the lord of wealth (Kuber), South to the lord of death (Yam), the East to the lord of light (Sun), the West to the lord of winds (Varun), suggestting that there be a courtyard in the center of the building.

When these are scrupulously followed proper ventilation and good disposition to Sun and privacy is ensured. The house is
compared with the human body and the central courtyard with Brahma, the eternal soul and their relationship is invoked when the grihpravesh ceremony is performed with Vaastupuja and other traditional rituals.

This is the cosmological or metaphysical background on which the most fundamental doctrine of Vaastu-purush-mandal rests, and when Vaastu, Purush, and Mandal are brought together in a balanced manner the solution unquestionly relates to the place and the life style of the persons concerned ensuring certain minimum standards.

 

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basic outline

What is Vaastu?

Vaastu is a profound science of structures. It is derived from the Sanskrit language which was in vogue thousands of years ago. The word Vaastu means 'dwelling'. In the modern context it covers all buildings irrespective of their use like residences, industries, business establishments, lodges, hotels etc.

Vaastu is a part of Vedas which is believed to be four to five thousand years old. The vedic scholars performed penance and meditated on the questions for which they sought answers. The answers thus obtained in deep states of meditation were believed to have come from the cosmic mind itself. Thus no one took individual credit for these revelations but proceeded to record it for the benefit of future generations. Hence vedas are considered to contain divine knowledge.

Vaastu Sastra or the science of Vaastu are the guidelines given by the Supreme Being. It tells us how to avoid disappointments, diseases and disasters by living in structures which allow a positive cosmic field to be present.

The benefits of following Vaastu are given in the opening verse of Vaastu Sastra written by great sage Viswakarma which covers all the beneficial aspects of Vaastu. This is what the sage says:

'Sastrenanena sarvasya' (This science is complete in itself)

'Lokasya paramam sukham' (It can bring happiness to the whole world)

'Chaturvarga phala prapti' (It bestows on you all four types of benefits namely rightful living-money-fulfillment of desires and bliss)

'Salokascha bhaved dhruvam' (Are all available in this world itself)


Vaastu & Fengshui

There are some similarities between Vaastu and Fengshui(Chinese, for Vaastu). Both recognize the existence of positive and negative forces (referred as Yin and Yang). Both agree that universal breath or CHI, which we call Prana, is released and that abundant release of good energy is essential.


However in Vaastu no gadgets are used. Fengshui gives importance to gadgets like fish tanks, wind chimes, Pakua mirrors, etc to disperse what it calls bad chi. ?

Secondly it attaches importance to every small item like the shape and placement of furniture, mirrors, tables etc.

Thirdly it brings astrology into the picture and decides based on the birthday, year etc. the best placements for the individual.

Vaastu suggests that one can afford to commit errors. In fact it is almost impossible to follow all rules. If the structure is as per Vaastu to at least sixty percent and major mistakes are not committed then you have a good office, which is bound to give good results. Vaastu also believes that structures should be built as to suit every one. If it is good for one then it will be good for all. Thus the approach of Vaastu is broader, application simpler.

About Vaastu Purusha

The figure in the page represents Vaastu Purusha or the plot organism. The ancient mythology holds that the Vaastu Purusha was a giant and to conquer him the various deities representing the various directions sat on his back making it impossible for him to get up. The giant prayed GOD who appeared in the Northeast corner and blessed the being with a VARA telling him that he will look after the inhabitants who do not hurt him. As the head portion is in Northeast the northeast of the plot is therefore kept vacant.

The position of the deities as per the ancient texts are explained as follows:

* Northeast - Isananan
* East - Lord of Knowledge-Indra
* North - Lord of Wealth-Kubera
* Southeast - Lord of fire-Agni
* Northeast - Lord of Vayu or Air
* South - Lord of Death-Yama
* West - Lord of night-Varuna
* Southwest - Lord of Demons-The Anti God-Niruti

It is a subtle way of indicating where the building should come and where the vacant space for garden, water bodies etc should be present. The Northeast should be vacant as the Lord is present there. It is also called DEVA MOOLA or GOD's place.

East stands for knowledge and hence there should be sufficient setback in this direction for the children to make progress.
North is the place of Lord of wealth.Open area here enriches the family.
South, West and Southwest are occupied by dark forces and to subdue them the structure should come in this portion of the plot.
Southeast is for kitchen as this is the place of fire.
Northwest is for bath and toilet.

 

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The positive effects of following Vaasthu is something people vouch for. Most civil engineers in India take a primer in Vaasthu and ensure the most scientifically designed structures also follow the principles of vaasthu.
I know dozens of people who say they live a life richer and much more peaceful, after making modifications to their homes in line with vaasthu.

 

vaastu shastra is a buncha garbage... the only purpose it serves is ppl who claim to be experts on it and gyp other ppl outta money... did u know there are multi storey buildings in bombay that are unoccupied cuz they supposedly didn't follow vaastu shastra rules? how stupid can u be? neo hinduism is really ridiculous...

 

it does seems that way. when searching for material on google, most of the hits were for sites selling this stuff as a panacea
for everything. nevertheless to reach a conclusion on the validity of vaastu shastra based on the actions of businessmen and superstitious peasants is a bit presumptuous.

what do you mean by neo hinduism?

 

well.. vaastu shastra is like bloody kama sutra.. experts on subjects springin from all directions without any formal knowledge.. just wanting to cash on a new trend.. soon ppl will move on to somethin that is more interesting... it always happens that way...

neo hinduism is basically the version of hinduism practised in india based on blind faith and belief.. its actually sickening... i hate it with a passion... lemme illustrate with an example...

back in 1997 or around that time... some ppl pulled a lil prank that turned into a national craze... im not sure how well u know the indian gods... we have a god called 'Ganesha'.. basically the elephant god.. so these fools started a rumour that the idols of that god is drinking milk... and in no time.. ppl were flockin to temples with buckets full of milk to feed the idol... it was so comical.. i had to go and check this out in person.. so i went to see and there was a huge stream of wasted milk that was runnin down on the side which da devotees were conveniently ignoring... so i said.. look at that.. its all goin to waste... and they retorted.. god can't drink that much.. he only takes a sip so that he can drink to his full and satisfy all his devotees.. wat a load of horseshit... it was just unbelievable... ppl all over the country goin ballistic...

so that's wats really left of hinduism.. remnants of blind belief and forced faith... how naieve can you be? really... grow up...

 

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ok

 

agreed kmguru... the problem is simply human error... most religious problems occur becuz the followers have been eating away at the misinterpretations for centuries and in the end it turns into tradition.. which i think is pure 100 percent bullshit..

regarding vaastu shastra... if i wore white clothing and sported a beard to make me look wiser and had my own website, would you pay me big bucks for advice that i would probably bum off some other website???

ppl have stopped thinking these days...

 

syco
what is your opinion on vaastu shastra? wheat? chaff?

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damn kmguru
that was some scary example you pulled out there!

 

Believing in God automatically means that one subscribes to that there exists more than what we directly see. So one cannot rule out Lord Ganesh drinking milk...possible. Well, for the process of drinking and the ponds of milk that you saw, yes, we know it is probably surface tension at work.

And this is not unique to any particular religion. Virgin Mary sheds tears of blood! She gave birth as a virgin! The Buddha smiles! Mohammed comes in a man's dream! Moses made a path in a river!
These are all equally unexplainable, unless we unlearn the logic we learnt.

It may not be true that everybody who saw one of these events essentially believed in these. But what is wrong in exploring?
And if it innocence that makes somebody believe in one of these, did you realize there is nothing better than innocence in life. (btw, did you listen to the song 'Return to innocence'?)

But flatly calling all of these ridiculous might indicate a closed mind. After all, science can explain just a small fraction of the universe. As kmguru mentioned, why can't there be interactions between the earth's magnetic field and the body's processes? Science says every atom can be a magnet in itself- I understand this is one of the basis for Vaasthu. Flow of water/slope, lighting/direction- these are the other bases.
And if thousands of people spend money and effort on redesigning homes, and vouch they are better after, can we flatly deny such possibilities without exploring?

No, I wouldn't believe you if you grew a beard and dole out advice. May be the reason for diluting concepts like vaasthu is such people merely growing beards!

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--Believing in God automatically means that one subscribes to that there exists more than what we directly see---

why.. cuz there isnt scientific evidence that God exists? so if we can't prove that God exists through logic, its mysterious... therefore anything mysterious is acceptable as long as we accept God? wat kinda thinking is that?

--It may not be true that everybody who saw one of these events essentially believed in these. But what is wrong in exploring?--

I dont have a problem with exploring somethin that can't be explained logically or scientifically... such things make life more interesting... otherwise everything is just plain mundane.. what i meant was that i was appalled by seeing ppl blindly feeding the idols milk... just outta blind faith... and i saw it with my own damm eyes... i know we argue about how senses might not always convey what might be actually happening... but doing something becuz my neighbour told me is absurd.... exploration of such things is very important... just following without a doubt is stupidity..

--But flatly calling all of these ridiculous might indicate a closed mind---

that's easy for ya to say.. u weren't there watching it...

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--And if thousands of people spend money and effort on redesigning homes, and vouch they are better after, can we flatly deny such possibilities without exploring?--

so does that make vaastu shastra infallible? it cures all your family and life problems apparently with great explanations regarding the magnetic fields and all that... if that was the case... everyone would re-design their houses accordin to vaastu shastra and we'd have world peace... everyone's problems would be solved... i've known many ppl who have changed their houses with the vaastu shastra regulations.... it hasn't changed their familial situations... they're still unhappy like before.. now they're more pissed cuz they spent all this money on somethin that didn't live upto its expectations...

as i said before.. vaastu shastra is just another concept taken outta its element and twisted so ppl can make loads of cash... everyone is coming up with some scam everyday in india.. some of them become big.. some of them don't... either way, the end goal is ultimately some dough...
:bugeye:

 

Acceptable until the mystery is proved no mystery.
Explore, Reason.
Anyway, I won't indulge in the God vs No God debate. There is lots of it elsewhere!

I accept that. Didn't I mention the surface tension thing? But how many regular people would know about surface tension? They might need to explore until they know that.
On the other hand, ruling out something without exploration is also stupidity.

You assume I wasn't?

It doesn't

Possible...

Possible...
Or was it the bearded man?

Focus on the element

...and the world, that's life

That is life again!

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ahahahahahahah... this is quite some fun...

alright UltiTruth.. I am not here to argue about God vs No God either... and if you did witness that whole ganesh drinkin thing, my bad for assuming that you didnt.. there was a lot of talk amongst the skeptics about the surface tension..

you mentioned 'focus on the element'... so who is the guru of vaastu shastra who can help us focus on the ELEMENT?? i just find it incredulous that somethin like vaastu shastra to be the answer to all our problems...

also.. what is the basis for saying the following.. or ppl just blindly accept that without questioning it??

--East stands for knowledge and hence there should be sufficient setback in this direction for the children to make progress.
North is the place of Lord of wealth.Open area here enriches the family.
South, West and Southwest are occupied by dark forces and to subdue them the structure should come in this portion of the plot.
Southeast is for kitchen as this is the place of fire.
Northwest is for bath and toilet---

that is just an example from one of the posts...

from a very elementary analysis of the whole theory... this is wat i think... u fix up your house following all the rules... you get a promotion at your job.. your children are doing fantastic at school... wife is also happy with her job (assuming a non-patriarchical set up)... everything is just goin fine... one happy family.. sounds a lot like THE BRADY BUNCH (just happens on television)... reality isn't so sweet and smooth...

we are so quick to dismiss scientific theories that have been raised in the last century... we try to disprove them or revise them.. yet, we still stick to principles that cannot be proven and are thousands of years old.... what is the reason for that?

i wudn't give a damm about this vaastu shastra if ppl weren't using it to make money off other ignorant ppl... that is what makes me mad... use anything to fool others and make a few pennies..

that's how the world works..... a nice easy excuse to perpetuate everything that is goin on...

 

Re: basic outline

North East not Lord Himsel, it is only Isananan. A lord who takes care of Vidya, Guru, Money, and good things in life. The Lord exists as the Vasthu Purushan on whom this whole thing is drawn.

lov

raj