VASTU-TRUTHS AND UNTRUTHS
The problem can be losses in business, being overlooked for promotion, delay in getting married or having children, health, or marital disharmony. Whatever be the problem, the present trend seems to be to consult a Vastu Pundit and make changes in the house incurring expenses and facing inconveniences. Many more are taking the advice of the Vastu experts before construction itself.
Many owners who consult Vastu experts have homes with kitchen facing the road, poojaroom in bedroom and so on. Even non Hindus are seeking Vastu conformity. There are houses outside India also built according to Vastu. At present many apartment builders are issuing advertisements that all the flats in the complex are 100% Vastu compliant.
VASTU SASTRA-ITS ORIGIN
Now questions arise. What is Vastu? How did it originate? To know the answers we have to go back several thousand years into the past. Every human being wants to live happily and comfortably. He will be continuously trying for achieving this goal. But on several occasions the efforts may not payoff. Taking a specified course of action does not guarantee success and happiness. Then the worrying about the future begins. The desire to know the future becomes stronger and stronger. Looking up to the stars, the belief that planetary motions control our life gained momentum marking the beginning of Astrology.
There are three Skandhas (parts) in Indian Astrology. They are called Siddhantha, Phalitha, and Samhitha.
Siddhantha Skandha deals with planetary motions, Moon’s phases, eclipses and allied matters. The subject is related to Mathematics. There can never be mistakes in this part of astrology. At present this is called astronomy and is taught in universities to students of Mathematics and also as a separate subject of specialisation.
The second Phalitha Skandha deals with predicting the events in a person’s life based on planetary positions.
The third is Samhitha Skandha. Palmistry, water divining, horary astrology etc which are not covered by the first two parts are covered in this. Vastu is part of Samhitha Skandha.
The word Vastu originated from the word Vasa meaning the place of residence. The science dealing with rules for construction of abodes or homes can be called Vastu. The house should be good for residents. It should have facilities for good ventilation and light. It should give us protection from thieves, rain and natural disasters. It should help us in pursuing our careers successfully. Only such a house will give us happiness, enthusiasm, health and peace of mind. The science of Vastu gives the rules for constructing such a house. It may be pointed here that Vastu deals not only with the construction of houses but also temples, roads, forts, vehicles and furniture.
VASTU-RELEVANT EVEN NOW
Vastu Sastra gives great importance to the place where the house should be constructed. There are many rules connected with safety and health. Many of those rules, though formulated thousand of years ago, hold good even now.
For example, a house should not have a defect called Rathya Vedha. Rathya means the road on which Rathas or chariots move. A house constructed very near Rathya has Rathya Vedha. At present we may substitute cars, buses and lorries for Rathas. A house constructed very near a main road causes pollution and noise pollution for its residents. A specific area should be left vacant between the house and the road. Vastu Sastra says the same thing by the rule that Rathya Vedha should be avoided.
Similarly a house in which there is no provision for sunlight during the day and moonlight at night suffers from Nisachara Vedha. Residents of such a house will have chronic diseases. A better rule for good health cannot be thought of.
A house constructed with large stones or based on large stones is not good according to Vastu. We all know that the great loss of life in Latur, Maharashtra, India where earth quake occurred in 1993 was due to the houses being constructed of large stones.
Thus there are many useful points in Vastu. A house should not be constructed near burning ghats, abattoirs, or leather factories. The shade of the trees should not fall on the house during midday. A house should not be very near a mountain or river. There are many rules which help in residents of a house to live happily and successfully with good health.
SHOULD A HOUSE BE ACCORDING TO VASTU ONLY
Does that mean one should construct a house only according to Vastu Sastra? First and foremost point one should know before answering this question is that Vastu Sastra is not a single book written by one person. Many people have written books on this subject. There are various points of view expressed by them. The books must have been written by them keeping their places of residence and their times in mind. Most of the rules blindly followed now are not even mentioned in these books.
Among the standard books on Vastu Sastra, Mayamatha, Viswakarma Prakasika, Aparajithaprichha, Manasara, Samaranganasutradhara are well known .Books like Varahamihira’s Brihamsamhitha, Narada’s Samhitha have covered Vastu Sastra well. Almost all of us read Mahabharata and are familiar with Maya Sabha. Ravana’s Lanka was also constructed with Vastu developed by Maya. People somehow associate Narada with causing quarrels but his Samhitha is a standard book in astrology.
SHOULD THE KITCHEN BE ONLY IN SOUTH-EAST?
At present everyone says that kitchen should be in Agneya or South-east. The place of worship must and should be in Isanya or North-east. Is that really so? It would be convenient to cook in south-east and take the food for offering to gods in north-east. But is it possible for everyone to construct houses following this rule? Let us see what ancient texts say.
Mayamatha says that dining room should be in south, kitchen between south and south-east, place of worship, well and bathroom in north-east.
Maya further says that kitchen can be between east and south-east and the grinding stone should be to the north of the kitchen.(The rule does not apply to the present day mixers and electrical grinders perhaps!). Kitchen in the north-east is beneficial for everyone. The verse for the above rule is as follows.
Anthrikshe bhaveth chulli Sathyake syath ulookhalam
Isanye pachanasthanam sarvesham cha subhapradam
According to Manasara, kitchen can be in north-east, north or north-west and dining room can be in south or south-west.
Thus there are various points of view. All these are only general principles. Special rules are laid for the position of the kitchen depending on the direction which the house faces,
Viswakarma has given the following rules depending on the direction which the house faces.
1. An East facing house should have the kitchen in West, south-west or north-west.
2. A South facing house should have the kitchen in North-west.
3. A West facing house should have the kitchen in South-east.
4. A North facing house should have the kitchen in South-east or South-west.
Similarly many rules are followed for bedrooms and other rooms. The following principles were laid by our ancient stalwarts.
Mayamatha says that dining room should be in south, treasury(where one stored money in days when there were no banks) in north, granary in south-east, kitchen between south and south-east, place of worship, well and bathroom in north-east.
According to Manasara treasury should be in the North-west part of the West, dressing room should be in West or South-west, make-up in south, dining in south or south-west, kitchen in north-east, well in south-east part of east, floral garden in the north-northwest, toilet in north-east and bedroom in the south. Portico for vehicles should be to the right side of the main entrance and garage should be in the south-west.
Narada says that bathroom should be in the east, kitchen in south-east, bedroom in the south, urinals and dining room in south-east, granary, treasury and rooms for women in south-west and make-up room in North-west.
Viswakarma gives the rules as follows.
The front portion of the house should have study, office and drawing rooms. The middle portion should be allotted to bed room, children’s rooms, dressing and treasury. The rear part should have kitchen, bathroom, toilets, urinals, cattle sheds, granary and other miscellaneous rooms.
Ganapayamatya in his Srikrishna Vastu says that bathroom should be in east, kitchen in south-east, bed room in south, place for weapons in south-west, dining room in west, cattle shed in north-west, treasury in north and place of worship in north-east.
Mayamatha prescribes dining hall in the South, treasury in the North, granary in the North West, and place of worship, bathroom and well in the North East.
All these are general rules only. Special rules are also to be complied with while constructing the house.
SOME MORE MYTHS
Now how about the staircase? The 36th sloka in ‘Grihamanasthana kadhana’ chapter in Manasara clearly says chaturdikshu chatushkone sopanasthanameeritha”. In other words staircases can be located in any of the eight directions.
There is no rule in the Sastra that rooms in first floor shall not be located in East, North directions. Similarly there is no rule that 3 doors should not be provided for a room. There is no evidence in the reference books that the total number of doors and windows should not end in zero ie10, 20, or 30.
SHOULD SOUTH-EAST BE ALWAYS LENGTHENED?
Some principles of Vastu appear to be contradicting each other. For example, more area in the Northeast indicates riches, family prosperity and wellbeing. At the same time vishamabahu plot (a quadrilateral having two adjacent equal sides and two unequal sides) indicates grief to the family. One will be in a quandary as to which indication is true. Under such circumstances one should study in depth the science of Vastu. ‘Mashamatrantu eesanyam puthra daradi laabhakruth’ is an ancient principle in the text. In other words area in Northeast should be more only in very small quantity (masha in Sanskrit means Black gram). According to genuine Vastu pundits, in the recent times many people are constructing in violation of this principle and are suffering as a result.
PLEASE REMEMBER THESE
The most important aspect of vastu is the Nama nakshatra of the owner (star depending on the name). Even though there are some general rules for construction of a house, the direction of the house, location of the main entrance, and other details are finalised only on the basis of Nama nakshatra. These important special rules vary from individual to individual.
Those who want to undertake construction of house or make modifications for an existing house must make thorough study of the reference books on Vastu, identify the differences, and interpret the principles for the present circumstances. If this is not possible one should seek the advice of those who have studied in depth and use their knowledge for the benefit of others. Some modern Vastu experts, either due to lack of knowledge or for pecuniary gains, or fame are playing havoc by giving ruinous suggestions. We should protect ourselves from such pseudo experts.
DOES VASTU CONTROL AND STEER YOUR LIFE
Now we come to the crux of the matter. Will Vastu of the house decide our fate? How far is Vastu responsible for the ups and downs in our life? If Vastu can decide the passage of our lives, we can accommodate the poor, the sick and the downtrodden people in homes constructed as per Vastu and give them relief. What happened to Ravana who lived in Lanka which was constructed as per Maya Vastu? One can easily rationalise that Ravana was a personification of evil and paid for his evil deeds. How can we explain the hardships experienced by Pandavas after their living in Maya Sabha? It is a grave error if we believe that our life will be wonderful, if we live in Vastu compliant houses. Bhagavad-Gita extols: ‘accept both good and bad with equanimity and do your duty without expecting any result.’ All the religions express similar views. Without doing our duty, entertaining hopes for miracles is not correct. There may be several reasons for our hardships and comforts. We should analyse the reasons for them and decide on the course of our life. It is wise to believe the ancient adage of Karma yoga, do your duty without expecting any result
