Vaastu

Vaastu in Sanskrit means nature, a surrounding or environment. The word Vaastu came from Vastu, denoting anything existing such as house, shelter, building etc. Shastra in Sanskrit means the system. Vaastu Shastra is an ancient art and science, containing principles and practices of constructing buildings that ensures a harmonious balance between man and nature and thereby brings all round happiness, health, wealth, success, harmony in life and prosperity. The dwelling unit as per Vaastu principles gives us proper planning of building with maximum input of natural resources and maximum flow of natural energies in positive manner.

The word " VAASTU " has been derived from ' VAASTOSHPATI ' used in ' Rig Veda ' and is meant to provide protection, happiness and prosperity in this life as well as after death.

Vaastu is the mixture of five important elements water, air, earth, fire and space, that's why on the basis of these elements nature construct the house. From that, you have to take care of three factors gravity force, magnetic field, cosmic energy. There is no relation of Vaastu to destiny; this is attached with our deeds. In success, there is 50% role of deeds, 30% of fate and 20% of Vaastu. Even you will get the success without Vaastu also.

Vaastu in some sense consists of two Sanskrit words Vas + Astu, means a place of dwelling. This may be residential, commercial, industrial, or center of social activities too. The shape of building should merge with environment and climatic condition of the surroundings. The shape of building length, breadth and height, the entrance and space plays an important role in life of dwellers. For development or regeneration of life or vegetation the basic requirements are Air, Water, Sun, Earth and Atmosphere.

Main planning and interior designing constraint which are to be kept in mind by each architect are :-

Contrast: Building viewed in terms of surface and masses, hence shape, colour, texture, tone are made possible through contrast.
Proportions : As a building consists of mass and surface, hence the inter-relationship of masses and surfaces is called as proportions.
Scale : In building design scale refers to the proportions that will be appropriate for the desired functions of the building.
Balances : Balance is the arrangement of the various units of a building such that there some balance between the parts.
Rhythm : As architecture is also an art, hence such as unorganized sound in music produces dissonance, unorganized forms produce confusion in architecture.
Unity : It is the arrangement of the different parts of an architectural composition in to proper relation to each other so that it satisfactorily composition is obtained.
Character : The functional character of a building should be the evident of the on - looker.

In life everyone wants to be live happily. For happy and prosperous life they want to be successful. Hard work is the only way to achieve the success. Sometimes we see people are doing lots of hard work but even after that they are not achieving that level of success. May be Vaastu problem is the reason behind this.

Vaastu has seeped into the veins of almost all so much that whenever one thinks of building his house or office complex, he looks forward to build it according to the Vaastu norms. This mad rush has resulted in the people being led astray by some consultants who do not have the in-depth knowledge of the matter. We stand for the ultimate satisfaction of the clients with our expansive knowledge of the matter and the experience accumulated over all these years. With an aim to propagate the view of Vaastu being a science rather than a myth, we carve out unmatched solutions so as to suit the specific requirements of the clients.

Vaastu Purusha Mandala

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

What is the legend of Vaastu Purusha ?

The ancient Indian text Mayamatam on Vaastu Shastra, written thousands of years ago, explains the legend of the Vaastu Purusha. According to Hindu mythology, in the beginning Brahma the creator of the Universe, experimented with a new creature. He created a large cosmic man, who grew rapidly as he began to devour everything in his path to satisfy his insatiable hunger. When he became unmanageably big so that his shadow fell on the Earth like a permanent eclipse, the gods Shiva and Vishnu begged Brahma to do something before everything was destroyed by this Creature.

Brahma realized his mistake and called the Astha Dikapalakas – the Gods of the eight cardinal directions. Together, they overpowered the monster and held it flat against the Earth while Brahma jumped on it’s middle. Then the Monster cried out to Brahma, “You created me like this. So why am I being punished?” Brahma offered him a compromise and made the Monster immortal with the boon that he would be worshiped by any mortal that builds a structure on earth. He was named Vaastu Purusha.

In Fig. 3 shown above, known as Vaastu Purusha Mandala, is a metaphysical square plan that illustrates how the Vaastu Purusha was pinned down by Brahma and 44 Gods – face down, with his head to the North-East and his feet towards the South-West.

The diagram is divided into 9×9 = 81 parts. The positions of the 45 gods who are holding down the Vaastu Purusha are shown. (32 in the external enclosures and 13 in the internal enclosures). These symbolic Gods rule various aspects of life and have certain inherent qualities. For example, there should be no weight on the central portion as it is ruled by Brahma, the supreme one. It is to be kept open in the form of a central courtyard. (This was mainly to allow proper flow of air and cross ventilation). The function of the rooms placed in each area of the house was in accordance with the nature of the deity ruling that particular area.

Advantages of designing a house based on the Vaastu Purusha Mandala :-

According to Vastu Shastra, if the house is designed as per the Vastu Purusha Mandala, a perfectly balanced environment which ensures enhanced health, wealth and happiness is created. The Scientific Explanation: This is actually based on scientific principles wherein, the Sun, the five basic elements ( Panchabhutaas ), the Earth’s magnetic field, Earth’s energy fields and the eight directions are manipulated to create an atmosphere beneficial to man. The Vastu pundits figured out that, when the different rooms were placed according to the Vastu Mandala created by them, good disposition to the Sun, proper ventilation and lighting and privacy would be ensured in the building.

WHAT IS THE LOGIC BEHIND THE POSITIONING OF DIFFERENT ROOMS ACCORDING TO THE VASTU PURUSHA MANDALA ?

Because of the importance of sunlight to humans, the main aim of Vastu Shastra is to ensure that the inmates of a house are inadvertently exposed to the useful rays of sunlight, even if they are inside the house the whole day. But during a day, people perform different activities in different rooms at different times and the Sun’s position keeps changing from sunrise to sunset. So to ensure that the inmates get exposed to sunlight constantly, each room should be positioned so that it faces the Sun at the time of the day when it is most likely to be used.

The 24 hours of 1 solar day are divided into eight parts which are associated with the eight cardinal directions. In each of these eight periods, the Sun is positioned in one of the cardinal directions. So the room which is most likely to be used during that period is located in this direction. This is explained here:

Puja Room or meditation room in the North-East: The Reasoning – The period between 3am and 6am, just before sunrise is called Brahma Muhurta. At this time, the Sun is in the North-Eastern part of the house. These hours are ideal for Yoga, meditation, or study as it is very quiet and peaceful. Therefore, the North-East corner is the best position for the Puja Room or meditation room.

Bathroom, doors/windows in the East: The Reasoning – From 6am to 7.30am, the Sun is in the eastern part of the house. This is the time for bathing and preparing for the day, so East is a good location for a bathroom used for bathing purposes only. In addition, there should be lots of openings and no obstructions in the East so that the beneficial ultraviolet rays of the morning Sun will engulf the house.

Kitchen in the South-East: The Reasoning – The time between 7.30am to 9am, when the Sun is in the South-East part of the house, is the best time for preparing food to be eaten later in the day. Therefore, the kitchen can be located here as the UV rays of the Sun will keep the kitchen counter free from germs that spoil the food.

Bedroom, office, Store room in the South: The Reasoning - The period between 9am and noon is the time for work. The Sun is now in the South, and hence this is the best position for an office and a bedroom. By noon, the intensity of the heat is high and so the South is ideal for store rooms which need to be moisture proof.