Habitation is the basic need of every living being. Man builds
houses for his living. Any piece of land and structure built
on it is known as 'Vastu'. It has been derived from the word
'Vaas' which means 'to live'. It’s practice started with Vedic
period. We can find many references in Vedas, Puranas and
other subsequent literature. Our ancient saints have concluded
that anything living or non-living in the universe is made
up of five basic elements or Panch Maha Bhoot. They are Prithvi
(earth), Jal (water), Agni (fire), Vayu (air) and Aakash (space).
When these five elements are in harmony in our body, we are
healthy and active and when their equilibrium is disturbed
one is devitalized or unhealthy. Same is true with our place
of living or work. Vastu is the only science which instructs
how to maintain best equilibrium of these five elements in
a building and make best use of them to energize mental and
physical energies of inhabitants to the maximum extent. In
other words vaastu tells us how to make use of these five
elements for the maximum convenience, comfort and security
keeping them in perfect harmony in our home or place of work
so that one should enjoy health, wealth, prosperity and groth.
It has many branches like grih-vastu, nagar-vastu, prasad-vastu,
devalaya-vastu etc.
EARTH: When we talk about Prithvi, we mean
the piece of land on which the structure of our residence
or place of work is built or is to be built. It’s the most
important element. The points, which are observed while selecting
a piece of land are as follows. First of all its facing is
seen. For this we must know that there are eight directions.
They are East, South-East (SE), South, South West (SW), West,
North West (NW), North and North East (NE). Each direction
is governed by a specific planet and different provisions
are designed in a particular direction according to lord or
god of that planet in that direction. Next is geographical
location, it’s relative location within a city, atmospheric
conditions of that place, quality and consistency of the earth,
its surface, inclination of the surface, it’s auspicious and
inauspicious-ness, presence of any inauspicious material (Shalya)
like bones etc., shape of the plot, area, length and breadth
ratio, other structures near it like road, temple, big tree
etc. Level of seismic activity is also considered.
WATER: Since ancient times, be it humans
or other living beings, they have colonized near water bodies
like river, lake, pond well etc. Availability and source of
potable water like well, hand pump, boring, piped water supply,
direction of the water storage, direction of the flow of used
water like sever are some of the main points which are taken
care of under it. If the house is in the cold region where
snow fall takes place then roof has to be slanting and if
it is in the in the region where rain fall is scanty then
provisions are made for rain water collection and harvesting.
SUN: Our sole source of maximum free energy
is the Sun and role of proper Sunlight has been well established
by the modern sciences as well as ancients. Sunlight has three
kinds of rays - they are called ultra violet, white light
and infrared rays. White light consists of seven colours.
These seven colours can be seen in the rainbow after the rain.
They are V.I.B.G.Y.O.R or Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow,
Orange, and Red. The rays shorter in wavelength than red light
are called infra red rays and longer wavelength than violet
rays are called ultra violet rays. Ultra violet rays kills
harmful germs and are abundant in the morning light. Infra
red rays are harmful and are abundant when the Sun is setting.
Main door of the house, ventilation, windows, veranda are
planed accordingly to accommodate geological situation and
atmospheric conditions to maintain internal heating and cooling.
AIR: We all know that every living being
requires fresh air. Its proper circulation and its freshness
has to be maintained. In order to have proper ventilation,
relative humidity, open space, veranda, height, size and position
of ventilators, windows and doors, and height of the roof
is decided.
SPACE : Internal space of a building should
be utilized in such a manner that it should not obstruct the
ventilation and entry of Sun light. Therefore the height of
the ground floor, planning upper stories, multiplex, cupboards,
other internal fixtures, placement of furniture, bed etc.
are decided accordingly.
Eight Directions:
NE or Ishaan Kon (Water): Pooja room, water storage tank,
boring, lawn, portico, Drawing room, water supply connection.
East: Main gate, living room, bathroom, kitchen, guestroom,
open space, balcony, Tulsi plant.
SE or Agni Kon (Fire): Office, fire, toilet, plants, basement,
stairs, generator / inverter storeroom, clothes.
South: Bedroom, room to store heavy articles like machines
etc., overhead water tank, big trees, godown, toilet, paying
guest / tenant.
SW or Nairitya Kon (Earth): Arms and ammunition, room
to store raw materials, sleeping room, room for father or
elder brother, stairs, overhead water storage tank, trees.
West: Dinning room, septic tank, stairs, water storage
tank on the ground, toilet cum bath, drawing room, living
room.
NW or Vaayaya Kon ( Air ): Cattle and animals, grains
storage, kitchen, living room, stairs, medium sized trees.
North: Treasury, finished material store, reception room,
children’s room, recreation and entertainment room, gas
plant or connection, swimming pool.
Vaastu Shastra is 5000 years old but since the middle
1990s, there has been a sudden interest in the subject of
the vaastu shastras. People seem to have rediscovered a long
lost panacea for their ills. All they need to do is to make
a few changes to their home or office layout and overnight,
they have the health, wealth and happiness which they lacked
for so long!
Try buying a home in any city in India without the builder
spouting virtues of “Vaastu Shastra” and how his
project and flats fulfill vaastu conditions. It is impossible.
Over the last decade, vaastu shastra has gained enormes popularity.
Vaastu has found takers even among the high and mighty of
the land. Corporate chieftains and politicians in power are
constantly relocating and redesigning their offices according
to vaastu shastra to see if it will improve their financial
and political scorecards.
What is this vaastu shastra all about?
Believers in vaastu shastra have a modern name for it –
‘Ancient Wisdom of Architectonics’. There
are three levels in which vaastu shastra is applied. First, in a basic sense, it means designing architecture
of residential, commercial and government buildings and components
of a building like rooms, gates, etc on the basis of architectural
wisdom contained in ancient Indian lore. The idea is to add
to the well being of the occupants. Secondly, at a slightly higher level, vaastu covers
a lot of architecture related areas in public sphere-town
planning, laying out gardens, market places, ports, roads,
bridges, gateways, wells, drains, enclosure walls, embankments,
just about everything that is built by man. Thirdly, at the micro-level of an individual citizen’s
daily life, it deals with furniture, tables, beds, wardrobes,
mats, lamps, footwear and the like. This list is expanding
by the day. For example, vaastu experts now tell you about
the right design of the computer table and the ideal location
of PC in your home office.
Architects who think vaastu has no scientific basis-their
number is dwindling by the day – have two complaints
against the vaastu shastra and its modern interpretations.
First, they think that by claiming solutions in architecture
and interior design for every evil that befalls a human being,
vaastu has made architects responsible for things, which lie
beyond their control. A brilliant architect of a corporate
headquarters may be blamed for the financial misfortune of
the company, for which reasons may lie elsewhere. Secondly,
the non-believers argue that vaastu shastra leads to creating
structures that are out of sync with environment.
You should have a perspective on vaastu before you decide
whether to believe in it or not. For that, you need to know
a bit about how architectural ideas have evolved in India.
Be patient and control your yawns.
Indian history has three distinct architectural epochs in
succession the Vedic (or the Hindu) period, the Islamic period
and the colonial period. These three epochs are characterized
by their respective myths and cultures. In each epoch, structures
were constructed that reflected the society at the time.
For instance, the Vedic times were typically characterized
by the world of the non-manifest: buildings were generated
from magic diagrams called the ‘Vaastu-Purusha-Maddalas’,
the root of vaastu Shastra. The advent of Islam about a thousand
years ago caused a fundamental shift-from the meta-physical
to the sensual and hedonistic-characterized, for example,
by the garden as an earthly image of paradise. The arrival
and consolidation of power of Europeans in India and the construction
of buildings and public spaces on European style coincided
with the Age of scientific progress and rationality. This
influenced a radical change in paradigms.
Consider this. Intricately designed and complex temple structures,
concerned with the mysterious and the metaphysical, are typical
creations of the Hindu mind of the ancient times. In contrast,
simple rhythms and expansive blank walls and the dominance
of white color were attributes of Islamic culture and buildings.
The grandeur of power was reflected in the European architecture.
Modern architecture in India has imbibed qualities of all
these three epochs.
All right. So where do we place vaastu
in this?
The first, the ancient Indian category, of course. Vaastu
is based on the effect of the non-manifest on the architecture
and your well-being. In ancient India, a lot of people thought
that the manifest world was only a part of their existence;
there was also the world of the non-manifest that influenced
their lives. If you think that views holds good even now,
then vaastu shastra is for you.
The science of vaastu shastra is indeed one of the oldest
and most powerful of our cultural inheritances. All our great
rulers for the prosperity and perpetuity of their kingdoms
abundantly used vaastu shastra in the earlier periods. Vaastu
shastra was also used in town planning and the construction
of temples.
Simply stated, vaastu helps us to align the
energies of our house with that of the environment. It helps
us to live in consonance with nature. Most people consult
vaastu only when they are in trouble or things are not going
right. This attitude is incorrect as vaastu shastra affects
the health, wealth and prosperity of the house and it’s
inhabitants.
Vaastu says... No marble please...
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We see all over the World that temples, churches, mosques,
gurudwara & many religious places are made of using marble
in their constructions. White Marble is considered to be a
holy stone. Vibrations for meditation are of high quality
at such places. According to ancient texts use marble is permitted
only at the rligious places. We can see puriy and cleanliness
is well maintained at such religious places.
In ancient time king were given the respect as God, hence
we see use of marble in palaces constructed for them. In Rajasthan,
India you can find many palaces with the use of marble. Nowadays
marble is highly used in shopping complexes & residential
premises. Research study on selected house using marble flooring
shows that people staying in such house have stressful life.
The family members were victims of frequent sickness.
In India, you can see white marble is used only at threshold
(Dahlij) of the house, which is worshipped daily by the female
members of the house. This way marble is considered holy stone
for worship only.
If you have marble flooring then walking with footwear on
marble floor be avoided. Also footwear not in use should never
be left over on the marble flooring. Use of marble in the
bed room, bath room and latrine is highly inauspicious. This
brings poor luck for the occupants.
White marble can only be used in prayer area of the home.
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