AN OVERVIEW OF VASTHU SASTRA

"Vasthu is a science based on climatology and has very little to do with religion and spirituality"

VASTHU PURUSHA

I am attempting this blog to make the visitor more informed on the Vasthu Sastra and is certainly not an attempt to impose the concepts on anyone who is less inclined. One might feel that this aspect of Architectural & Directional Space theories and its effect on the occupants is less relevant today, what with the changed living styles of crowded Apartments. 

No doubt this ancient Sastra was originally conceived for independent stand-alone buildings (residential and otherwise) on the principles of design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement, and spatial geometry. In Tamil, "Manaiyadi Sasthram" deals with such details. Many Puranik texts and Agamas del with such construction concepts.

Pandits today have, however, evolved and built  certain theories around the original concepts to suit the modern day living patterns and it is left to the readers to judge their acceptance level. My blog is therefore centered on providing information to the curious visitor on the salient features of the original Vasthu Sastra and its extension today, based on guidelines given in the ancient texts and does not explore into the controversies surrounding the extension thereof. 

It is to be understood that the theories have evolved based on the ventilation concepts, flow of sunlight energy into the premises, keeping the energy conserved within the premises (as electricity was absent then) etc. A scholarly and complete reading of the Vastu Sastra literature amply suggests the architect is free to adapt the ideas to new materials of construction, local layout constraints and into a non-square space. Vasth deals with the Architectural proportions such as symmetry, golden ratio, fractal & projective geometry and catenary algorithms. 

The concept will be better understood after reading the story of Vasthu Purusha given down below.

THE CONCEPT OF VASTHU VIDHYA

The root Sanskrit word "vas" means to reside. Vasthu Sastra, the doctrine of dwelling, deals with  broader knowledge on architecture and design theories from ancient India. It is believed that 18 Indian saints including Maya, Mansara, Bhrigu and Vishwakarma have laid out the basic rules of Vastu Shastra thousands of years ago.Ancient Vastu Shastra principles include those for the design of Hindu temples and the principles for the design and layout of houses, towns, cities, gardens, roads, water works, shops and other public areas. These town planning methods underwent drastic changes during the Moghul and then the British regimes.  

The Atharvana veda contains verses with mystic cosmogony which provide a paradigm for cosmic planning. Varahamihira's Brihat Samhita dated to the 6th century is the first known Indian text that describes something like a vasthu purusha mandala, to plan cities and buildings. One such Vastu Sastra is by Thakkura Pheru, describing where and how temples should be built. By 6th century, Sanskrit manuals for constructing palatial temples were in circulation in India. Vastu-Sastra manuals included chapters on home construction, town planning, and how efficient villages, towns and kingdoms integrated temples, water bodies and gardens within them, to achieve harmony with nature. 

The Silpa Prakasa of Odisha, authored by Ramachandra Bhattaraka Kaulachara sometime in 9th or 10th century, is another Vastu Sastra text. 

If you look at it deeply, Vastu suggestions are not carelessly drawn out of arbitrary assumptions. Rather, it takes every factor relating to the site into account and proposes a design which will let the owners have all the advantages of the topography, roads, nearby structures and sunlight.

The space or land is divided imaginarily into several parts, called Mandalas, based on the direction it is situated, such as East, North etc and further sub-divided into a 3x3, 4x4, 6x6 or 8x8 grid like pattern. The central portion is denoted as Brahmasthan, or the place of Brahma. It is believed that every piece of a land or a building has a soul of its own and that soul is known as Vastu Purusha. Depending on the size of the piece of land, they are categorised into increasing number of grids going upto 196 grids for very large plot of land.

Nature consists of Panchabhutam, the five elements - Akasham or Sky, Vaayu or Air, Agni or Fire, Bhumi or Earth and Jalam or Water.Five elements reside in nature in specific proportions. Vasthu Shastra involves the alignment of these five basic elements according to the law of nature. According to Vasthu, interplay between the five elements and the eight directions – East, West, North, South, North-East, South-East, South-West and North-West can influence your life negatively or positively depending on the balance.

Nature consists of Panchabhutam, the five elements - Akasham or Sky, Vaayu or Air, Agni or Fire, Bhumi or Earth and Jalam or Water.Five elements reside in nature in specific proportions. Vasthu Shastra involves the alignment of these five basic elements according to the law of nature. According to Vasthu, interplay between the five elements and the eight directions – East, West, North, South, North-East, South-East, South-West and North-West can influence your life negatively or positively depending on the balance.

The Story of Vastu Purusha

It all started when Lord Brahma created the Universe and was experimenting to make some creatures. He thought that a ”man” would be the best option for this and so he created a man. But this was no ordinary man, he was huge and had enormous powers to grow. Soon after his creation the man started growing fast and furiously.

As time passed, he became extremely huge and with his size, his hunger also increased. He started to eat anything and everything that came his way. In no time he became so big that his shadow had cast a permanent eclipse on earth. This whole episode was enough for Gods (Shiva and Vishnu) to press the panic button. They immediately rushed to God Brahma and requested him to stop the man from spreading chaos.

God Brahma understood that he has made a terrible mistake and he needs to rectify it. But the man was too powerful for God Brahma to handle alone; hence he requested the gods of eight directions (Astha Dikapalakas) and a host of other gods to come and help him. Upon hearing his request, Gods came for rescue, they grabbed the man, overpowered him and sent him down to the earth. They pinned the man with his head in North-East and legs in South-West direction. 

During this event Lord Brahma jumped into the center and held the man down. As soon as the ”man” realized that he has been pinned down he started to cry and asked God Brahma “You created me, and now you are doing this treatment to me? What’s my fault?” Hearing his question God Brahma thought for a moment and answered “I know its not your fault, but you have become a threat to everyone. I don’t want to destroy what I have created and hence you have to remain like this forever.” 

“But what’s my benefit in all this?” the man asked. Brahma said “I will make you immortal and all mortal people who build any sort of structure on earth will worship you. You can tease, devour and trouble these people if they don’t worship you and don’t keep you happy. You will be present in all the land and you are from now onwards known as Vastu Purusha”. 

To this deal, the man (oops Vastu Purusha) agreed and became an inseparable part of earth forever. The earth was full of water then and Lord Brahma converted his flesh to become the land on earth. He was since then known as Vasthu Purusha and held in reverence as one of the gods. Thus Vasthu came to be associated with the land on earth. He is the land. 

From the story of Vastu Purusha you can recollect that Gods have pinned down Vastu Purusha to ground, hence the section of the ground where Vastu Purusha was pinned down is called as Vastu Purusha Mandala. Since God Brahma said that Vastu Purusha will be worshiped all over earth hence any plot or land used for construction is automatically a Vastu Purusha Mandala. A better way of understanding Vastu Purusha Mandala is to have a look at the image below.

Ref: https://www.vastushastraguru.com/Vastu-Purusha-Mandala

Vastu Purusha Mandala

In the above diagram we see Vastu Purusha pinned down facing earth with his head in the North-East direction and leg towards South-West direction. It was a collective effort of 45 Gods (including Brahma) to pin Vastu Purusha down. 

Vastu Purusha Mandala is divided in to 9×9= 81 parts (as shown in the diagram), each part names the God holding Vastu Purusha down in respective part. There are 32 Gods in outer part and 13 Gods in inner part. This means that there is presence of different Gods in Vastu Purusha Mandala and each of these Gods rule different parts of a human life as per their qualities. This is the reason why while making rooms in a home, we make sure not to offend any deity of that area.

Vastu Shastra lays guidelines and principles to keep all deities happy at all times. Hence as per vastu shastra if any building is constructed as per Vastu Purusha Mandala then prosperity prevails in the building and inhabitants are always happy, healthy, wealthy and satisfied. Depending upon the position of Sun in relation to earth during a 24 hour period, our ancient Sages structured various rooms of a home in such a way so that during anytime in a day, depending upon the location of work, humans get the best rays of sun on them.

Vasthu Directions

 

Following are the suggested location of rooms based on directions, if you are planning to construct a house:

North-East: (Eesanya moolai):

In morning, from 3:00 am to 6:00 am, Sun is in the North-East part of house. This patch of time between 3:00 am to 6:00 am is called as Brahma Mahuratham and is best for meditation, yoga, exercise or study. Hence North-East part of a home is best suited for a pooja/prayer room, living room or even study room. 

The plane of the earth in relation to the plane of the Sun is tilted at 23 degrees towards North East and hence this direction attracts more energy from the Sun. Since Vasthu purusha's head lies here, we should try not to keep heavy objects there in the North-East corner of that room; rather this place should always be lower in level as Vasthu purusha's head lies there nose-down, so that he can breath easy. It is therefore customary to have a well or deep bore-well in this direction, making it lower in level and also cooler due to presence of water. 

It is advisable to keep this place cool and not to have kitchen or electric appliances, which generate heat. Do not plan toilets at this corner. Correct positioning of large reservoirs of water, like water tanks, wells, swimming pools or water fountains in this location influences the quality of life and success.

East: 

East is the direction which attracts maximum sunlight into the house. The Sun remains in East from 6:00 am to 9:00 am and hence this time is best to get ready for the day ahead and hence East is best suitable for a bathroom (only bathroom, not toilet). However, this portion can also be used for living room, unmarried children’s bedroom, guest bedroom, dining room, pooja room and even study room. 

It is best to keep this direction open to let sun light in to the house, which means the entrance to the house can be in this direction or  one can provide for an open window or door to invite positivity from the celestial guests. Keep this place clean and avoid making it clumsy by keeping dustbin, shoe rack or water-centric plants.Traditionally, our ancestors used to wash the front yard every single day for the same reason and decorate it with Kolam.

South-East: 

9:00 am to 12:00 noon is the time when Sun is in the South-East part of home and this time is best for preparing food and going to job. Hence this location is best suited to place a kitchen, office. This is the fire corner and hence one should avoid utilities involving water at this corner. A water tank for example, or a bath or a washroom should be avoided. 

It is better not to use this corner for toilets. Do not keep Air-conditioner in this corner, as it cools down the fire place, which is to be kept hot. The water taps in Kitchen should preferable be in the North-East Direction of this room.

South: 

The time between 12 noon and 3:00 pm is time to work, during this time the Sun is in southern portion of a building and hence this location is good for office. In this portion, the intensity of sunlight is very high and hence South can also be used as a store room, staircase and even toilets. 

South-West: 

Post lunch is the time to rest i.e. from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. During this time the sun is in South-West portion of a home and hence this location is best for master bedroom. Also a staircase or strong room can be located here. We can keep heavy items in the South-West corner to retain the energy that has come into the house from the East. The South-West corner should preferably be a closed one, to conserve energy and not to allow any energy leak.

West: 

The time between 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm is best time to relax and dine. Thats why this is the best location to have dining room in a home. One can also use this portion to locate children’s bedroom, prayer room, study room or a staircase. If possible, it is better to avoid this direction to be the entrance to the house as it is supposed to be closed to reduce entry of dark negative energy. It is customary in houses to keep the back door, which faces West, closed during the Sayam Sandhya period (after 6 p.m) 

North-West: 

The time between 9:00 pm to 12:00 am is the time to  sleep. Hence this location is best suited for a children's bedroom. However, this portion can also be used as living room and for entertaining guests. Since this is a Vayu moola, anything that keeps moving or in motion, like a car park or a cattle shed can be thought of in this place.

North: 

This portion of home is best suitable for cash room or strong room. However this portion can also be used as living room or dining room. North is Kuber's direction and hence many businessmen prefer to have their entrance to the house in this direction.  

These are only general guidelines and there are many versions of Vasthu and the belief varies widely. However, the concept is to be understood and prudently implemented as much as possible, under the circumstances. It is for the readers to decide to go further deep into vasthu sastra which spells out the finer aspects.

In some circumstances, it is not possible to comply with vasthu in which case, we can see if we can at least avoid what is not vasthu compliant. For example if the master bedroom cannot be in South-West corner, we can avoid having it in fire corner. If the kitchen cannot be in South-East, then better to avoid having it in North-East, where Vasthu's head lies and needs to be kept cool always.


Vasthu mantra for various directions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXORuTBzyDA

Few Tips on Vasthu

• The apartment should preferably be a square or rectangle shape, with no cuts or extensions, excepting in the North-East Direction.
• Keep the study tables or office tables facing east or north direction.
• One should sleep with the head in the south or east direction.
• Any slope, be it floor or roof, should be from South to North or from West to East.
• Do not keep pictures of violence or sadness in living room or board room. Instead prefer a happy family photograph.
• If you want to have a moving water flow, keep ornamental fountain (however small) or  aquarium in the north. 
• You can keep  greeneries  (a money-plant or a bamboo plant in a green vase) in the north direction. Or keep a picture of lush green trees in this place. North is the direction of Bhudhan, whose colour is green. Keep red coloured things in the south direction, as this is the direction of Mars. Saturn is in west, which is most suited for black colour. 
• The central portion of the house is the brahmasthan. Try to keep it clean to attract positivity. You would have observed that in villages, the central part of the house will be kept open to the sky as a courtyard. This brings in lot of health benefits due to proper ventilation.

• While cooking, facing east is the best. There shall be no toilet adding the kitchen, as it will affect the health.
• Mirrors preferably should be kept on the northern wall, as it will create a mirage of extending in the north direction. As a corollary,  try not to keep the mirror on the southern or western wall.
• Bed rooms should not be in the North-East direction, exceptions being for a bachelor and not suitable for the married. Avoid South-East for a bedroom for anyone. Ensure not to sleep or work beneath the beam. A beam carries the entire load of the building and would cause stress. Do not align your bed with the toilet wall. Keep the bedsheets and pillows neatly arranges always, to avoid attracting negativity. Make sure that there is no storage under or below the bed as it disrupts the energy field resulting in highly disturbed sleep.

• One must never have their head pointing toward the north during sleep. The prime reason being that north is a positive direction and the crown chakra above our head is also positive and when two positives interact, they give out a negative vibe. Sleeping in this direction leads to bad dreams and a drain in energy. 
• For independent house constructions, avoid building the entrance in the West. or avoid entrance from South-West side at any cost. North-West entry is a compromise compared to South-West entry. 
• Toilet is a highly-debated area of the house as far as Vastu is concerned.  Preferably the toilet should be in the South, West or in North West side. However, the apartments have more than one toilets and hence it becomes difficult to apply vasthu. If possible, avoid having toilet in the North-East and South-East directions. The seat of the toilet should face North-South and should be kept closed when not in use.
• The pooja room should face either East or North direction. If it faces north, the lamp should be lit with its wick facing East. Sit facing the East, while doing the pooja.

• A staircase must always be built in the western or southern part of the house. Make sure it's not constructed in the northeast corner. In fact, staircase in any corner except west or south is not recommended. Always begin your stairs from north to south or east to west. Do not use the space below the staircase for uses other than for storing things. 
• The Balcony in the apartment can be in the East or the North Direction to attract positive energy. If there is more than one balcony, keep atlas one of them in these favourable direction. If there is a balcony in the West, keep the doors closed during the sunset period.
• Do not keep clutter or dump unused items that needs to be disposed off inside the house as it attracts negativity. You should be alert enough to remove such goods as early as possible.
• Do not grow taller trees on the East or North direction, which will hinder the flow of energy into the house.
• According to vasthu, anything that is unnatural should not be kept at home. This is the reason vasthu advises against keeping bonsais too, as they are shrunk and disallowed to grow to their full potential. Dead animal skins, horns etc are to be avoided inside the house.
• Keep a Tulsi plant at a holy place and worship it daily to invite positivity.

Vasthu Pooja

Bhoomi Pooja is performed before start of construction activities. During Grahapravesam, or just after renovation of the building, be it office or residence, Vasthu Pooja is performed to alleviate any vasthu non-compliances, seeking blessings against known/unknown Vastu defects. For this purpose, Vasthu Muhurtham is to be verified with Panchangam. There are certain days and times when Vasthu Purusha will be awake. The Pooja has to coincide with this time.

Ancient Vs Modern Vasthu

Ancient vasthu was aimed at harmonising nature and man's activities. Following is the Vasthu Suktha mantra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atscOSE6kEA

Obviously, the Ancient vasthu can no longer be applied in full in modern days, as there has been a vast change in the way we live today. But just to highlight the significance of ancient vasthu sastra, please listen to the following video by Abhigya:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwxuPv4Ejbg

Modern vasthu, while it has made a revival, has shunned many of the ancient principles to accommodate new concepts, including fengshui etc. It has become a mash-up of all the concepts such as what are the preferred colours, which articles to be kept where, use of crystals and beads, etc. The readers are advised to fully understand the ramifications by weighing the promised benefits in the hands of vasthu 'experts'. As I have mentioned above, it would be more than enough to know what is not recommended by vasthu than what is recommended.


Vasthu sastra is an ancient Indian science of architecture for creating a wealthy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous living. It helps us to tune with nature by creating happier living spaces. Make your habitat a place that you like the most, so that you can willingly waste your time in there. Make your house your home.

Just as in a card game, not all of us get the same cards. It is not important how good your card is; it is rather important how good you play the cards that you hold. Winning or loosing is in your hands. Be happy with what you have and see how well you can adapt what you have with what nature has to offer. That's all to it.