Vastu Shastra: "The Science behind Architecture"

Walking through your house, place of work, or building is always surreal. Especially when you have built everything with love piece by piece. However, when intrusive and negative vibrations interfere with the joy and happiness of the house, then that poses a problem. Vastu Shastra tackles every issue that comes between you and your happy home!

What is Vastu Shastra?

Vastu Shastra is an age-old, ancient Indian science of structure and architecture. Vastu allows your body's physical or outward part and environment to align with the natural magnetic energies. Thus, utilising the benefits bestowed upon us by nature and its aspects.

It helps design a building that follows the universe's fundamental laws. Moreover, it is the perfect culmination of art, science, astrology and astronomy. Therefore, making our places better and lives happier.

What is the history and origin of Vastu Shastra?

Dating back to almost 7000 years, Vastu consists of two Sanskrit words. Vastu (house, building or habitation) and Shastra (doctrine, study or teaching). Thus, we can concur that Vastu Shastra is the doctrine or study of houses.

Embedded in our rich cultural heritage, Vastu Shastra is one of the oldest and most valuable practices in Indian civilisation. Sages and the wise established this discipline to strengthen prosperous living by using traditional knowledge about nature.

Vastu Shastra enriches our lives with positivity and optimism and helps us eliminate significant issues in our lives. Thus, while constructing a home or any other premises, considering it is of utmost importance. Moreover, it helps us understand the architectural sciences through astrology and its countless aspects.

Therefore, carefully utilising the five elements. Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Space, and taking them into account before building anything is paramount. Any imbalance among these elements is likely to cause an issue in the lives of natives of that premises. Thus, living or working in such a place can be detrimental to our lives.

The vitality of Vastu Shastra has been known for ages. Right from the time of the ancient epic Mahabharata, Ramayana, the Agni Puranas or the holy Bhagavad Gita. Moreover, sages like Vasudeva, Indra, Atri, etc., have also used Vastu Shastra's tools.

Working with Vastu Shastra

The universe we live in holds us together with the help of cosmic energies. These energies are positive and negative. Moreover, they immensely impact individuals who come in contact with these energies.

There are three principles crucial to the foundation of Vastu Shastra, they are:

• Bhogadya: The entire premises which are designed should exhibit efficiency and practical application.
• Sukha Darsha: Here, the visual experience and overall aesthetics are looked after.
• Ramya: Last but not least, this is an essential aspect. It means that there must be an inculcation of a sense of well-being and protection on the premises.

So Vastu Shastra works in a way where it balances these energies and augments growth. It is for each individual and wards off all negative energies.

The five elements of Vastu Shastra

There are five elements of Vastu Shastra which hold immense significance. They are considered before anything else while designing the premises or structure of any place. They are:

Earth or Bhumi

The Earth's magnetic force and composition of the two poles-North and south, make for the best decider for construction. Moreover, Earth, the planet of our existence, is strongly associated with the south-west direction, and it is believed. According to Vastu Shastra, it is the best place to have your master bedroom.

The Bhoomi Poojan is a "Viddhi" or ceremony done to offer prayers to Mother Earth. It is to ward off negative energies before the construction of a new home.

Water or Jal

Represented by water bodies like rivers, rain, sea or others, this element consists of all forms of water. According to Vedic Astrology, it represents consciousness and purity.

The waves of the water elements collect in the northeast direction. This is the most suitable place in a house. Also any other premises to have a fountain, pond, aquarium or swimming pool.

Air or Vayu

A vital element of our existence, the air is the liveliest and best in the north-west directions. The air helps illustrate all essential life-supporting and vital elements. It consists of various components that are humidity, particles, etc.

Thus, dealing with an individual's body surface, including the blood circulation system, respiration, skin, etc. The movement is associated with this element. Therefore, having the windows of your house open and allowing fresh air to enter is essential to the Vastu.

Fire or Aag

This element is representative of heat, and in terms of Vastu, it prevails in the south-east direction. Moreover, since this element also illustrates fire, it is a vital source of the same. Finally, it represents passion and enthusiasm and provides its natives with mental and physical well-being. The Sun adds to the progress of various other things for an individual and is an essential source of vitality.

Space or Aakash

The space is associated with silence and sound. It is linked with the grandeur and is related to the centre of your home or any premises. This centre is known as Brahmasthan. This element has a dynamic energy that dominates all others.

These elements are widely responsible for the prosperity and sustainability of a premises. They also help remove Vastu Dosha and ward off any negative energies.

The Vastu Directions

All the directions have a particular impact on Vastu Shastra and hold a lot of significance. The eight directions are:

North Direction

Mercury is the ruler of this direction and is dedicated to Kuber. Thus, it governs individuals' profit, wealth and money. To activate this direction, try to add more blues and yellows to the corners of your houses. When this direction is engulfed with negative energies, there are chances of rooting financial issues, throat infections and other nose diseases.

East Direction

In Vastu Shastra, the East is the most promising and beneficial direction. However, the Sun rules this direction; thus, all natives must keep this direction open and allow light to come through. Therefore, the east-facing properties of the Sun are considered highly auspicious for constructing any premises.

But on the other hand, any issues pertaining to this direction will cause a rift between the father and son. Moreover, it can also cause health problems and other issues.

West Direction

Saturn is the ruler of this direction, and most successful people live in and own houses in this direction. Therefore, this direction symbolises good luck and ensures stability in life. Any troubles in this direction will cause the electrical appliances and other gadgets not to work well.

South Direction

According to popular belief, all houses built in this direction are considered inauspicious. This is because of the idea that Lord Yama (God of Death) resides in this direction. Mars rules this direction and deals with all legal matters and other relationships.

Any issues with this direction will lead to blood-related problems in the family. However, nowhere does Vastu Shastra imply or suggest that a direction is good or bad.

North-East Direction (Ishan)

This direction is highly auspicious, as per Vastu. The north-east direction is considered the most suitable for entrances in a house. This is because the direction represents positive and warm energy that welcomes natives to the home.

Jupiter rules this direction and is the purest and most uncontaminated direction. As Jupiter symbolises wisdom, this direction provides knowledge and power to its natives. However, issues in this direction lead to marital disputes and health-related problems.

North-West Direction (Vayavya)

Denoting light and support, the Moon rules over the North-West direction. Therefore, all the lightweight items in the house should be kept in this direction. Issues with this direction can cause problems for unmarried women and also lead to mental fatigue and stress.

South-East Direction (Agneya)

This direction brings peace, harmony and good health. Venus is the ruler of this direction, and constructing a kitchen in this direction is the most beneficial. However, any prevailing problems with this direction can lead to conflicts and disputes between married couples.

Moreover, there could be a misunderstanding between neighbours and other family members. Apart from this, issues with this direction can cause medical problems like diabetes and other issues of the uterus.

South-West Direction (Nairutya)

This direction is owned by a demon known as Nirti. Rahu is the ruler for this direction. It is the most substantial direction in terms of its magnetic energy and value. The appropriate utilisation of this direction gives the best results regarding a strong and healthy life.

Any problems in this direction will lead to Pitra Dosha and create problems on both maternal and paternal sides. There are also more chances of you getting robbed or being prone to accidents.

Brahma Sthana

Lord Brahma is the ruler of this principle. The middle or centre of your house is known as the Brahma Sthana. This space must be kept clean, tidy and accessible to everyone. Issues prevailing in this direction will make illnesses more frequent in the family.

The Relationship Between Vastu Shastra and Astrology

Astrology and Vastu Shastra go hand in hand. There are specially designated deities in all eight directions of Vastu Shastra. Astrology assigns planets to each of these regions.

And thus, if the interiors of a house are planned in that direction, then happiness is bound to enter the house. The interconnection of these two makes for an eternal traditional practice.

Moreover, whenever the people of a specific sign or planet are concerned, Vastu Shastra helps guide them about their potential rulers. If they are stuck with a direction, it can also help the respective planet and clear that direction out. Thus, the cooperation and connection between the two are highly evident. This way, people can ward off negativities and also get influenced by the planets.

Furthermore, all important concepts of Vastu, like Shubh Muhurat, are a part of astrology. Thus it automatically attracts positivity and connects itself to astrology.

Another more interesting thing to note is that the North-East part of the construction is the solar half. It must be towards the lower end. Moreover, the South-west part of the construction is the lunar part which should be placed above the solar one.

Tips for Improving Vastu

With all the chaos going around us, it is indispensable to bring some stillness into our lives. Therefore, Vastu Shastra helps us achieve that peace and sense of calm in various ways. Here are a few tips for improving the Vastu of a place.

• Most people try to over utilise spaces. So, they try to either make a storage room, extra bathroom or kitchen under the staircase. This is a common mistake and should be strictly avoided. This is because it promotes sickness and other heart diseases.
• Lighting a candle or any lamp in the northeast direction promotes good health, positivity and optimism.
• While working and doing something productive such as studying, always face towards the north or east direction. This will help you retain more knowledge and information.
• Avoid constant dripping of faucets or taps in the household to prevent negative energy from entering your house. This can also lead to depreciating health and energy.
• Plant more plants like Basil and Tulsi in the house. Moreover, avoid plants like cactus or Bonsai. They might contribute to your deteriorating health and increasing illnesses.
• Aligning your bedroom with your toilet is a bad decision and must not be done. It is the main contributor to negativity and bad energy.

The vitality of Vastu Shastra

With the use of the powerful Vastu Vidya, Vastu Shastra has the ability to transform the lives of its natives completely. Initially, it was only applied to temples, but soon after, people realised its genuine value. So they started applying its science in every premise they were constructing. The evident benefits and importance of this science of architecture are:

• Vastu Shastra establishes a connection between an individual's physical environment and their quality of life.
• It becomes a significant driver of cosmic energy in a living or working space. Thus, providing harmony and peace to its natives.
• There are also advances in education, finances, career and other fields.
• One can also achieve love and affection in relationships by applying the rules of Vastu Shastra in their home.
• All the prevailing issues of your life get solved, and you become more spiritually inclined.
• You can bring pivotal changes in your life by changing the Vastu of your furniture or home decor.
• It also helps bring warm vibrations into the house and makes the natives feel welcomed and protected in their humble abode.
• Vastu, in an appropriate direction, can help bring in a free flow of positive energy and bring optimism in abundance.
• Furthermore, Vastu promotes ventilation and always encourages bringing more light into any premises. Thus this makes a premises full of good air, light and oxygen.
• It also helps create a vibrant ambience for any place. It increases the dynamism of a premise by infusing creativity and goodwill.
• Vastu Sciences culminates all the natural energy sources and puts them to efficient use.
• People who have been suffering from financial issues or other problems have found solace in Vastu remedies. It guides people by eliminating all Doshas and prevents obstacles and blockages from happening.