Introduction of Vasstu

Vaastu is an ancient Indian science of architecture and buildings which helps in making a congenial setting or a place to live and work in a most scientific way taking advantage of the benefits bestowed by nature, its elements and energy fields for enhanced wealth, health, prosperity and happiness. Vaastu gives us useful and practical tips on how to create a healthy and harmonious living and work environment. It offers suggestions for placement of plant and machinery, office equipment, and furniture. It also gives ideas on harmonizing colours and materials

The whole world, including the human body, comprises of five essential elements, i.e. space (sky), air, fire, water and earth. There is a co-relation between these elements and man's five senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell, with instruments of perception being ears, skin, tongue and nose respectively. The principles of Vaastu are mainly dependant on the arrangement and balancing of these five elements in their proper order and proportion so that humans can have better conditions in a place in which they live or work.

Origin

Our sages and seers have knew the secrets of using all the five elements of this universe and their special characteristics and influences such as the magnetic field, gravitational effect etc. of Earth, the galaxy in the sky, the directions and velocity of the winds, light and heat of the SUN including the effects of its Ultra-Violet and Infra-Red rays, the volume and intensity of rainfall etc. for the advantage of the mankind in suitably planning and constructing buildings for dwelling, prayer, entertainment , education , working , production and other purposes . They evolved scientific methods and systems and confined them over the years as 'VAASTU SHASTRA'. Our sages SEARCHED it; we are only RESEARCHING it and building the concepts.

Vaastu is a part of Vedas, which are believed to be four to five thousand years old. Through penance and meditation yogis of that period acquired answers believed to have come from the cosmic mind itself to their questions. Hence Vedas are heeded with divine knowledge. The art of Vasstu originates in the Stapatya Veda, a part of the Atharva Veda.

The Vaastu, with word meaning 'dwelling', is believed to be the residing places of god and man. According to its modern meaning it covers all buildings irrespective of their use like residences, industries, business establishments, lodges, hotels etc. It is based on the five basic and essential elements, such as Vayu (air), Agni (fire), Jal (water), Bhumi (earth) and Aakasha (space), which are known as Panchabhutas. Everything on earth is built from these elements.

Proofs of vaastu shastra can be found during the time of Ramayan and Mahabharat. Even in the cities of Mohanjodaro and Harappa the application of Vaastu shastra can be seen. Since the science goes far back to the times of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna there are many interesting mythological stories concering the origin of Vaastupurush (the deity).

Lord Shiva had killed a devil named Andhak after a long war which had continued for years. A spirit originated out of the perspiration of Lord Shiva and consumed all the blood from the body of the devil. His hunger was still not satisfied. He then undertook penance. Lord Shiva was impressed and highly satisfied by his penance and offered him a boon. The spirit then went wild and started eating men and animals. This terrified even the Gods in heaven. 81 Gods including Lord Bramha laid the spirit face down and they then sat on different parts of its body. When the spirit asked for forgiveness Lord Brahma offered him a boon: "After building any structure, the people who offer you prayers and worship you as vaastudevta will be blessed with pleasures and prosperity. However only those people, who do not offer you prayers shall be at your mercy and you may trouble them in any way". There is a possibility that these stories were added in the olden scripts only to scare people and make them conscious about the subject. The science of vaastushastra is however no mythological story and has stood the test of time for thousands of years.

In the Mahabharata it is said a number of houses were built for the kings who were invited to the city Indraprastha for the Rajasuya Yagna of King Yuddhistira. Sage Vyasa says that these houses were as high as the peaks of Kailasa mountains, perhaps meaning that they stood tall and majestic. The houses were free from obstructions, had compounds with high walls and their doors were of uniform height and inlaid with numerous metal ornaments. It is said that the site plan of Ayodhya, the city of Lord Rama was similar to the plan found in the great architectural text Manasara. References are also to be found in Buddhist literature, of buildings constructed on the basis of Vastu. They contain references to individual buildings. Lord Buddha is said to have delivered discourses on architecture and even told his disciples that supervising the construction of a building was one of the duties of the order. Mention is made of monasteries (Viharas) or temples, buildings which are partly residential and partly religious (Ardhayogas), residential storeyed buildings (Prasadas), multi-storeyed buildings (harmyas) and Guhas or residential buildings for middle class people.