Recapturing the long lost trend, nowadays the common sense of civilized and progressive people are recognizing the importance of houses more than that of the importance of food and clothes. It is very evident to say that a house and its making impact a person's life more in terms of time and transactions. It is being reaffirmed that among the amenities of life, a residential building not only affords a large degree of comfort and convenience but also significantly influences health, relationship, longevity, safety, and security.
Earlier in ancient times, constructing a house or any building in (Bharat) India was deeply associated with a holistic and spiritual approach. Being the hub of cultural integrity, India was developing its architectural front based on rudimentary searches and research. Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads were encrypting many such architectural findings and principles under the rishis(sages), gurus (Teachers), sishyas (scholars), sthapatis(architects, builders, and designers) as well as silpis (carvers and workers). Apart from that, many Sahityas(literature), agamas(religious texts), itihasas(historical texts), kavyas(poems), Sangitas(songs), Natya shastras(dramas and ethology), etc. have traces of architectural material in them. These ancient Hindu architectural texts are collectively stated as Vaastu Shastra or simply Vastu. Vaastu or Vastu has come from the word 'Vas' which means living in a certain place. The literal meaning of Vastu is the place where we live or dwell. Vastu shastra has its origin from sthapatya Veda which is a crucial part of Atharvaveda. Some of the most important ancient works related to Vastu are Viswakarma Vastu Shastra, Samaragana sutradhara, Mandana Sutradhara, mayamata, silparatna etc. Agamas like suprabhedagama, karnikagama, Vaikhanasagama Maha-agamas etc. and Puranas like Agnipurana, Matsyapurana, garuda purana etc. are noticeable works of Hindu architecture.
In India, Vastu is given the utmost importance while creating a dwelling because most of the architectural magnum opuses of earlier days were created strictly following the Vastu norms and principles. Vishwakarma is considered the supreme architect and his descendants are also identified with the creation of much monumental architecture following the principles of Vastu only. Vishwakarma is credited with the craftmanship of many weapons and chariots of Gods in Hindu mythology. In Ramayana and Mahabharata, he is also identified as the planner and creator of cities like Lanka, Dwarka, and Indraprastha. Mayan or Mayasura being the son of Vishwakarma and father of Mandodari is also considered as the planner of Mayasabha(coliseum) and cities of Lanka and Dwarka too. Nala, another son of Vishwakarma was the sole architect behind the construction of Nala Setu or Ram Setu. There are also architectural texts based on Vastu for Jainism and Buddhism such as Gautamiyam, Bauddhamatam, Caitya, etc.
Manasara is a Shilpa Shastra(the science of art and crafts), written by multiple authors successively evolved over the centuries. Inside its 70 chapters and 10,000 shlokas, it has vividly described topics like the system of measurements, qualification of an architect, objects of architecture, selection of construction site, soil testing, ground plans, village planning, town planning, foundation design, column design, design of palaces, chariots, Hindu temple architecture, the structure of deities as well as Jaina and Buddhist temple design and construction, etc.
Brihat Samhita, the most specialized work of Varaha Mihira also describes any architectural principles. Brihat Samhita has 100 chapters and 3900 slokas. It talks about astrology, mathematics, architectural science, sun and its significance, planetary motion and their significance, planetary years, meetings, moon's conjunction with celestial bodies, constellation's impacts, wind and its importance, climate and seasonal changes, time and calendar, etc. Varaha Mihira was inspired by many poets (mostly by Kalidasa) and authors from whom he extracted many evident implementations. Thus the word 'Samhita' literally means amalgamation. Brihat Samhita also describes the design of Nagara-style temples built in the 6th century.
Vastu shastra has also proliferated its impression on modern architectures. The scientific and rational minds have accepted it with an open approach in the form of guidelines, scrutinized its important aspects, and extracted the benefits in their implementation. Some of the modern architectural marvels based on Vastu are as follows:
1. City planning of the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan by Rajput king Jai Singh in 1727.
2.Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya, Ahemedabad, Gujrat
3. Lotus temple, New Delhi by Fariborz Sahba in 1986
4.Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, Rajasthan by Charles Correa in 1986
6. City planning of Chandigarh, by Le Corbusier
7. Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, under construction, by Sompura Family started in August 2020
Suitable Vastu is derived from different parameters such as defining the location of the plot of construction based on direction and altitude, the position and movement of the Sun, the relative planetary motion, the relative motion of the moon, the direction of the wind, soil qualities of the plot, atmospheric parameters like temperature, pressure, etc., climatic and seasonal changes, specific time selection about the calenders, horoscope, and behavior of the owner/ maker/ creator or builder, flow of energies and radiation in the plot and building, magnetic fields and other invisible forces, material selection parameters, location of the source of water, etc, etc.
Vastu is based on the 5 elements principle. The 5 fundamental elements of creation are Prithvi (Earth), Jal (Water), Aakash (Space), Vaayu (Air), Agni (Fire). As we know, a living being is made up of five elements similarly the Vastu is considered to be a living being and is created out of five elements too. The effect of each element changes from direction to direction. The most effective element in the northeast direction is considered to be water, whereas the southeast direction gives more importance to the fire element. The northwest and southwest directions consider air and earth as their most effective element respectively. The astrological studies of horoscopes have also denoted different elements to different horoscopes. So, linking both the astrological insights with the Vastu Shastra, proper orientation to the site plan can be proposed.
The science of directions is used to derive a suitable site plan followed by a suitable floor plan of the building. The concept of Vastu Purusa is used here to ease the complexities of the plan. As Astrology goes with the personification of time (The Kala Purusha), similarly Vastu Shastra deals with the personification of space (The Vastu Purusa). In fact, ancient sages knew the relation between space and time. And based on their intuitive wisdom, they established a space-time personified concept to access this wisdom. In the Vastu Purusha concept, the site is divided into specific no. cells called Padas. The site plan (Pada Vinyasa) is done by planning each cell and allocating suitable functions to each dwelling cell. Every pada or cell is denoted with a certain deity bearing a certain form of energy.
Division of plot using horizontal and vertical lines into a specific number of squares. They range from 1x1 to 32 x 32. Vastu Purusha mandalas uses pada vinyasa for divisions. Different mandalas have specific no of padas based on types of pada vinyasas. The most prominent Vastu Purusa Mandalas are Chhandita Mandala(8x8) with 64 padas and Parasaayika Mandala (9x9) with 81 padas. The Manduka/ Chhandita Vastu Purusha Mandala (8x8) is mostly used for layouts of Hindu temples. The Parasaayika Mandala (9x9) is mostly used for deep value intended Residential/ commercial planning. While dividing the energies of the padas, a particular deity was represented corresponding to their energy characteristics. In the Parasaayika mandala, the normal position of the Vastu Purusha (head towards northeast and legs in the southwest) is depicted, and along with this orientation of Vastu Purusha, a total of 45 energy deities sit upon him.
While constructing a building, Vastu gives step-by-step guidelines starting from the selection of the plot or site to the finishing of exteriors and interior planning. A brief description of the steps has been given for your convenience.
1. Plot / Land selection (Bhu-Vastu):- Vastu plays a very important role in the plot selection for residential as well commercial use. The shape of the plot, the orientations, and directions of the plot, type of soil, tilt/ slant of the land, proximity of the land (landmarks such as temples near the land, roads near the land, water source near the land, etc.) help in determining the quality and fitness of the land for further construction. The soil is divided into 3 types based on its quality, viz., High (Uttama), medium (Madhyam), and low (Adhama). Further, the soil can be examined base on its taste (rasa), color (varna), touch (sparsa), smell (gandha), etc. Purification of the soil, possession of the plot, dividing the soil into grids, etc. are also included in Bhu-Vastu A land horoscope can be taken out for better understanding and implementation.
2. Division of segments or sections (Khanda Vastu)- It is more of a calculation based on different forms of division of the plot. Veethis (concentric circles) and padas (grid Square) are used to divide the plot based on the plot size. Veethi vinyasa and Pada Vinyasa are done to allocate different spaces of use based on the relevance of the segments. Marma Bindu (Vital points) are also defined while dividing the plots
3. Griha Vastu (House Design)- Based on Pada Vinyasa, Veethi vinyasa and Marma sthaan the planning of the house is done. Along with that Ayadi Shadvarga calculation is done. Six types of Ayadis are calculated ( Aaya – Income/benefits, Vyaya – Expenditure, Yoni – Direction indicating the flow of energy (Prana), Varam – Weekdays, Nakshatra – Star, Amsa – Quality/feature). Tithi, Yoga, and Ayuva are also calculated there. A proper foundation method, plinth, column, beam, roof, door, window, etc. are selected based on the type and no of stories. Starting from the footing to the roof, everything is calculated as per the Vastu principles. Direction based results for every kind of rooms, results based on obstructs (vedhs and dosas), results considering the position of well, septic tank, soak pit, water source, results for the main gate, compound wall, staircase, etc. are also calculated based on the Vastu principles.
5. Grihnada Vastu ( House owner's compatibility)- Compatibility between the Nakshatra of the house owner and house, test for determining body constitution (Vata-Pitta-Kapha) of the house owner and the results based on the same - such as which bedroom is auspicious for him, etc. Suggestions based on the Job of the house owner and Ekayoni checks based on the same. etc. The matchmaking of the land horoscope and the owner's horoscope is also done for better results.
6. Antarika Vastu (Interior design )- - Results based on the placement of Cot, Chair, washbasin, fridge, AC, etc. Within each room inside the house are taken into consideration in this section. Positions and orientations based on each element inside the house are considered using Vastu principles only. The use of paint, color selection, wallpaper shapes, etc are also depicted based on the Vastu principles.
7. Muhurtha- In Vāstu, an auspicious moment with the best Muhurta is selected for each stage of work to be started. Such a Muhurta itself gives long life to the construction. Starting work without auspicious Muhurta is just like giving treatment to a dead. One can conclude that however well the building might be constructed as per the principles of Vastu if the important Muhurta combinations are not achieved to the owner is likely to suffer the effects of bad Muhurta as enunciated and outlined. A proper Muhurta should be made use of; otherwise, the very purpose of big projects is likely to be lost. Proper muhurta must be observed so that the Vāstu constructed on such land would last long. The muhurta must be selected on astrological rather than religious considerations. While selecting a muhurta, the astrological principles rather than religious ones should be observed very carefully.
Vastu Shastra is itself a vast topic to grasp. Years of proper training and learning are required to get the essence of Vastu Shastra. To fulfill the regularity of the format a conclusion is needed to be drawn. And after reading this blog you might have got the gist of the topic. Vastu shastra is indeed a profound sense of dwelling and must be taken into account while building or buying a house, planning a village or city, planning of landscapes, planning of commercial as well as residential buildings, and many more.
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