HomeVastu Shastra, which literally translated means ‘the Science of Buildings’ is an ancient Indian science developed thousands of years ago by ancient Indian sages. Vaastu Shastra, an intangible part of Indian Architecture, has its roots extended in Indian Philosophy, maths, geology, geography, religion and takes into account, factors influencing a Site, such as topography, roads, structures around, Sun’s effects, Earth’s magnetic field, Earth’s energy fields, cardinal directions and elements of Nature.
The fundamental principle of Vastu Shastra is to add ‘Value to the Life of man’ staying in a building by bringing about harmony between man, nature and the built environment. So, buildings designed according to Vastu guidelines are believed to vibrate with Universal Positive Energy and create a feeling of ‘contentment and well-being’ for the occupants.
WHAT IS THE LEGEND OF VASTU PURUSHA?
The ancient Indian text Mayamatam on Vastu Sastra, written thousands of years ago, explains the legend of the Vastu Purusha. According to Hindu mythology, in the beginning, Brahma, the creator of the Universe, experimented with the creation of a new creature. He created a large cosmic man, who grew rapidly as he began to devour everything in his path to satisfy his insatiable hunger. When he became unmanageably big so that his shadow fell on the Earth like a permanent eclipse, the gods Shiva and Vishnu begged Brahma to do something before everything was destroyed by this Creature.
Brahma realised his mistake and called the Astha Dikapalakas – the Gods of the eight cardinal directions. Together, they overpowered the monster and held it flat against the Earth while Brahma jumped on the middle and held the monster down. Then the Monster cried out to Brahma, “You created me like this. So why am I being punished?” Brahma offered him a compromise and made the Monster immortal with the boon that he would be worshiped by any mortal that builds a structure on earth. He was named Vastu Purusha.
Vastu Shastra gives the directive principles regarding construction of buildings so as not to displease the Vastu Purusha. These principles are explained with the help of the diagram called the Vastu Purusha Mandala shown here:
WHAT IS THE VASTU PURUSHA MANDALA?
- The diagram shown above, known as Vastu Purusha Mandala, is a metaphysical square plan that illustrates how the Vastu Purusha was pinned down by Brahma and 44 Gods – face down, with his head to the North-East and his feet towards the South-West.
- The diagram is divided into 9×9 = 81 parts. The positions of the 45 gods who are holding down the Vastu Purusha are shown. (32 in the external enclosures and 13 in the internal enclosures). These symbolic Gods rule various aspects of life and have certain inherent qualities. For example, there should be no weight on the central portion as it is ruled by Brahma, the supreme one. It is to be kept open in the form of a central courtyard. (This was mainly to allow proper flow of air and cross ventilation).
- The function of the rooms placed in each area of the house was in accordance with the nature of the deity ruling that particular area. This has been shown in the two examples given below:
THE DIAGRAM BELOW SHOWS THE IDEAL POSITIONS OF DIFFERENT ROOMS IN A SMALL HOUSE, BASED ON THE THE VASTU MANDALA GRID OF 3X3.
THE DIAGRAM BELOW SHOWS THE IDEAL POSITIONS OF DIFFERENT ROOMS IN A BIG HOUSE, BASED ON THE THE VASTU MANDALA GRID OF 5X5.
ACCORDING TO VASTU SHASTRA, WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF DESIGNING A HOUSE BASED ON THE VASTU PURUSHA MANDALA?
According to Vastu Shastra, if the house is designed as per the Vastu Purusha Mandala, a perfectly balanced environment which ensures enhanced health, wealth and happiness is created.
The Scientific Explanation: This is actually based on scientific principles wherein, the Sun, the five basic elements (panchabhutaas), the Earth’s magnetic field, Earth’s energy fields,and the eight directions are manipulated to create an atmosphere beneficial to man. The Vastu pundits figured out that, when the different rooms were placed according to the Vastu Mandala created by them, good disposition to the sun, proper ventilation and lighting and privacy would be ensured.
WHAT IS THE LOGIC BEHIND THE POSITIONING OF DIFFERENT ROOMS ACCORDING TO THE VASTU PURUSHA MANDALA?
Vastu Shastra takes into consideration the fact that humans perform different activities at different times of the day. The 24 hours of 1 solar day are divided into eight parts, representing the eight cardinal directions. The various rooms of a house were designed and oriented towards these Eight cardinal directions, such that at any given time of the day depending on the activity, the inmates were inadvertently exposed to the useful rays of the sunlight according to the position of the sun through the day. This is explained here:
- Puja/Meditation room in North-East: The period between 3 am and 6 am, just before sunrise is called Brahma Muhurta. At this time, the Sun is in the North-Eastern part of the house. These hours are ideal for Yoga, meditation, or study as it is very quiet and peaceful.Therefore, the North-East corner is the best position for the Puja Room or meditation room.
- Bathrooms in the East: From 6 am to 9 am, the Sun is in the eastern part of the house. This is the time for bathing and preparing for the day, so East is a good location for a bathroom used for bathing purposes only. In addition, there should be lots of openings and no obstructions in the East in order to absorb the beneficial ultraviolet rays..
- Kitchen in the South-East: The time between 9 am to 12 in the noon, when the Sun is in the South-East part of the house, is the best time for preparing food to be eaten later in the day. Therefore, the kitchen can be located here as it can receive the UV rays of the sun that keep the kitchen counter free from germs that spoil the food.
- Bedroom in the South: After lunch it is time for rest, so the time between noon and 3 pm is called Vishranti, the resting period. The Sun is now in the South, and hence the best position for a bedroom.
- Study/Library in the South-West: After rest, from 3 pm to 6pm is the time for studying and work. The Sun is now in the South-West section of the house and so it is the ideal location for a study or library.
- Dining room/study room in the West: The period between 6 pm and 9 pm is the time for eating, sitting or reading. The sun is in the West and this is the best location for dining room or sitting room or study room.
- Second bedroom in the North-West: The time between 9 pm and midnight, when the Sun is in the North-West part of the house, is the time to go to bed. Therefore this direction is good for another bedroom.
- Safe in the North: The time between midnight and 3 am, when the Sun is in the Northern section, is the time of darkness and secrecy. The North is the best place to hide valuables and to keep them protected.
This post is about the ‘Vastu principle | Vastu purusha Mandala’ and the positioning of different rooms of a House according to this diagram. Read about another important “Vaastu Shastra principle | Maana – Proportions”, which explains the right proportions, ratio of height to breadth for buildings, here:
Related Topics:
- VASTU SHASTRA
- VASTU SHASTRA FACTORS
- VASTU SHASTRA PRINCIPLES
- VASTU GUIDELINES | SELECTION OF SITE
- VASTU GUIDELINES | DESIGN OF A HOUSE
- VASTU GUIDELINES | STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION
- LOGIC BEHIND SUPERSTITIONS
October 22nd, 2008
February 6th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Kudos to you folks for coming up with Vaastu scientifically explained. Wonderful information.
Just a glitch, for many of the pages, the images do not show up, like this Vaastu-purusha-mandala page. Please fix it.