The term “Vaastu” is derived from the Sanskrit root term “Vas” – to exist. Houses are not considered to be non-living entities but as “live”, “sentimental”, “influential” entities according to Indian Vaastu Shastra. The influences of Vaastu of a building begin from the time of our purchasing a land and extend till we are in possession of that house. The house becomes as much a part of our families and it has the potential to influence our lives for better or for worse. This “power” of a house to influence individuals arises due to 3 basic premises….
1) The general Orientation of the house/ plot, and also the orientation of rooms/ utilities allocated for different purposes;
2) Auspiciousness/ inauspiciousness of the days in which various important stages of the construction are carried out (like purchasing the land on an auspicious date, laying the foundation stone on a Vaastu day, fixing door frames, laying the roof, sinking wells, etc. at appropriate times as recommended by astrological guidelines);
3) Grahapravesha Muhurtha. These three important factors – if perfectly synchronized according to vedic principles will make the house a “Live Powerhouse that can impact the lives of its inhabitants for the better.”
Let us start with the Orientation of the plot/ house, and also the orientation of different rooms with respect to each other inside the house:
Now-a-days most builders in India say that their constructions are vaastu-compliant. What they mean is, that the orientation of the rooms are according to the basic principle of orientation of rooms as recommended by Vaastu shaastra. For instance, the master bed-room (occupied by the head of the family and his/ her spouse) should be in the Northwest portion of the house, kitchen in the South east, etc. But, this is not that mandatory….there are individual exceptions to this based on horoscopes. To quote an example, if the horoscope of the “woman of the house” (the house owners wife or mother) indicates that Southeast is unfavourable, then the kitchen SHOULD NOT BE IN THE SOUTHEAST corner of the house though the general principles recommend such an orientation! So, the alternative to this would be to keep the kitchen in the East or even North east. Though some would say that North East being the direction of element Water, Kitchen (a Fire Element) room should not be placed there, the logic is not valid. In fact, you will find kitchen of ancient Brahmin families and also in temples will be mostly in the North east! Why?….Northeast is not merely the direction of Water Element; it is the corner ear-marked for Divinities. Cooking the food is in itself a yagnya. If the cooking is done with good ritual purity (i.e. after taking bath and for the purpose of offering to the Gods everyday before we consume it), then there will be no harm in having the kitchen in the North east. Of course, East is a non-controversial orientation for Kitchen. Kitchen should be preferably oriented in these 3 blocks only. Similarly there are specific rules regarding orientation of each room in the house taking into consideration of the horoscopes of different family members. This is the right way of synchronizing vaastu principles into a house fit for family living!
The Eldest Child of the house should be allotted a room in the Northwest corner. Elders of the family should be allotted rooms near the middle of the house, or if separate rooms are not provided for them, they can use either the halls or the children’s rooms. Elders who are highly spiritual can even occupy the North East corner of the house even though generally NE rooms are prohibited for bed-room use.
Toilets should never be in the Northeast. Similarly, Wells should be avoided in the Southeast corner of the house.
The slope of the house should be generally South to North (South higher and North lower), and West to East (West higher and East lower).
Generally, bed rooms in a house can be in the Western Wing, Toilets in the South wing, Water sources in the West (excepting Southwest) and North blocks of a house. Prayer rooms in the East (except Southeast). Kitchen can be in the North (Except Northwest) and East block (Southeast is preferred unless the exception as discussed earlier applies).
The horoscope of the Family Head should be checked for orientation of the Master bed room. The direction signified by the most auspicious direction as read by Ashtakavarga of Venus in the horoscope of the Head of the Family should be the direction of the master bedroom though generally Southwest is preferred.
The horoscope of the Lady of the Family should be checked to see if Southeast is alright according to her horoscope for the kitchen.
The horoscope of the Eldest child should be checked for orientation of the children’s bedrooms. If more than one child is there in the family and all are allotted different rooms, the following principle should be adhered to…..The eldest child’s room should be oriented West or South with respect to the other childrens’ rooms. Similarly if there are rooms in different floors of the house, the Eldest child should be allotted the room on the top floor and the other children can be accommodated in other rooms on the same floor or some floors lower. In no case should an elder child have a room down while the younger children have rooms up. Lack of this synchronization can lead to long-term family disturbances, while following these can ensure basic harmony and continued affection throughout their existence even if they happen to move to different places or even countries due to practical considerations later in their lives. The home in which they were brought up will definitely cement those bonds of affection beyond decaying influences of any sort.
Guest rooms if any should be in the West Wing. Children should never be allowed to sleep in the South East corner rooms because it might spoil their good luck pertaining to family life. In fact except very old family members, no other person should be using a southeast corner bed room. This room is best allotted for kitchen unless there are exceptions as discussed above.
INTRA-ROOM ORIENTATION OF GADGETS AND APPLIANCES
Telephone, internet cables, electric junction boxes, etc. should be preferably in the South east corner of a house. (However, telephones should not be kept in the South block except the SE. Keeping a telephone in the South Block can affect good luck terribly and lead to serious communication problems).
Water sources (for clean water) or water pot kept in the NE will add good vibration to a room. This NE Corner should be kept clean at all times. Keeping brooms there or letting clutter to accumulate in that corner can spoil good luck.
Heavy items should be placed in the Southwest corner of a room. Cleaning materials should be kept out of sight in the SE corner or within closed shelves in the southern block of a room. Furnitures for sitting should be placed in the West or South facing East and North. Beds should be placed in the South portion or Western corner of a room.
Students should study facing the East or North for better concentration.
The general colour of the house should reflect the colour of the most auspicious planet in the house owner’s horoscope, or the auspicious planet owning the 4th house or placed in the 4th house in the house owner’s horoscope.
The use of astrology closely linked with Vaastu principles is the best way for harmonious living. We shall see about these in detail in the subsequent write-ups.
Article by: Pandit R. DAKSHINAMOORTHI
