Vastu Shastra lays down guidelines on the construction of different types of buildings. While many regard Vastu as a superstition, in reality it is a science, developed thousands of years ago by the ancient Indian Architects. They laid down these guidelines with the aim to create buildings that vibrate with Universal Energy and brimming with good positive energy by manipulating the elements of nature, so that the inmates always have a sense of well being and contentment. As these guidelines have a scientific basis I have explained them here along with the possible logic and reasoning.
ACCORDING TO VASTU SHASTRA WHAT ARE THE RITUALS TO BE DONE JUST BEFORE CONSTRUCTION?
Vastu Shastra advocates five rituals or activites to be done before the actual construction begins. As Vastu is a science, there is scientific reasoning for doing these rituals. They have been explained below:
* VASTUPOOJA - The first ritual to be done before starting the construction, is a Vastu pooja or Bhoomi Pooja. This is ritualistic and should be done at an auspicious time and on an auspicious day, as fixed by your astrologer. Before doing the pooja, the site should be cleared. Dirt, stones, holes in the ground, and trash should be removed. Thorny bushes should also be uprooted and removed. The pooja should be done in the North-East corner of the site. The pooja should not be done if the woman in the household is more than seven months pregnant.
The reasoning - The purpose of doing a pooja is to psychologically give the owner the confidence that the seemingly huge task of building a house can be accomplished without any problems since, the bare earth of the site (bhoomi) has been blessed and has acquired a divine life. The purpose of selecting auspicious time and day is for the same reason. The reason why the pooja is not to be done when the woman of the house is heavily pregnant is obvious - since the pooja ceremony calls for sitting on the ground, it may be uncomfortable for the lady or cause premature delivery.
* BALIDAANA - This is also a ritual. Offerings are made and spirits and demons are requested to leave. The Reasoning - With this ritual, the owner will psychologically feel that the site is purified and freed from any old associations and is receptive to a new beginning. It is like he is starting life from scratch without any stains.
* HALA-KARSHANA - This is the levelling of the site wherein the site is sloped according to Vastu guidelines so that the site is at a higher level than the road level and the South-West corner is higher than the North-East corner. Vastu recommends that the whole site be ploughed to rid it of the past and give the soil a new life. The Reasoning - The levelling is done to remove unwanted stones, rocks etc to facilitate the easy digging of the trenches for the foundation. The reason for having the whole site ploughed is to expose any debris or pests which may be underground, as normally only the ground is dug where the trenches for the foundation are marked. So some spots where there are pests may remain undetected and can cause problems after the structure comes up.
* ANKURAA-ROOPANA - This is the sowing of the seed and a final offering to the memory of those who have left the place and is also the first offering to the new ploughed ground. The Reasoning - The germination of the seed gives a psychological feeling that the new undertaking will be fulfilled - that it will be completed without any problems.
* SHILAANYAASA - It is the foundation laying ceremony. The groundbreaking ceremony for the house should only be done during the Uttarayan period, when the sun is in the northern hemisphere, from June 21 through December 20. The stone which is consecrated at the time of the Vastu Pooja, is laid first in the South-West corner of the trenches dug up for the foundation. The Reasoning - It makes sense to start construction in the Uttarayan period, when the days are longer than the nights as the construction activity can go on at a rapid pace as there are more daylight hours during this period.
ACCORDING TO VASTU SHASTRA WHAT ARE THE RITUALS TO BE DONE JUST BEFORE CONSTRUCTION?
Vastu Shastra advocates five rituals or activites to be done before the actual construction begins. As Vastu is a science, there is scientific reasoning for doing these rituals. They have been explained below:
* VASTUPOOJA - The first ritual to be done before starting the construction, is a Vastu pooja or Bhoomi Pooja. This is ritualistic and should be done at an auspicious time and on an auspicious day, as fixed by your astrologer. Before doing the pooja, the site should be cleared. Dirt, stones, holes in the ground, and trash should be removed. Thorny bushes should also be uprooted and removed. The pooja should be done in the North-East corner of the site. The pooja should not be done if the woman in the household is more than seven months pregnant.
The reasoning - The purpose of doing a pooja is to psychologically give the owner the confidence that the seemingly huge task of building a house can be accomplished without any problems since, the bare earth of the site (bhoomi) has been blessed and has acquired a divine life. The purpose of selecting auspicious time and day is for the same reason. The reason why the pooja is not to be done when the woman of the house is heavily pregnant is obvious - since the pooja ceremony calls for sitting on the ground, it may be uncomfortable for the lady or cause premature delivery.
* BALIDAANA - This is also a ritual. Offerings are made and spirits and demons are requested to leave. The Reasoning - With this ritual, the owner will psychologically feel that the site is purified and freed from any old associations and is receptive to a new beginning. It is like he is starting life from scratch without any stains.
* HALA-KARSHANA - This is the levelling of the site wherein the site is sloped according to Vastu guidelines so that the site is at a higher level than the road level and the South-West corner is higher than the North-East corner. Vastu recommends that the whole site be ploughed to rid it of the past and give the soil a new life. The Reasoning - The levelling is done to remove unwanted stones, rocks etc to facilitate the easy digging of the trenches for the foundation. The reason for having the whole site ploughed is to expose any debris or pests which may be underground, as normally only the ground is dug where the trenches for the foundation are marked. So some spots where there are pests may remain undetected and can cause problems after the structure comes up.
* ANKURAA-ROOPANA - This is the sowing of the seed and a final offering to the memory of those who have left the place and is also the first offering to the new ploughed ground. The Reasoning - The germination of the seed gives a psychological feeling that the new undertaking will be fulfilled - that it will be completed without any problems.
* SHILAANYAASA - It is the foundation laying ceremony. The groundbreaking ceremony for the house should only be done during the Uttarayan period, when the sun is in the northern hemisphere, from June 21 through December 20. The stone which is consecrated at the time of the Vastu Pooja, is laid first in the South-West corner of the trenches dug up for the foundation. The Reasoning - It makes sense to start construction in the Uttarayan period, when the days are longer than the nights as the construction activity can go on at a rapid pace as there are more daylight hours during this period.
WHAT ARE THE VASTU SHASTRA GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTION?
There are three things to be constructed before starting the construction of the house namely:
* WELL/ BOREWELL/WATER SOURCE -
- The first step before the commencement of the house construction, is to dig the well or the borewell because if water is used from this well for the construction, it is auspicious for the family who will live in the house.The Reasoning - Even if there is municipal water supply, it is better if the owner has another source of water as a backup, because nowadays there is acute shortage of water. Moreover, since municipal water supply connection is given only after the completion of the building, it makes sense to have a constant source of water for the construction form your own well or borewell instead of buying water for the construction. So this should be the first priority.
- It is best if the well or water source is on the north or northeast side of the land. It is inauspicious to have a well in the middle of a house. It is not recommended to share wells between two properties. Ideally, the well water should be exposed to sunlight for five hours a day.The Reasoning - It is practical to have this well in the North-East corner which is anyway to be left open as per vastu, to enable the morning sunrays to enter the house. Moreover, the suns rays will purify the water and kill the germs.
- The well should be dug after bhoomi pooja has been performed on the site, at an astrologically auspicious time. The Reasoning -And psychologically the owner will feel the well will yield good amount of water if the digging is done at an auspicious time and day.
- It is best if the well or water source is on the north or northeast side of the land. It is inauspicious to have a well in the middle of a house. It is not recommended to share wells between two properties. Ideally, the well water should be exposed to sunlight for five hours a day.The Reasoning - It is practical to have this well in the North-East corner which is anyway to be left open as per vastu, to enable the morning sunrays to enter the house. Moreover, the suns rays will purify the water and kill the germs.
- The well should be dug after bhoomi pooja has been performed on the site, at an astrologically auspicious time. The Reasoning -And psychologically the owner will feel the well will yield good amount of water if the digging is done at an auspicious time and day.
* STORAGE SHED -
- The next thing to be constructed is a storage shed for storing all the material like cement, wood etc. The storage shed can be located in any part of the site except in the North or East. A watchman is to be retained to guard the material. The Reasoning - A place to store the cement bags and other building material safely and away from moisture is essential, as you can't keep buying these things in small quantities. Since the North-East side of the site is to be kept open, the shed should not be placed there, as it will block the sunlight and movement around. Also having a watchman to take care of these things gives you a feeling of security.
- The next thing to be constructed is a storage shed for storing all the material like cement, wood etc. The storage shed can be located in any part of the site except in the North or East. A watchman is to be retained to guard the material. The Reasoning - A place to store the cement bags and other building material safely and away from moisture is essential, as you can't keep buying these things in small quantities. Since the North-East side of the site is to be kept open, the shed should not be placed there, as it will block the sunlight and movement around. Also having a watchman to take care of these things gives you a feeling of security.
- Only new bricks, wood, and materials should be used when building a new house. Materials from an old building should not be used to build a new one as these old materials may have absorbed negative energy of negative incidents that occurred in the old house. If there are old materials available, it is better to sell them and use the money to buy new materials. Materials that have been stored for a long time should also not be used.Iron grills should only be used when needed. The Reasoning - Building materials stored for a long time may not be effective, as they may not have been stored well, away from moisture etc. Also, material from an old building will have less strength and so it is better not to use them in the new one.
- Wood from thorny trees should not be used. The Reasoning - Generally the wood of thorny trees is not suitable for house construction.
* COMPOUND WALL AND GATE
- The third thing to be constructed is the Compound Wall. This should be built before the house is constructed. The compound wall should not be higher than the house, and the southwest side should be the highest and the North and East sides should be the lowest.
The Reasoning - The purpose of the compound wall is to protect the site from the outside environment, from thieves, etc. However, if there are buildings all around the site, the compound wall can be done after the construction. The higher compound wall in the South-West prevents the evening sun rays from heating up the house.
- It is best that there are two gates to the compound, so evil things entering one gate will exit from the other. The Reasoning - It makes sense to have a big gate for the car to enter and a smaller gate which is easier to handle near the entrance.
Some other considerations in construction are:
* Construction should not stop once it begins as there will be more expense involved in stop-and-start work.
- Wood from thorny trees should not be used. The Reasoning - Generally the wood of thorny trees is not suitable for house construction.
* COMPOUND WALL AND GATE
- The third thing to be constructed is the Compound Wall. This should be built before the house is constructed. The compound wall should not be higher than the house, and the southwest side should be the highest and the North and East sides should be the lowest.
The Reasoning - The purpose of the compound wall is to protect the site from the outside environment, from thieves, etc. However, if there are buildings all around the site, the compound wall can be done after the construction. The higher compound wall in the South-West prevents the evening sun rays from heating up the house.
- It is best that there are two gates to the compound, so evil things entering one gate will exit from the other. The Reasoning - It makes sense to have a big gate for the car to enter and a smaller gate which is easier to handle near the entrance.
Some other considerations in construction are:
* Construction should not stop once it begins as there will be more expense involved in stop-and-start work.
* Workers should not be unnecessarily pushed to speed up their work as they will do a shoddy job. Moreover, some things like setting, curing of columns, beams, slabs etc cannot be rushed as there is a risk that the structure may collapse.
* Work for the day should stop at sunset. No construction should be done at night as it is difficult to see and do a good job. Also the workers need to have rest as they can't do a good job if they are overworked.
* Work for the day should stop at sunset. No construction should be done at night as it is difficult to see and do a good job. Also the workers need to have rest as they can't do a good job if they are overworked.
* A qualified engineer should always oversee the construction, since any mistakes that come up can be noticed by a qualified person who is always at site.
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