Vastu Shastra : If Man is the reflection of Nature, Architecture reflects Man
Universe is one of the beautiful creations of nature and everything stands alive only in the limelight of truth. Just like every subject of human aspect is governed with rules, regulations & acts, similarly the nature has also got certain key factor principles for smooth governing of it's residents. Our Ancestors recognized that our life and destiny are closely interconnected with our environment.
Our surroundings, the style of our buildings and the interior lay out of our homes have a profound effect on us. Vaastu Shastra evolved in India over thousands of years and aims to create environments that are ideally suited to the function and purpose of a space; be it a home or an office. People who live and work in such an environment feel more energetic and creative, thereby increasing their potential for social and financial success.
Where less than ideal environment exist, occupants often experience life as a struggle. Vaastu offers cures to remedy the situation. Structural changes to the property are often unnecessary but sometimes compulsory. Remedies like placement of mirrors, plants, crystals, symbolic objects, clearing clutter and rearranging furniture, bring a lot of change in a person's life.
As a result of such simple measures, thousands of people have found their lives transformed. Their families have experienced new domestic harmony and businesses have discovered a sense of purpose, teamwork and relief from stress.
Vaastu encompasses
* Designing environments to bring balance and harmony in the lives of the occupants and to support them to achieve their highest potential.
* Ideal placement for beds, desks and other furniture for greatest security, stability, productivity and efficiency.
* The use of colors and forms to influence the level of energy, activity and enthusiasm.
* Aligning "Vaastu-Purush - to the living space and defining areas that have a direct bearing upon your health, wealth, marriage, partnership, family, children, career and fame, and offering 'cures' for areas that need enhancing.
* Creating an environment where you feel more energetic, creative and balanced, thereby increasing potential for social and financial success.
The literal translation of "Vaastu" is YOUR THINGS OR THINGS OF YOUR POSSESTION. It is a study of the effect of the natural forces and determining the ideal place to site buildings to be in harmony with the environment. The subject is a study of heaven and earth and it's effect on the lives and destiny of human beings.
Vaastu is refered to as the art of placement. The definition suggests that the orientation of buildings, location of rooms and placement of people and objects within them have profound effect on the way people lead their lives. Changes in placement in accordance with the principles of "Vaastu " help people to change the course of their lives.
We can define "Vaastu" in another way as the "Acupuncture in space". Vaastu studies the movement and flow of energy in a given space. This energy is called "Chi" in Chinese, 'Ki' in Japanese, 'Prana' in India and ‘Essential life force' in the West. Like an Accupuncturist, a ‘Vaastu' practioner has to assess the flow of energy and then has to clear blockages and ensure a free flow of energy within a home or workplace.
A human being is affected by many forces in his life which can be classified as under :
* Forces we can’t change. This is heaven's luck that depends on the time and place of birth & depending upon this one, one has to go through cycles of good and bad times.
* Forces we can slightly change. This is human luck. It is affected by education, self-development & hard work of an individual. Again an individual's attitude & approach to life is very important & can change one's health, wealth, & prosperity level.
* Forces we have full control of. This is 'Pure Vaastu Kala’. Using this Shastra one can give good direction to future happenings.
Approaches : Practitioners of "Vaastu" use different approaches to determine the flow of energy. In Feng Shui (similar Chinese shastra) an expert looks for two of the most fundamental forms of life i.e. wind and water. In fact Feng Shui - literally means wind and water. Here they believed that wind is the carrier of energy. A strong wind would make a place very active and could be ideal for a business.
India and China are separated by the huge Himalayan mountain range, but in spite of that, these two ancient cultures always have had a cultural interchange. For example, Martial Arts and also Buddhism originated in India and were later transferred to China. Even in Kung Fu, the original Sanskrit designations for the various fighting positions are still known to some masters.
Through many similarities we can see that Vaastu and Feng Shui must have been influencing each other over a long period of time. While Feng Shui is considered to be at least 4,000 years old, Vaastu has already been systematically described in early parts of the Vedic scriptures like the Rig Veda, and those scriptures are more than 5,000 years of age.
Even more impressive witnesses of the historic age of Vaastu are the ancient cities of the 5,500-years-old Indus-Sarasvati Culture which were discovered in the year 1921. The first city was found close to the village Harappa, and because of that this culture became known as the Harappa civilization.
From this we can conclude that Vaastu is even older than Feng Shui, and it is highly probable that it has influenced the development of a similar science in China. The different cultural and climatic conditions in China may be responsible for the differences between Vaastu and Feng Shui.
In China the cold winds from the North and the constant military threat from the Mongols in the North were the cause for the North generally being considered as a direction of lesser quality whereas in the Vaastu system the North is considered a direction from which the most important organic energies flow into the house and the plot.
In Indian Vaastu, generally heights, weights and openings of different parts of the structure are given more emphasis. Also margin or open space surrounding "Vaastu" is important. When there is difference of heights. (like higher 'SW' corner & longer 'NE' part. or more margin towards 'NE' portion than that of 'SW' portion.), there can be faster movement of energy, which helps the premises to be more active & hence worth for business premise like bank, shop- ping complex etc.
However a gentle movement of energy for a home where equal heights of all the corners of the building and equal margins of all the sides would be acceptable. Even if margins or heights are different, the difference should be small and of course should be positive as per vaastu,i.e. 'SW' should be highest & NE the lowest; same way margin on 'S' side should be lesser than that of 'N' side and margin on 'W' side should be lesser than that of 'E' side. It is also recognized flat in order to harness the benefits of this energy, it is necessary to contain it. Presence of gently flowing water at proper places represents the ideal containers where energy halts & accumulates, giving the occupants a chance to use it in their favour.
A Vaastu consultant has to bring balance & harmony in a home by translating the concept of body parts of Vaastu- purush in to placements of furniture, usage of colours, mirror & shapes in a room to support & enhance the function & activity in each room. In essence the cosmic energy is to be allowed a smooth flow as well as in between storage in water pockets in a house for good Vaastu.
