http://www.nebulaedeveloper.com/
In our
discussion on astrology, we pointed out some of the essential principles of
Hindu theology that affect not only astrology, but many other subjects of
learning, including Hindu architecture. The first is the idea that the world is
a manifestation of the body of God or, more precisely, the world is the
body of God. A sacred structure such as a temple is designed to be not just the
home of God, but the actual body of God. The building is sacred
because it is the Deity directly. The second principle
concerns the relationship between the macrocosm and the microcosm. A tiny
structure like a temple or a home, compared to the large universe, is
constructed as a miniature version, a microcosm, of the greater universe, the
macrocosm. And finally, the third principle teaches that the part always
contains within itself the whole. Design a building by aligning the universe on
the inside with the universe on the outside, knowing that the whole is within,
and you control the forces of the universe within that building.
Hindu architecture always
begins by laying the cosmic body of God (purusha) over every building
site (mandala). This is call the Mandala Purusha. The accompanying
diagram illustrates this and shows how this cosmic body is positioned in
relation to the site. Notice that the head of “God” lays in the northeast
corner. The basis behind this orientation is the principle of maximization of
light that is described by the metaphor: the sun equals light, which equals
knowledge, which equals consciousness and ultimately spiritual enlightenment.
The east is the source of light and of all the points along this eastern axis
the north-east point is the most important because it is the point of
maximization of light. On June 21st of every year the sun rises in the
north-east and this is the day when daylight is longest and darkness is
shortest. There is maximization of light at this point and so the north-east
corner is called God’s corner (isha-kona). The cosmic head, which is a
symbol for enlightenment, is placed in the northeast. It is perhaps a little
crude to mention, but notice where the cosmic anus is located. Ancient Hindu
culture includes everything! This is the position reserved for the negative
forces of the universe, personified as demons. The south-west corner, which is
the exact opposite of the north-east corner is not considered an auspicious
place and so when arranging a home one should avoid placing the meditation,
kitchen, or financial areas in this place.
In addition to the sun, there are, of course, many other powerful forces
that affect the life of man, and so these forces have also been considered in
Hindu architecture and given their respective places. One of the most common
features of Hinduism is its tendency to personify all things and so these
forces are personified as Gods and given their proper “seats” in the various
directions of Hindu architecture according to how they are positioned in the
macrocosm, the greater universe. See the accompanying diagram that illustrates
the sitting places of these powerful forces. Agni, the god of fire, sits in the
south-east corner and so this is the ideal direction for a kitchen. Kuvera, the
god of wealth sits in the north, so this is the best place for keeping
financial matters. In this way, knowing the places of these forces, the next
illustration shows the basic arrangement of how any building should be
designed to create an alignment with the forces of the universe. This is the
basis of Hindu architecture. Beyond this there are, of course, a large number
of details. Below I provide just a few details found in Vaastu Shastra along
with my explanations (in italics) to help the reader get an idea of how the
system of vaastu works. Exactly how a building is designed
will vary greatly according to the site and the needs of the family in the case
of a house for example. There is a lot of flexibility built into this system of
architecture.
*No
garbage should be dumped in the north-east corner of the site or the
building. The reason for this is
obvious: the northeast corner is God’s corner.
*Lawns and gardens with
small plants should be grown in the northern and eastern side. Large trees should
only be planted in the south and western sides, never in the east and
north-eastern sides. The east is
the source of spiritual power and so this energy should never be blocked or
obstructed. Blocking the southern direction blocks death. In addition, planting
tree in the south and west provides cooling shade against the hottest positions
of the sun.
*Beds should be placed so
that when one sleeps the head is directed towards the south, east, or west, but
never towards the north. A
person’s body is a tiny magnet with a north and south pole. One’s head is the
north pole. The universe is also a magnet (a very big magnet!) with a north and
south pole. Polaris, the north star, is the north pole of the universe. Place
two magnetic poles together and there is a repulsion. So to sleep with one’s
head in the directions of the universe’s head is the same as placing two north
poles together. There is repulsion. Therefore sleep will be better when the
head is placed towards the south or another direction other than north.
*Main doors should open to
the east, north or west, but never to the south.
The east is the source of divine light
and therefore this is the preferred placement for the main door of a house. The
south is the direction of the God of death and so a main doorway should not
open to death.
*The site should be higher
in the west than in the east. By
sloping slightly to the east the site is open to the east, the source of divine
light. In addition, a slope provides for water drainage.
*The staircase should be
located in the south, west or south-west corner. The stair or elevator area is not considered useful living space so
these things are relegated to less important areas of the building.
*A Kitchen should be
located in the south-east corner, but may also be in the north-west corner. In
either case the cooking area should allow facing east while cooking. The south-east the place given to the fire divinity, Agni. A
kitchen involves fire, so the placement is obvious. The cooking fire is a
miniature sun and therefore light, so facing the cooking fire and facing east
while cooking is facing light.
*A Kitchen should never be
in the south-west because it will endanger the health of residents. Notice that the south-west is the place of the cosmic anus, so placing the
kitchen in this location is not favorable for health. Instead the south-west is
the proper place for toilets, garbage and storage of things like tools.
*The site should be square or rectangular. Sites with triangles,
round shapes, with five corners or more, or having odd shapes should be
avoided. Symmetry is the basis of
Hindu aesthetics, Odd shapes “confuse” or otherwise obstruct the flow of energy
and create an imbalance of energy. A shape such as a triangle does away with
one whole flank of energy.
*The treasury should never
be located in the west or south-west. The deity of wealth resides in the north and so the financial part of a
house should be in this position. As we have noted, the south-west is the place
of negative energy, so one should avoid subjecting wealth to negative energy.
*A Kitchen should never be in the south-west because it will endanger the health of residents. Notice that the south-west is the place of the cosmic anus, so placing the kitchen in this location is not favorable for health. Instead the south-west is the proper place for toilets, garbage and storage of things like tools.
*The site should be square or rectangular. Sites with triangles, round shapes, with five corners or more, or having odd shapes should be avoided. Symmetry is the basis of Hindu aesthetics, Odd shapes “confuse” or otherwise obstruct the flow of energy and create an imbalance of energy. A shape such as a triangle does away with one whole flank of energy.
*The treasury should never be located in the west or south-west. The deity of wealth resides in the north and so the financial part of a house should be in this position. As we have noted, the south-west is the place of negative energy, so one should avoid subjecting wealth to negative energy.
*The meditation area
ideally should be in the north-east, but should never be in the
south-west. The north-east is
God’s corner and the south-west is for less positive things. The placement for
meditation is obvious.
Finally, here is a sample
home design that conforms to the principle of Vaastu Shastra. I provide this
just to give a simple idea on how a building can be designed. There can be many
many such designs.
What I have described in
this short discussion on Vaastu Shastra is only a basic outline of what is a
detailed and complicated subject. In spite of this, I have provided the essence
of the subject matter as far as residential homes are concerned. There can be
endless designs and there are many ways to adjust the designs and even design
methods andpujas that can be performed to settle or neutralize
problems and defects in the site and even in existing homes.
