By: Ian Light

Vaastu is a Sanskrit word meaning “the science of structures.” It is a traditional Indian theory of architecture that guides the design and construction of buildings so that they are in harmony with the laws of Nature.

“When we create a form on earth we are giving birth to a living space. Just as our bodies are living spaces for our consciousness, so a house, a town or a temple all are embodiments of living space.”

“Modern society” is a time bomb and this is clear for all to see. The blind materialism and consumption, the volumes of pollution and the high levels of crime and stress are reaching the point of saturation…”

Considering the reality of this, I feel it’s a good time to awaken to the gifts of practical solutions. Just imagine the peace of mind knowing that your home or office is supporting you, your family, your health and life just by being built with this knowledge. If you aren’t going to build a house then it’s also possible (as in Feng Shui) to correct the defects of your current home.

We recently had the good fortune to be visited by Shri Vimal Jhajharia from India. He has delivered many lectures at various cities and also conducted workshops and seminars on Vaastu. He has travelled widely and provided consultancy on major projects from the inception stage as well as projects already in operation. He is an expert in corrective techniques without having to demolish.

I recently constructed a small wooden house in the Knysna area. At the time I had only a very basic knowledge of Vaastu and even though I followed only a few of the recommendations like aligning the house to True North, facing the house to the East with the front door in the correct position, placing the kitchen in the South East, building on land with an East slope and keeping the centre open to receive starlight — just to name a few — I’ve noticed many positive changes in my life and know that people who visit feel something special there.

Dr Talavane Krishna is the author of The Vaastu Workbook. After practicing medicine in the US for 16 years, his family returned to India to a house which — unbeknown to them — had many Vaastu defects. “Soon the trouble started. Health and financial problems began mounting. The construction costs rose beyond their means. Accidents occurred frequently in the house.

The members of his family seemed constantly ill, though in most cases no specific disease could be diagnosed. His wife Anita — who had begun to suffer from unexplained fevers — became totally bedridden for six weeks because of a slipped disk. Then their house contractor died suddenly of a heart attack. So many things went wrong.

Eventually, someone recommended they seek the advice of a highly respected Vaastu Consultant who helped them correct the Vaastu. “His most important advice was to remove the front entrance door and close it with a permanent wall. Amazingly enough, his wife became completely cured of her slipped disk twenty-four hours after repairing the defect.” Dr Krishna also experienced many other miraculous and subtle changes in his life.

The following is edited from an interview with Dr Krishna, conducted by Martin Gluckman:
Vaastu does not belong to India but it is a universal science that has existed all over the world and will revive again when people start looking for the science behind form.

Nature is the underlying basis of Vedic architecture and all the Vedic sciences.

Timing is important as when one plants a seed (or builds a home) the timing will have an effect on how it grows and nourishes you. If you plant the seed at the right time, you yield a good crop and good food.

The same can be said with a home, the difference might be small but it has an effect as with the timing of anything.Once we are aware that different times have different qualities, we live with more open eyes in this regard and we become more masters of our actions rather than simply blindly performing them.
Direction is a basic fundament of Vaastu. Nature has certain rules and forms in terms of how the earth is placed in space and the position of the various planets.

There is a measurable grid of energy on the surface of the earth running N/S/W/E (aligned with True North) and this is the same grid that we build our houses on in Vaastu. Thus, the house is aligned with the subtle currents of energy flowing up and across the earth and thus we gain the benefits of being in harmony with such elements.

Each direction has a different quality or effect. We all know the sun rises in the East, so East has the quality of the sun and so forth. Direction is very important and also with reference to the placement of the various rooms, even down to the direction one would face while sleeping, cooking or eating. Of course the difference is very subtle but if you multiply a good effect over a lifetime the benefits are highly measurable. When we build a house with Vaastu we simply mirror nature and her rhythms and bring them into our created space.

Position is important, but before considering this, the nature of the land you build your home on must be considered, for the land will reflect upon its inhabitants.

With reference to position we consider the positioning of the home itself, the positioning of various rooms and also the positioning of the person in the room to gain maximum harmony with nature at all times.

The ancient Vedic wisdom has answers for today’s world and they must be heard. I have many friends working in this field and I pray that more and more people return to nature and return to their inner-nature so we can build a society that does not dominate nature but lives in awe of her and in song with her.

May there be heaven on earth.

Published with the kind permission of Biophile

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