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How important is Hindu Architecture: Vaastu Shastra

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How important is Hindu Architecture: Vaastu Shastra

This Thread is for those who believe in Hindu
Architecture: Vaastu Shastra,Non Believers, please skip this Thread.



Vastu means ‘the art of building one’s living and working spaces in harmony with Nature’ and Purusha refers to energy, power, soul or cosmic man.

It is popular in many Western countries to hear about the ancient Chinese system of Feng Shui, which attempts to align the energies of the physical world with the life of man. The branch of Hindu learning that includes these ideas is called Vaastu Shastra, Hindu Architecture.

In Sanskrit the word “vaastu” means a building or structure and so the expression “vaastu shastra” is the science of structure.Hindu Architecture addresses two kinds of buildings: religious structures––temples and shrines––and non-religious structures, civic buildings, business complexes and residential homes.

In Hindu culture, not only is the home and family all important, but so is the actual building where the family lives. Consequently, how a physical building is designed and constructed is a matter of deep concern. Hindu traditions tell us that there are forces, some subtle and others not so subtle, some positive and some negative, around us at all times, and like the Chinese system of Feng Shui, it is in man’s interest to arrange his life to take advantage of these positive forces and avoid the effects of the negative forces.

It has been observed that through the proper orientation of a building and other techniques, the positive forces can be focused in a way that will lead to an increase in wealth, happiness, and harmony for the residents of such a building. Conversely, the wrong orientation of a structure and other architectural failures can cause unhappiness, disease and troubles for the inhabitants. The same can be said for other buildings including temples, business and civic structures.

Hindu architecture always begins by laying the cosmic body of God (purusha) over every building site (mandala). This is call the Mandala Purusha.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.

*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 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 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 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.



http://sanskrit.org/?p=661
http://www.vastucompass.com/vastu-purush/


http://www.nhsf.org.uk/2005/12/vaas...-shastra/vastu-shastra-for-building-house.php
 
I know we can get compliance of any rule by scaring the common public.
ISIL can impose its rule by the violence. Most of the ancient customs are imposed by guilt alone.
Vastu was described before indoor plumbing. So how come the modern Vastu has indoor bathroom location specified. If Vastu is to be believed as ancient practice then how and why was it modified, and by who?
 
How important is Hindu Architecture: Vaastu Shastra

This Thread is for those who believe in Hindu
Architecture: Vaastu Shastra,Non Believers, please skip this Thread.



Vastu means ‘the art of building one’s living and working spaces in harmony with Nature’ and Purusha refers to energy, power, soul or cosmic man.

It is popular in many Western countries to hear about the ancient Chinese system of Feng Shui, which attempts to align the energies of the physical world with the life of man. The branch of Hindu learning that includes these ideas is called Vaastu Shastra, Hindu Architecture.

In Sanskrit the word “vaastu” means a building or structure and so the expression “vaastu shastra” is the science of structure.Hindu Architecture addresses two kinds of buildings: religious structures––temples and shrines––and non-religious structures, civic buildings, business complexes and residential homes.

In Hindu culture, not only is the home and family all important, but so is the actual building where the family lives. Consequently, how a physical building is designed and constructed is a matter of deep concern. Hindu traditions tell us that there are forces, some subtle and others not so subtle, some positive and some negative, around us at all times, and like the Chinese system of Feng Shui, it is in man’s interest to arrange his life to take advantage of these positive forces and avoid the effects of the negative forces.

It has been observed that through the proper orientation of a building and other techniques, the positive forces can be focused in a way that will lead to an increase in wealth, happiness, and harmony for the residents of such a building. Conversely, the wrong orientation of a structure and other architectural failures can cause unhappiness, disease and troubles for the inhabitants. The same can be said for other buildings including temples, business and civic structures.

Hindu architecture always begins by laying the cosmic body of God (purusha) over every building site (mandala). This is call the Mandala Purusha.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.

*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 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 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 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.



http://sanskrit.org/?p=661
http://www.vastucompass.com/vastu-purush/


http://www.nhsf.org.uk/2005/12/vaas...-shastra/vastu-shastra-for-building-house.php

For all this talk about "hindu architecture", I have a genuine doubt - how many agraharams follow vasthu? In my own maternal agraharam the front entrances of the two rows (of houses) are facing south and north. Absolutely none of the glib vasthu jargon we swear by now.

Please think and reason out. Without being emotionally hurt.
 
I know we can get compliance of any rule by scaring the common public.
ISIL can impose its rule by the violence. Most of the ancient customs are imposed by guilt alone.
Vastu was described before indoor plumbing. So how come the modern Vastu has indoor bathroom location specified. If Vastu is to be believed as ancient practice then how and why was it modified, and by who?
Good point actually, and made me laugh as well; but just as brahmins modified the "shika" to "crop", and the "panchakaccham" to "trousers", the bathroom just got a location change !
:)
 
Vastu is a subject like astrology, believed by some, strictly followed by some (breed incresing with some american companies too joining the wagon). The first rule of vastu is selection of land and if it is not as per vastu guidelines, what is to be done. Anyway as this thread is not under general discussion which was created specifically to abuse hindu practices, the dissenter is advised to start a thread in GD, for wisecracks and smut remarks.
 
I know we can get compliance of any rule by scaring the common public.
ISIL can impose its rule by the violence. Most of the ancient customs are imposed by guilt alone.
Vastu was described before indoor plumbing. So how come the modern Vastu has indoor bathroom location specified. If Vastu is to be believed as ancient practice then how and why was it modified, and by who?

vAstu in its traditional unpolluted view, says that a house plot has to be square in shape, and not even rectangular. The plot has to be level also. I may say that vAstu was a kind of standard practice which enabled the various artisans, especially the Carpenters, to do a good job in those days when timber was used lavishly in house building.

Another interesting aspect of vAstu (probably modern, I don't know) is that any plot of land tapering towards south is highly self-destructive and any construction done on such a plot is bound to flounder quite soon. Applying this vAstu rule, one vAstu expert said in a Tamil channel that India's future is very bleak, vAstu-wise!

Let us hear vAstu enthusiasts shout that this is a "western ploy"!
 
For all this talk about "hindu architecture", I have a genuine doubt - how many agraharams follow vasthu? In my own maternal agraharam the front entrances of the two rows (of houses) are facing south and north. Absolutely none of the glib vasthu jargon we swear by now.

Please think and reason out. Without being emotionally hurt.

Wow.
When people go in outer space there is no North or South in comparison to Earth. What position should they sleep, where should the head be pointed to neutralize earths magnetic forces?

Similarly should people in Northern hemisphere and southern Hemisphere sleep in opposite direction?
In USA Lawns and gardens with small plants should be grown in the southern section. The northern section is in the shade most of the days.

*No garbage should be dumped in the site.
That is the only line that makes sense in the OP. People just keep dumping.
As Auhji says:
Please think and reason out.
 
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