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Understanding of Vastu Shastra

I ask every person seeking Vastu advice one basic question. What is his or her understanding of the words Vastu Shastra? Apart from giving me a fair idea about their I.Q. one common factor, which emerges, is that they are invariably shooting in the dark without having the faintest clue. We have to understand this basic question first if we want to derive any gains from this science.

Vastu means building and Shastra means Science. So Vastu Shastra is building science, which is nothing else but Architecture. In Architectural terms one can say "The Vedic theory of design" which defines in great detail not only Architectural but also the town planning concepts. Research in Vastu Shastra should be viewed as post-graduation or better still Ph. D in architecture.

For a layman's understanding an architect will construct a house for you but post-graduate architect in Vastu Shastra will convert the house into a home for you by adding the essence of life force energy called Prana in Sanskrit.

Gathering a lot of information is not enough, unless you develop a feel of physical environment created by buildings inside and outside e.g. doing B.A. or M.A. in music alone will not guarantee that you will become a great singer. Good voice and a feel of rhythm in your body are also required for a singer.

When we are talking about locating your Gen Set in SE or the bore well in North and entry in NE are they anything else but architectural design criterion and the location of the plot on a T junction or plot having road on two sides or all four sides covers the town planning aspect.

One important point to be understood is how does one look for an authentic Vastu consultant. You don’t have any criterion if you don’t know the subject but remember you do know yourself. So don’t blame others look at your own nature. If you are the impatient type who does not want to go in detail and are always looking for shortcuts avoiding hard work you are bound to attract towards yourself a quack. So instead of saying Beware of quacks, I would say be very much aware of your own nature. There is no shortcut to success.

Dilip Phatak

Impact of correct orientation

How can just turning around my table and chair in a particular direction bring about a major change? Most people forget an important thing. Outright rejection of any principle without having a faintest clue about it, is bliss in ignorance.

Let us look at it like this. You buy the most expensive TV set on the market with the most high tech features but if the antenna on the roof is not pointing to the right direction then the set by itself cannot show you a clear picture.

Your antenna is the third eye energy center located in the middle of the eyebrow on your forehead. According to principles of Vastu your third eye will magnetize towards you different sets of thoughts, ideas or institutes from different directions.

You want to log in to moneymaking schemes giving you prosperity, wealth and luxuries face towards North. Facing towards East will attract name, fame, harmony and peace. Facing West will bring up issues relating to health, disease sickness etc and facing South will focus on enemies and defense strategies.

Nature has abundance of good things to offer, provided you are in a receptive mode, which can be ensured by correct orientation directionally. You are sitting in a closed room. There is no way in which sunrays can enter on their own. If I ask you to bring in a plateful of sunshine or maybe a bag full of sunlight, sounds absurd doesnt it?

All you have to do is open the window facing the sun to receive the sunrays inside the room. If you are ignorant about this you are deprived of sunlight in your room. Ignorance is the barrier. Sunrays falling on any surface are neutral but put a lens in their path to focus them on a point they acquire the potential to burn or put a solar cell in their path converting them into electric charge, which you can store in a battery for future use.

So correct your orientation by facing North. Once you are in a receptive mode, you need a focusing device such as a swastika symbol drawn on the wall in front of you, which will make your thoughts potent for identifying the goals and their physical manifestation.

Dilip Phatak

Vastu and Feng Shui

One notion gaining ground is 'Vastu Shastra' deals with buildings and Feng Shui deals with Interior decoration. The practitioners are viewed the same as an architect dealing with the building and Interior decorator doing the interiors. This is absurd. The goal in both the sciences is designing of human habitat in the most beneficial way to achieve maximum harmony with nature.

Black Hat sect of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism occupies an important place among Feng Shui schools, which evolved out of the long journey of Buddhism from India through Tibet into China, absorbing enroute the Tibetan Bon the Chinese I-Ching and Confucianism, Taoism, folk religions, traditional Feng-Shui, palmistry, face reading, faith healing and the theory of Chi.

There are certain basic differences, which need understanding. Greeks, Egyptians, Christians, Jews and Muslims knew the four elements -Earth, Water, Fire and Air -. The fifth element, Akasha or space, was only known to the Indians. The Chinese also believe in five elements but they are wood, earth, fire and metal and water, all of these belong to the material field.

Fundamental view of life is different here. The stress in the Chinese case was on achieving worldly success, longevity and comfort, while Vedic wisdom was the understanding that mind with its worldly desires was the cause of all suffering and transcending the body mind by balancing the five elements was the only way of achieving the state of ultimate bliss.

Both Vastu and Feng Shui make use of objective and subjective practices. Objective practices involve furniture and building placements, topography of land and its shapes etc. The subjective practices use mind as the medium, using your thoughts, beliefs, religious convictions etc. Astrology is an adjunct to both sciences because both believe that besides there being a right place, there is also a right time. The Chinese use twelve animals to express Zodiacal time. Indians use twelve Rashis, seven planets and two nodes Rahu and Ketu. Feng Shui uses the ba-gua to relate eight directions with eight aspects of life. Vastu uses 12 Bhavas of the horoscope and their intricate relationships with planets, directions and 12 major aspects of life. Now it is upto each practitioners to decide which science is more relevant in Indian context but a deep understanding of both sciences is a must for every competent practitioner, both offer some valuable insights.

Dilip Phatak

Alchemy of Vastu

Orthodoxy of Science is more rigid in its non-acceptance of the phenomenon, which does not have a physical proof, than the religious stubbornness. Basic approach of science is dissecting everything into smaller fragments and analyzing each fragment separately. Life on the other hand can exist only as a whole and not in fragmented parts. What our sages saw through their enlightened mind, science is only beginning to discover. Our sages who gave us the sciences like Vastu Shastra were talking about Alchemy, which goes way beyond the scope of physical chemistry. Awe inspiring things of beauty, you fall short of words to describe them. Words can only explain the mundane things. Holding the hand of your beloved for the first time sets of a whirlpool of sensations in your body mind. Now look at its clinical description. "Hands when held too long start perspiring". The entire romance goes out of the window making the difference between alchemy and physical chemistry crystal clear for your comprehension.

Understand one thing very clearly. You cannot comprehend Vastu Shastra in isolation, let alone practicing it independently. Unless you can design a building as per Vastu Shastra principals how can you analyze one correctly? So Architecture is basic eligibility criteria. If you want to attempt the remedy chapter then a whole lot of allied subjects need detailed understanding. Astrology, which is, applied astronomy can tell you whether the time is suitable for you to invest in land and construction. Numerology could tell which brand name is going to give you profit apart from your lucky numbers. Majority of older generation do not have their date and time of birth correct. Palmistry can help in such cases.

India and China shared the teachings of Buddha. Chinese adaptation of Vastu Shastra called Feng Shui needs understanding which can be gained through the study of Taoist practices for alchemical transmutation of body, mind and spirit. Becoming a Reiki channel can give you a better understanding of these abstract terms by giving you an actual feel of life force energy. Combine Reiki and Quartz crystals and you have a powerful remedy tool. Knowledge of building engineering can tell you the structural feasibility and the cost of the remedies. Today's requirement is use of scientific technology in making the Vedic wisdom relevant to your daily life.

Dilip Phatak

The Fifth Element

Vedas have given three basic forms of Remedies. Mantra, Mani and Aushadhi meaning prayer chanting, use of gemstones and medicine respectively. Out of these the first one Mantra relates to the fifth element in Vastu (Space), which in turn relates to our body via our sense of hearing. Modern architecture deals with this through the science of Acoustics.

Every businessman follows the routine of doing prayer or a mantra mala as per the dictates of his or her religion everyday. Remember the emphasis is mainly on correct pronunciation.

Now visualize your vocal chords as piano keys or rather your computer keyboard. What is a mantra? It is sound notes arranged in a particular sequence. When you are chanting the mantra it is like you are typing out a series of commands on your vocal chords to access or activate certain programs or function of your brain, which has a phenomenal memory capacity.

At this point you may ask how does it all add up in terms of Vastu remedies or help in dealing with say a corrupt official.

Science today agrees that the entire physical world is vibratory in nature. If I am able to change my vibration enough in a particular direction using mantra chanting or any other device such as a bell or a wind chime then that vibration will affect both my environment and the people with whom I come in contact. If I am an expert in this and can focus this vibration in a particular direction with sufficient power then I could help you in changing the tension filled environment of your factory to a more harmonious one. And when you and your entire factory environment are filled with tranquil vibrations even that corrupt official who visits your factory will behave more sensibly and in a relaxed and easy manner. Once back in his office he will be back to square one but your purpose is solved.

So this is a glimpse in to Vastu remedies without the need of physical alterations to your building. The key is mind follows thought and physical body follows mind and vice versa. Isnt architecture also the same sequence? Thought or Concept translates in to a drawing, which translates into building and again vice versa the building will affect your environment and ultimately your thought process.

Dilip Phatak

Business Opportunities & Vastu Shastra

There is a manufacturer who believes in quality and is producing a high quality product but he invariably lands up with a buyer who has scant regard for quality and keeps on paying a low price. On the other hand there is another businessman who is desperately looking for quality but always has to settle for 2nd best. There has to be a way out of this predicament for both these people but how? If only the two could meet, well that is a big if.

The techno savvy will jump up and say elementary my dear just design your website and go on the net. The problem increases when the search engine throws in front of you a list of 100 firms claiming similar specifications and quality. The net has yet to come with a system of verification of authenticity.

Vastu has very simple solutions for this. Remember a saying that "wise men simplify things and fools complicate them". Break down things to basic fundamentals. Opportunities & Relations relate to the Vayu (Air) element, the heart energy center in our body, the sense of touch for which the working organs are hands, the number 6 and finally the direction North West.

Let us see how they translate into our daily life. It is always a meeting of Hearts when we want to express closeness in relationship. It is never called meeting of legs or maybe meeting of shoulders etc. Greeting each other always involves handshake, Namaste or a hug. When we want the communication lines alive we say let us remain in touch. End of a good relation is heartbreak. This leads us to the easy yet sensitive remedies.

Let us start with your body posture. Never cross your arms in front of your chest and dont cross your legs below your knees while talking or listening to some one. Keep your phone in the NW corner of your table. A metal wind chime having 6 rods hung out side in the NW corner of your building below a chajja where it catches wind freely.

Waterfall flowing towards north is excellent in NW but fire element in the form of boiler or genset causes harm. Finally keep finished product in NW corner.

Dilip Phatak

Develop your 'gut feeling'

Have you ever thought about why Japanese businessmen are giving the global business community a run for their money in spite of their small size geographically? The answer lies in their focus on water element, which is quantitatively the largest of the five elements that Vastu Shastra deals with. More than 80% of our physical body and two thirds of Earth's surface is water.

Our physical body is our most immediate Vastu. Out of seven energy centers in our body, the second one is called Manipura chakra and is located two inches below the navel. It relates us with the water element and deals mainly with the issues concerning materialistic desires. The Japanese call the navel center the Hara.

If you ask a Japanese child where is the mind or from where does he think? He will point towards his stomach the Hara. The head only has the brain, which is a physical organ. Western influence has made us equate the thinking process with the brain; confusing the brain with the mind thinking they are one and the same.

Every successful businessman talks about his gut feeling, which he trusts while taking important decisions. It is a feeling he describes as "This thing is going to work, I can not say why, but I am sure about it". This gut feeling originates from Hara or the Manipura. It simply enables you to know the result without the need of going through the thought process or the physical action leading up to that result.

Since the Hara relates to the water element, Japanese consider it symbolic of money. Water and North together represent the career aspect. Water in the form of waterfall, fountain or bubbling water in an aquarium placed in North is used as a strong focusing device for enabling their mind to function from the Hara.

Vastu Shastra has been stressing the importance of water element in North, Northeast and East for ages. The first thing I do at the start of every construction is digging a bore well in North or at least a good size underground tank in North or Northeast. This ensures a steady supply of funds for the project.

If you want to develop that gut feeling which can make the difference between success and failure, sit facing the North and meditate with your full attention on your Manipura energy center.

Dilip Phatak