Vastu Shastra: The Ten Commandments

Vastu Shastra: The Ten Commandments

These fundamental principles apply to all buildings, public and residential.

THE 1st COMMANDMENT:
The main water source or a water feature should be towards the North-East.
THE 2nd COMMANDMENT:The Kitchen, generator room, furnace or boiler should be towards the South-East.
THE 3rd COMMANDMENT:
The guestroom, store or children's bedroom should be towards the North-West.
THE 4th COMMANDMENT:

The master bedroom, CEO's office should be towards the South-West.
THE 5th COMMANDMENT:
The center should be light and airy.
THE 6th COMMANDMENT:
There should be more open space towards the North and East as compared to the South and West.
THE 7th COMMANDMENT:
The South and West floor levels should be higher than the North and East.
THE 8th COMMANDMENT:
The South and West boundary wall should be higher than the North and East walls.
THE 9th COMMANDMENT:
The entrance is preferred from the North or East.

THE 10th COMMANDMENT:
You should sleep with your head towards the south and raise the head side by 3".

STRUCTURE ON A HILL AS PER VASTU SHASTRA

STRUCTURE ON A HILL AS PER VASTU SHASTRA

Vastu Shastra offers invaluable tips on the construction of a Structure on a Hill. Buildings on hills are generally not considered very auspicious but if one has to construct in these areas then while building a structure on a hill, special attention should be paid to the following points:

• A building should preferably be built as a house or a commercial complex on a hill, which is in the West or the South direction of the city.
•  Structures should be avoided to be built on a hill, which is in the North-East, the North or the East direction of the city. If it is built here, progress may slow down and one might have to face many difficulties.
• Structure when built on a hill it should be with slope on the East or the North side and roads having similar approach be chosen. The slope of the hill should not be in the South or the West directions.
• A hill with a river, canal, sea, running water, pond or lake in the East or the North directions will prove very auspicious. If these things are to the West or the South of the hill, it is considered inauspicious. 
• There is no harm in building a house on a hill with slopes in all the four directions. However, the approach roads should be in either the East or the North.
• It is necessary to make the level of the plot plain if it is situated on a hill. If this plot has a slope in the East, the North or the North-East directions, it will be better. However, the slope of the hill on which the plot is situated should never be only in the West or the South. If it is so, it should be made level.
• While building a structure on a hill, a compound wall according to Vastu Shastra, should be constructed on all the four sides of the plot.
• The compound walls in the East and the North directions should be shorter and preferably made up of bricks. The walls on the West and the South sides should be broad, made of heavy stones and tall.
• The underground water bodies should be located in the North-East direction. Big overhead community water tank or personal overhead tank should be in the West direction.
• If a structure is built on a hill, the wall compound gate should be in the North-East, the North or the East direction. As far as possible, the wall compound gate should never be in the South-West or the South. If it is unavoidable, it should be in the North-West direction of the West or the South-East direction of the South.
• The hilly structure should be built in the South or South-West of the West block. On the East and the North directions vacant space should be left; more the vacant space the better.
• The North-East corner of the hilly plot should be left totally vacant. No construction should be done in this corner. Otherwise, it will result in several problems for the residents.
• In the open space around the structure any pits, swimming pool, pond or water tank in the South-East, the South, the West or the South-West direction should be strictly avoided.
• If the hilly plot is not a level, constructions should be done with upward slope towards the South or the West.
• If a slope is to be given to the roof, it should be towards the East or the North. The roof should not have a slope towards the West or the South.
• On a hilly plot, a multilevel construction should only be done when the hill has upward slope towards the South or the West directions.
• The hilly structure should have only one compound gate in the East. The other gate could be in the North direction.
• If religious places, temples, gardens, public water works and others are constructed on a hilly plot they will prove beneficial.
• If construction is done in North-East, the East or the North directions there should not be a taller hill in the vicinity. However, tall hills in the West and the South are quite advantageous.
• Before starting a construction on a hilly plot, all the shrubs and the bushes may be removed. Stones should also be removed and ditches be leveled. If possible, a square or a rectangular compound wall should be constructed around the plot.
• \Basements should be avoided within a hilly structure. The layout plan should be made accordingly.

THE INVISIBLE CHAINS OF CLUTTER IMPEDE OUR SUCCESS AS PER VASTU

THE INVISIBLE CHAINS OF CLUTTER IMPEDE OUR SUCCESS AS PER VASTU

The ancient Indian science of VASTU, a word derived from the Sanskrit for a dwelling with a plot of land, focuses on how the design of our buildings and the layouts of their interiors affect our emotional state. The principles of Vastu are complex and numerous, but if they could be summed up in one word, it might be ‘ORDER’. That order creates a clutter free environment that enhances both the spiritual and material well-being of the people living in the building.

Coming from a different culture of China, Zen aims to induce a state of mental calm through techniques that help us slow down and concentrate on one task at a time. Zen encourages us to recognize what is true value in our lives and what is not, so that we can avoid wasteful activities and get rid of surplus possessions; in a word, de-clutter. The ideas behind both Vastu and Zen could hardly be more appropriate in today’s chaotic world.

Get rid of the unnecessary stuff people hoard. De-cluttering changes the entire ambiance from being a daunting mess into a nurturing sanctuary. By de-cluttering the physical space, an environment is created that encourages spiritual and emotional renewal. It is believed that clutter, both mental and physical, is one of the main reasons people do not reach their full potential in life.

We need to regularly de-clutter and focus. We must choose one idea over the others and commit to it. It is frightening, but as the famous British comedian, John Marwood Cleese, said, “Nothing will stop you being creative as effectively as the fear of making a mistake.”

Fear that dis-empowers or to deprive us of power, authority, or influence, make weak, ineffectual, or unimportant is a consequence of clutter. When our mind is uncluttered, we may still be afraid, but we are not incapacitated by the fear because our goals and the risks are plainly visible, and we are fully aware of what is ahead of us. To reach our full potential in life, we need an uncluttered mind. We can achieve it through various relaxation techniques, including meditation, yoga, and exercise, and the process is easier when our physical environment too is uncluttered. The techniques we adopt must be practiced routinely: we must get into the habit of de-cluttering. Good habits are powerful enablers. We owe it to ourselves to break the chains of mental and physical clutter. When they are broken, we become as if an eagle released from captivity, free to soar to new and extraordinary heights.

According to Vastu a clutter-free environment is the key to health, wealth, peace, prosperity, success and for good relations in one’s life.