Consultations · Vaastu
Vaastu consultation: for the home, shop, factory or office you use
Vaastu Shastra is the traditional Indian method of orienting a building and its rooms to the directions. A consultation helps anyone planning a new build, or wanting to use an existing home, shop, factory or office better, without fear and without breaking walls.
Questions people bring
- We are about to build. What should we get right before the plan is final?
- Someone said our kitchen is in the wrong corner. Do we have to break it?
- Can anything be done in a flat or a rented shop that we cannot alter?
The consultation
What you can expect to leave with
- The facing of the property and its entrances, read from true north
- Each room or work area against the direction it sits in
- Changes possible without construction: placement, use of rooms, entrance in use
- For a new build, notes on the plan for you and your architect
What Vaastu is
Vaastu Shastra is the practice of placing a building and its rooms in relation to the directions. The classical texts, among them the Mayamata, the Manasara and chapter 53 of the Brihat Samhita, deal with the site, orientation, measurement and proportion. The plan is laid on a grid of squares called the Vastu Purusha Mandala. Its central part is the Brahmasthan.
Scholars point out that these texts give guidelines, not rigid rules. Many of the room-by-room rules in circulation today are later convention. Where that is the case, I say so.
The eight directions and the centre
Each direction has a traditional guardian and a character. The north-east, Ishana, is associated with water and is kept open, low and light. The south-east, Agneya, is associated with fire, so the kitchen is placed there. The south-west, Nairritya, is treated as the heavy, stable corner, suited to the main bedroom and heavy storage. The north-west, Vayavya, is associated with air and movement. The centre is kept open.
Sources do not agree on every detail. The west is given to dining in some, and to storage or an overhead tank in others. The table below gives the most common reading.
A new build and an existing property
For a new build, come before the plan is final. I can then look at the shape and slope of the plot, the facing, the main entrance, the position of rooms, water and the staircase. This is done alongside your architect.
For an existing home, shop, factory or office, I look at how each room is used. Much can usually change without construction: where the bed, desk, stove and safe are placed, which room is used for what, which entrance is in daily use, and where heavy stock or machines stand. The plot, the facing, staircases, columns and plumbing lines stay as they are. I do not recommend demolition.
Light, air and how I advise
Much of Vaastu overlaps with plain good planning. An open east and north-east lets in morning light. Heavier walls and fewer openings in the south-west reduce the harsh afternoon sun. The open centre is the courtyard of older Indian houses, which brings in light and air.
I advise from a floor plan drawn to scale with north marked correctly, or from a site visit in and around Udaipur. Vaastu does not replace an architect or a structural engineer. I make no claim that a layout brings illness or loss. I tell you what tradition prefers, what is practical, and what to leave alone.
The eight directions and the centre
These are the most common traditional associations; texts and practitioners differ on some, as noted.
| Direction (Sanskrit name) | Traditional association | Typical practical use |
|---|---|---|
| North (Uttara) | Kubera; wealth and stores | Entrance, living area, cash counter or safe opening to the north |
| North-east (Ishana) | Ishana; water; open, low and light | Prayer space, open area, water source or underground tank |
| East (Purva) | Indra; sunrise and light | Entrance, large windows, living room |
| South-east (Agneya) | Agni; fire | Kitchen; in a factory, boiler, furnace and electrical panels |
| South (Dakshina) | Yama; kept heavier and more closed | Bedrooms, storage, thicker walls with fewer openings |
| South-west (Nairritya) | Nirriti; weight and stability | Main bedroom, heavy storage, heavy machinery, owner's cabin |
| West (Pashchima) | Varuna; sources differ on its use | Dining, study, storage or overhead tank |
| North-west (Vayavya) | Vayu; air and movement | Guest room, finished goods awaiting dispatch, toilets, parking |
| Centre (Brahmasthan) | Brahma; the open core of the plan | Courtyard or clear floor, free of heavy load and clutter |
What astrology can't tell you here
Vaastu does not replace an architect or a structural engineer, and it cannot promise health, profit or any outcome. Some things in a finished building cannot be changed, and I will tell you so plainly.
Bring your question.
Tell me what you need to decide, and I'll reply with the available times.