Lesson 14 -- Vaastu design process
Now I will go through a typical design process for a residence, I am assuming that the designer has taken care of all site considerations.
The first thing I do is look over the needs of the homeowner in terms of size and type of space. The aim of this is to come up with a square footage of house needed. Once this is determined a basic perimeter is laid out that responds to the square footage requirements. For example, if the square footage needed is 3000, I might start out with a 50' by 50' or a 60' x 40' building perimeter (or 45' x45' or something like that). This area is that of the Vaastu Purusha Mandala ("VPM"). I create less square footage than needed for the overall project because I will need more later when I create spaces for the bathrooms, stairs and building extensions.
Using that perimeter I do a quick room layout to see if it is realistic. The VPM should house the Brahmasthan in the center 9 squares, the Master Bedroom and the kitchen at the very least. Ideally the kitchen is in the southeast, the master bedroom is on the southwest, the dining is in the west center, and a prayer or meditation room is in the northeast. The function at the corners is most important to honor. These corners are the very powerful. The Space energy flows into the Brahmasthan at the center and out diagonally to the four corners. The northwest corner is traditionally for storage of drygoods, but in the west we don't really function with that kind of storage very much. I have used it for a library, a bedroom, or even a living room or family room. Also, ideally it's best to leave the 16 modules surrounding the Brahmasthan for circulation through the building and have the rooms only in the outer two rings of the VPM. At this point most designers start to freak out at all the square footage given to an empty space at the center and an arcade around it. Ask yourself if you are bothered by all the room taken up by the heart, lungs and circulation system of the body and then remember that the structure you are creating is a living being, with required energetic needs for good health.
As much as possible put bathrooms and stairs outside the VPM. They have disturbing energetic effects. Once the VPM has been laid down then you can add to the house with wings for room extensions and bathrooms and stairs.
The maximum width to length is 1 to 2. For example if your house is 30 feet wide then the maximum length is 60 feet. If you want the house longer there is a solution: you can create a gap of one module or a multiple of a module or even a fraction (1/2, 3/4). At that gap the house should be open to the sky directly or though generous skylights. On the other side of this gap you can add more building, but honor the energy grid layout. I always make the gap a full module or multiple of one because then I don't have to deal with the question of how to align new section with the existing energy grid. This is a point I haven't been able to clear up, so I keep it simple and use what I know works with the energy grid.
Once you have justified the square footage with the programmatic requirements of the building you must then "adjust" the building vibrationally to the owner of the house. This is done by adjusting the perimeter of the of the VPM, not the whole building perimeter, just that of the VPM, the 81 piece square or rectangular grid of the "mother structure" as Sthapati puts it. The perimeter of the VPM dictates the frequency of the house and that frequency must be harmonious with the owner. Actually, Sthapati recommends giving first preference of harmonic resonance to the mistress of the house (if there is one) because she is the master of the home. The designer tries to find a frequency that works for all the occupants or is at least neutral for the others. In my experience it has been always possible to find a solution that works for the whole family, but it can effect the size of the house one way or another.
This frequency adjustment also effects the door and window sizes and even the furniture. It is done with mathematical formulas called "Ayadi" calculations.
Quoting Ganapati Sthapati:
"Astrology, the applied astronomy, takes into account, primarily and basically, the 'time' of birth and predicts the present and the future. It cannot change the course of events in a man's life, as he has to live in the atmosphere of the gross world. In the case of Vaastu technology, man is put up in a different ambience where he is freed from worldly tensions and miseries. To a large account, it changes the fate of man, relieves him from earthly tensions and gives him longer life. It moulds his character, behavior and the very way of life on Earth. This 'time' of birth is 'absolute time' according to Vaastu science. Hence we say 'absolute time creates life.' The calculation of age starts with 'o' time which grows into day, months and years. This is the work of the speed or force of inherent energy on human form and psyche in the making. This 'time' is very important in the Vaastu technology and there is one important factor of difference between the processes of astrology and that of Vaastu technology. The astrologer cannot anticipate or fix the time of the birth of a baby at his discretion. He cannot propone or postpone the time of birth in order to enable the child to have a birth under a favorable star. We escape saying it is fate. An astrologer's role rather amounts to what may be called 'post birth predictions'. The in the calculations that the designers does in the birth of a 'living organism' called 'building' this formula is reversed. The 'birth' of a building is predetermined with respect to the wavelength of the individuals who would be occupying the built space. It is the association or coexistence with this space that mitigates or reverses the fate of the individuals living in it, within the bounds of the broad law of Nature, of course. Such a benefit to man is made possible by the 'ayadi ganana'. I do not like to name this part of Vaastu technology as astrology but instead call it cosmology, as it is concerned with the structure and its effects.
"There are two important and significant terminologies integrated in the word 'ayadi'. Normally, the word 'ayadi' is split into 'aya' and 'adi' meaning 'income' and 'etcetera' respectively. Aya also means length. Aya is also denoted by the word 'aayaamam', a terminology for 'length' or 'stretch'. But, the word 'aya' has another import namely, 'source', as in the name of 'Adi shakti' meaning source of power. Also the word 'ay' means 'to search for' or 'to probe'. So, 'Ayadi' means not only 'income etc.' but also 'to search for the source'.
There are six aspects to be examined under the 'ayadi', they are 'aya', 'vyaya', 'yoni', 'vara', 'nakshatra' and 'amsa'. Each aspect is called 'varga', meaning group, and so it is called 'Ayadi Shad Varga'.
- Aya --income, benefits, linear measure (ayama)
- Vyaya -- expenditure
- Yoni -- direction indicating flow of energy, Prana
- Vara -- week
- Nakshatra -- star
- Amsa -- quality, feature
All these aspects of a building to be established have to be identified weighed and beneficial points incorporated in the design to the best advantage of the intended dweller of the space.
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