Modern architecture sometimes gets so much obsessed with the ideas like economy, life-style, function and efficiency that peace and tranquility of a human being are relegated to a back seat. Vaastu Shastra deals with creating an ambience between four kinds of spaces i.e space within human forms, constructed space, terrestrial space, and cosmic space, in other words, human body, the clothes we wear, the house we live in and the environment in which the house is situated. In the Vedic times science and art, seasons and rituals, traditions and culture, all travelled hand in hand to develop the human mind as the ever-flowing essence of nature. It was a holistic endeavour with rhythm of intelligence and harmony of mind. Utility was just one aspect of this life, but not the only aim as seen in modern American culture. In the 17th, the 18th and the 19th centuries, India unfortunately had to face rule by quaint people for whom trading was life, utility was tradition and counting coins was religion. These uncouth people nearly destroyed the flow of Indian traditions.
The architects who have surrendered themselves to the Western culture and have borrowed ideas not suitable for the tropical environments should take the major share of the blame for this scenario. Making the North direction on a drawing sheet has now become a mere ritual, without understanding its meaning and importance. The significance of the organic electromagnetic flux lines emanating from the North is totally lost on the present day practitioners of architecture. In ancient practice, immense importance was given to alignment of the geometric axis of the Vaastu and the geomagnetic axis of the mother Earth. Hence the North marking was paid special attention in planning of Vaastu. In the tropical Countries like India, the path of the sun is normally along the East, Southeast, South and Southwest direction.
For eight months in a year, we are directly exposed to the radiation of the sun. To avoid the malignant effects of solar radiation and its Ultra Violet rays and to keep the house in shady cool zone, opening towards the South direction should normally be avoided.
It must be understood that the roofs slopping towards the South, Southwest and southeast project excessive area to solar radiation leading to a very hot and unhealthy environment inside the dwelling, and hence, must be avoided. As a corollary, wide openings towards the East direction always channelise the pranik energy throughout the house. On the other hand, toilets and staircases in the East direction block the morning solar bliss. It is a medically proven fact that sunlight is essential for the life processes and the natural synthesis of Vitamin ‘D’ in human body is largely dependent on absorption of sunlight through the medium of the human skin. Least perimeter exposure to the sun and modular planning are the keys to Vaastu concept.
All fancy and unnatural forms are strictly avoided in Vaastu. Most of India lies between the latitudes 9°N and 35°N. Between these latitudes, the surfaces that receive the maximum solar radiation, apart from the roof areas, are the Southeast, South and Southwest walls. Therefore, the length of North-South axis of a Vaastu should be greater than the East-West axis. People, who live in the houses built from locally available materials, find a key to happiness through organic harmony and interrelationship between matter and energy spectrums. It rhythmically showers on the dwellers, a bliss of oneness with the surroundings of nature. It is interesting to note that some western scientists are promoting a concept of ‘space therapy’ which is based on the premise that well- defined built-up spaces have the virtuous ability to cure human body of ill health. The experiments have mostly been confined to pyramids and similar shapes.
These ideas though rediscovered by the western world now are already and readily available in the doctrines of the Vaastushastra. It can readily be conceded from the aforesaid that a modern Architect is concerned with balance, harmony, rhythm, shape, form, proportions, functional utility, efficiency and beauty in any building he puts on the drawing board; by making use of the eight directions that is the four cardinal directions (North, East, South, West) and the four angular directions (North East, South East, South West, North West), the modern Architect can cater for the sun light, cross ventilation and the said factors in any Building. However, for holistic development, peace and spiritual bliss, we need to cater for two more directions i.e Vertically Upward called Zenith and Vertically Downward called Nadir directions.
Zenith represents Cosmic Energy of the Sky and the Nadir represents the Magnetic Field of the Earth. A Vaastu Science Consultant will cater for all those factors taken in to consideration by a Modern Architect and in addition will cater for the resonance between the cosmic rays coming from the sky and the magnetic field of the Earth. This is why we say that a Vaastu Science consultant has an edge above the modern Architect.