This is part 9 of the series of 9 articles presented on Vastu Shastra. A home buyer, at times, begins the journey of owning a home with a single point agenda of ‘Vastu compliance’. The journey is not an easy one, and is riddled with many roadblocks and confusions. These articles are meant to ease the confusion while understanding vastu, or perhaps, bridge the lack of a balanced perspective around Vastu while: i) planning on buying and/or constructing a home, and ii) to assist the home buyer to zero-in on the most sensible choice of an apartment.

For a clearer perspective on Vastu Shastra, it is recommended that all the 9 parts of this series on Vastu Shastra be read.  However, should the reader be in a hurry, it is recommended to at least go through the ‘4 steps to understanding & demystifying Vastu’ and the ‘conclusion’ in part 9 of the series. This will hopefully impart a well-rounded balanced perspective on Vastu Shastra, its implications and its applicability. Above all else, it help us shape (or choose) our overall demeanour and approach in dealing with the dilemmas posed by Vastu Shastra effectively. Note- An index with links is given at the bottom of this article to help you navigate and jump directly to the desired topic of this 9-part series.

Understanding Vastu is Vast: How does a home-buyer take a decision?

Vastu Shastra is a vast and intricate science that influences home design and energy flow. For homebuyers, understanding its principles can feel overwhelming. Should you strictly follow Vastu guidelines, or balance them with practicality? Making an informed decision ensures a harmonious living space. Well, the answer and process is very simple: You need to take charge of demystifying the Vastu code.  The way to go about is to equip yourself with the knowledge of Vastu, and then you will be able to see through the mist clearly. The initial readings may confuse, scare or even irritate you, but eventually you will gain to benefit.

The 4 steps to understanding and demystifying Vastu Shastra are as follows:

Step 1: Get educated! Understand the tenets of Vastu in totality to build a logical-rational perspective that allows you clarity to take a decision independently

• Deciding about your apartment should be an ‘individual exercise’, and not one based on seeking strict do’s and don’ts from Vastu pundits or consultants
• Take charge of your own decision by thoroughly reading and understanding the logical and scientific side of Vastu, understand it’s origin and the story of Vastu Shastra’ evolution
• Developing a scientific and logical perspective: Read about every recommendation, every tenet, and the corresponding scientific reason behind any guidance or recommendation

Step 2: Build a logic! Go with a logical approach driven by the ‘Structure and Function’ of Vastu tenets (recommendations) vis-à-vis the apartment you are evaluating to buy for yourself

• Structure is the apartment you are evaluating which includes, 
  • the plot on which it is built and location
  • the plan of the flat, the directions of the complete structure open to sky, the directions closed due to adjoining apartment
  • the directions and extent of Sunlight & Wind the apartment is exposed to
• Function is about the extent to which a particular apartment can be judged based on Vastu; Evaluate if the scientific logic still apply?
  • Each apartment that you evaluate may not fit all the tenets of Understanding Vastu ‘functionally’ e.g. if there is a corridor and an apartment towards the East of your apartment which completely blocks the entire East side, there is no way you will get the morning Sunlight; Hence, functionally, the scientific logic behind tenets of Vastu are rendered non-applicable 

Step 3: Think practical, seek utility! Build upon the logical approach since Vastu Shastra has been based on logic to optimize Sunlight and Air-circulation, offer comfortable and utility based living experience

• Evaluate the concerned apartment based on this paradigm to ask practical questions, and get candid answers to the utility being offered. Some indicative questions are- 
  • • Is the morning Sunlight is actually emanating from the North?
    • Is the South West actually hot in your apartment?
    • How many sides are actually open to sky, open to sun, open to winds? Are they actually offering the proposed utility? For example: let us say you are buying an apartment open from three sides (North, East & West), but is blocked completely by adjacent towers allowing no direct rays of Sunlight from anywhere. In this apartment, the Vastu tenets (dos and don’ts) are being met 100% and completely on paper, but they offer zero intended utility as per Vastu. Does this apartment make sense for you?

Step 4: Experience the basis of Vastu criteria viz. Feel-good factor, comfort and convenience! Final decision to accept or reject the apartment should be driven by the vibes you get in the apartment, if you are able to visit a ready-possession apartment. Else, it is prudent to visit the site, and actually stand on the site to get a feel of the vibes and surroundings besides other factors related to convenience, comfort and relaxation. Coupled with this is the knowledge you shall have gained, which will impart you with the wisdom to take the decision on making the right choices, especially in selecting the apartment of your choice. Separately, if you are building your own house on an open plot, the knowledge and background to Vastu Shastra will leave you fully equipped to take the right decisions for the well-being of your family.

Importance of Vastu Shastra

Vastu Shastra plays a crucial role in shaping the energy flow within a home, influencing the well-being, prosperity, and peace of its occupants. Rooted in ancient Indian architectural principles, it ensures harmony between nature and human dwellings by aligning spaces with cosmic energies.

1. Enhances Positive Energy: A well-planned home following Vastu principles allows natural light, ventilation, and balanced energy flow, creating a peaceful and uplifting atmosphere.
2. Promotes Health and Well-being: Proper placement of rooms and elements like air, water, and fire fosters a healthier environment, reducing stress and enhancing overall mental and physical health.
3. Attracts Prosperity and Success: A home built on Vastu guidelines is believed to bring financial stability, career growth, and success by aligning living spaces with beneficial planetary influences.
4. Strengthens Family Bonds: The strategic arrangement of rooms, including bedrooms and common areas, fosters strong relationships and emotional well-being among family members.
5. Reduces Negativity and Obstacles: Avoiding Vastu defects (doshas) helps in minimizing stress, conflicts, and disruptions in life, ensuring smooth progress and stability.

By following Vastu Shastra, homebuyers can create a harmonious and positive living space that supports happiness, health, and prosperity in the long run.

Conclusion

When we go for buying an apartment, we are loaded with many acceptance and rejection criteria as suggested or dictated by Vastu Shastra. An extremely wise and balanced way to take the final call regarding your apartment is to understand the scientific logic and understanding vastu of why a direction or a location or a recommendation is being advocated. Once we know the scientific and logical reasoning behind a recommendation, we can evaluate it based on our better senses, and make an informed and better decision! The best part is that the irritation, confusion and doubts are dispelled completely when we equip ourselves with the knowledge and background that led to the emergence of Vastu Shastra. To take intelligent, enlightened and sensible calls regarding buying or rejecting a new apartment, it is essential to understand the very roots upon which the complex tree of Vastu is built upon. Knowledge of Vastu Shastra, its evolution, the background to it, and even its tenets become pertinent because when the Sages pronounced the Vastu Shastra 4000 years ago, they were obviously not aware of the technological advances of the 21st Century AD.  Hence, the right question is NOT ‘whether or not Vastu is good, or should it be followed or not’? The real question is: What was the rationale upon which Vastu Shastra was visualized and encapsulated as a body of knowledge? Can we extrapolate upon this wisdom, and use the logic to our advantage intelligently in the current times? To what extent are we living up to the practicality of the rationale behind Vastu Shastra while building or choosing our dream home?  With the right approach and knowledge backed by a scientific enquiry, we can get answers to these questions ourselves. In fact, the answers to these questions will help us see things clearly, and not get blinded by impractical and out-of-context diktats of Vastu Shastra that have nothing to do with being in harmony with nature (Pancha bhootas- the five elements of Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth), or with the expected outcome of Vastu i.e. feeling good, happy and content! Vastu Shastra was written at a time when the sages could not even visualize the contexts and lifestyles that might emerge 4000 years later. It is absolutely fine to pick on wisdom and the scientific thought-process upon which Vastu Shastra was based. However, it is not wise to raise the recommendations of Vastu Shastra to dogmatic heights of fear, horror and superstition! To conclude, Vastu Shastra is NOT an end in itself, but a means to the ultimate goal of securing wellbeing of people by advocating to live in harmony with nature. Consequently, the home buyer of today must have the right perspective, and not look upon Vastu tenets to be carved in stone, and to be followed without any consideration to the contextual elements of a plot, a home or an apartment. The scientific basis upon which the logical, humane and practical recommendations of Vastu were made are far more significant than the diktat itself. Even the element of rigidity in Vastu Shastra was brought about keep things simple for the masses. Therefore, the tenets of Vastu manifest the solutions to prevent or alleviate the problems faced by people without complicating the interpretations overmuch. Clearly, the Vastu recommendations were based upon the root-cause analysis of all the constraints and problems faced by our ancestors in the ancient times, and offered a suggestive panacea to them. With this knowledge and background, a home buyer must educate oneself, and make an enlightened decision while building a home, or buying an apartment.