The word Vaastu has been derived from a Sanskrit word vas meaning “to
dwell” and Shastra meaning treatise. Thus Vaastu Shastra is a treatise on the
science of architecture that lets you in on the secret of constructing
buildings in harmony with nature to gain positive vibes. Adhering to its
principles enables you to become the master of the house, controlling your luck
and destiny.
Before you pooh-pooh the idea, just nudge your memory and recall when was
the last time you entered a building and felt that the vibes of the place were
just not right. Why limit yourself to this? If you just look around your
neighborhood, you can almost point out the houses that forever remain full of
happiness, irrespective of how many times they change hands. Take the case of
your favorite supermarket with your favorite retail outlets, what makes you
prefer them to others offering the same brands? There are way too many
instances in your everyday life to chuck this science out of the window.
So, what exactly does Vaastu Shastra do? The whole science of Vaastu is
designed to attract nature’s auspicious influences and block inauspicious ones.
This is achieved by positioning your home and workplace according to certain
sacred Vaastu principles.
Vaastu Shastra is not Feng Shui
So, is Vaastu Shastra like Feng Shui? Although the Chinese science of Feng
Shui is derived from Vaastu Shastra and both set out to achieve the same
objective, they are quite different from one another. Feng Shui considers the
influence of birth details of owner on the dwelling place, through which it
derives good and bad directions. Whereas Vaastu Shastra does not consider birth
dates at all and lays heavy stress upon the attributes of the various compass
points. A case in point is the south direction. The Chinese tradition
identifies it with fame and recognition, whereas the Indian science considers
it inauspicious, the reason why Hagelin wants the south entrances sealed.
Furthermore, in Vaastu Shastra, sun plays a major influence in design and
allocation of rooms, whereas in Feng Shui it doesn't. Feng Shui lays more
importance on time and according to it, noticeable changes occur every year and
major changes every twenty years. Likewise, there are plenty of other differences.
All this points towards just one thing and that is, don’t mix up the two!