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TRADITIONAL VASTU

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Traditional vastushastra is based on energy needs of a particular class of people. It indicates the specific directional zones suitable for habitation by various groups. This segmentation is derived from the qualities of eight directions, which are characterised by certain energy levels, and specific virtues as explained in the vastu purush mandal. This logic has been extended in classification of sectors to be used for residence by various castes, creeds, and social groups.

Intellectual congruities are directly correlated with and are dependent on the daily routine. Energy needs of a given class of people do not remain static or constant over a period of time. Hence, in an ideal town planning, houses of various classes should be arranged as per their immediate energy needs. This apart, each class is found to have different eating habits and corresponding cooking methods. For planning purposes, these factors are given due consideration in traditional vastushastra.

Constraints on financial resources of different classes impose limitations on choice of materials for house building, a factor reflected in traditional style of architecture. In planning a city or a town, logic of vastu purush mandal, extrapolated several times over, has to be applied on the basis of energy requirements of different strata of society. Here vastu is first applied on a larger scale to demarcate public places, open grounds and residential areas by virtue of different directions. Then it is reapplied on a smaller scale for seperate plots to establish miniature figure of vastu purush in each case. Thus an individual gets associated with nature, and microcosm is correlated with macrocosm.

Three different methods are traditionally used for characterising a vastu.To represent the effect of five great elements and the variation of energy spectrum, the cuts or squares used in conventional vastu are either 10 x 10, or 9 x 9, or 8 x 8 type. Suitable nomenclature, generally a deity or a demon, is appended to these squares as per the type, form, intensity, and effective energy format. The charts include directional details, name of deities etc. and are self explanatory.

A vastu purush mandal with 8 x 8 = 64 squares is useful in planning of colony layouts and smaller townships. Vastu purush mandal with 9 x 9 = 81 squares is used in town planning for classifying locations as per the caste factor (caste here points to vocation of people). This is called ekashitipad vastu purush mandal and is also utilised in placement of houses for politicians, public places, courts, theatres etc. A vastu purush mandal with 10 x 10 = 100 squares is applied in planning of palaces, mansions, temples, and big auditoriams.

The suitability of soil fir individual entities is decided on the basis of the biorythmic and organic origin of a class of society. Characteristics of social classes are dependent on the nature of work or job normally pursued and exposure to the environment .

The holistic logic of soil selection is related to virtues of five great elements as projected by qualities of the soil. In vastu texts, properties of soil or earth are described in terms of appearance, taste, odour, sound, color shape, touch and slope of plot. These qualities find their equivalent attributes in human classes. Naturally, a correlation between soil characteristics and requirements of human groups can easily be established.