Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Vaastu - embrace it or thrash it?

Is Vaastu good for us? Well, we may say that we no longer believe in old traditional ways. Many of us might be worshippers of the modern technology. But before generalizing, it is better we take a closer look at what vaastu really is.

Vaastu is a science which makes us feel better in our environment. It does not guarantee that it will get rid of all the problems in our life, but what it can do is that it can reduce the stress levels of an individual. Naturally, if the stress levels are lowered, people feel better and there is a sense of well-being in the neighbourhood.

Everyone is a part of the environment that surrounds them. All the elements have varied influence on a person, though the level of influence varies. Elements like air, water, sunlight and other living beings can have a positive or a negative impact on a person. It's a time-tested method and a valuable gift from our ancestors. Unfortunately, many people do not understand its importance. It is more relevant in the modern life as many people are highly stressed. At a given location, vaastu explains would would be the best combination of all the elements that would make you feel more comfortable.

Why are East facing sites more expensive?
It is said that in South India, it is advisable to have more doors and windows of a house facing East. The advantages are that in the morning, the sunlight brightens up the interiors and keeps our pupils wide open so that we are fully awake. The sunlight also kills germs and bacteria that may have built colonies overnight. Winds blow in the east-west direction in South India. Hence if more doors and windows are in the east west direction, there will be easy and natural circulation of air in the house. Foul odour would not stagnate and thus, we would have a
fresh day.

Vaastu is similar to the Chinese Feng-Shui. Every culture has its own version of Vaastu that suits their needs. Also, it may not be appropriate to apply the same principles of vaastu at all locations. Environmental conditions vary from place to place. For example, Red-Indians always built their huts facing south. This is because in North America, it is unlikely that warm winds would blow from the north.

Vaastu is much more than this. It details the exact placement of cookware, water storage, the rooms, etc. It may not be pragmatic to follow all the aspects of vaastu, but we can definitely follow it in the broader sense.

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