Vastu Engineering

The decision by University Grants Commission to introduce Vaastu as subject at degree/post graduate level, gives scope to unearth the unknown secrets of the ancient subject used by ancient Indian architects in building huge edifices standing and being preserved even today as monuments. We salute UGC. Unfortunately our great rationalists are at forefront to oppose.

Vaastu is a science of engineering of those days dealing with materials and land, method of construction, principles to be followed, and many other aspects of engineering and architecture. A scientist always takes from ancient writings that important matter and substance and some times ignore the adjectives and other poetic phrases. So also in Vaastu the useful and important matter shall be taken for the guidance and use in modern structures. Instead our rationalists want to reject lock, stock and barrel, which by itself is irrational. These rejecters of Vaastu heard a bit of superficial superstitious words about Vaastu and conclude that entire Vaastu is superstition and should be rejected in Toto. First they must read what is told in Vaastu, the standard works, and then come to a conclusion.

Vaastu is written by many ancient scholars under the names such as Maya Vaastu, Maanasara in 7 volumes, Viswakarma Vaastu, Brihat Samhita , Samarangana Sutradhara, Vaastu Ratnakara, etc. and some of them are available translated into English. 

The Vaastu is divided in to three main parts/groups dealing with 

1. Griha Vaastu -towns,villages and buildings 

2. Sayana Vaastu- Furniture, tools and utensils and 

3. Yaana Vaastu- Vehicles and carts.

In Griha Vaastu it is dealt in detail as to how the town/village is to be designed, how much land to be taken for developing town/village, how the roads shall be laid, their directions, individual houses, courts, theatres, guesthouses, temples, palaces, armory, Administrative buildings, ministerial houses, court rooms etc. in the construction what size of brick or stone is to be used, what should be the size of rooms and for such rooms/halls what should be the height and thickness of walls, the ratio between them, how and what type of roof is to be laid, where the entrances shall be for different uses, what type of materials such as wood etc to be used, when the wood is to be cut, whether two types of wood can be joined for one purpose and so on so forth.

Sayana Vaastu deals with the furniture such as king's throne, cots, chairs, and tables, boxes for holding material, jewels, and clothes, and many other needed things of day to day by ordinary man, by king, by VIPs etc. Even in the furniture what are measurements for different purposes, what type of wood or metal shall be used, when the wood is to be cut, what type tree is to be selected, a tree with lot of bird nests to be avoided as there is a possibility of white ants eating tree inside, also an environmentalist point of view, and many other considerations.

Yaana Vaastu deals with chariots for king, war lords, carts for common man, farmer and their design, strength, materials to be used and all and sundry connected to their building.

While this all the matter the Vaastu contains, our rationalist without going through the standard books and with only hearsay of small bits of superstition, the great Indian rationalist wants to condemn the Vaastu calling it a mad dog. A foreigner is better at least he wants to read and see what is told in it and make a research and use what good is told in those ancient books.

One can condemn where Vaastu is wrongly interpreted or wrongly used. It cannot be called wise or rationalism if any body wants to throw everything into dustbin. To make it palatable to rationalists, first the name should be changed and an English word be given instead of Vaastu. If any body argues irrationally in the name of rationalism, the society throws such irrational rationalist into a dustbin and one should be wise enough not to encounter such situation.