Vastu Shastra is one of the branches of Hindu Astrology. The Rishis of yore should have thought deeply on the karakatva of the planets or their significations in formulating the principles of Vastu. The principles given by the Acharyas are of eternal nature in the changing world. The characteristics of the karakatva of planets cannot be changed. Keeping in view the natural laws, the Rishis have given the basis to build houses, temples, cities, etc. By following these principles of Vastu, i.e., the karakatva of planets in building dwelling places, one can get peace and tranquillity and general happiness in ones lives.
The whole world is a manifestation of the Pancha- Bhutas or Pancha-tattvas, viz., Prithvi, Apa, Tejas, Vayu and Akasa. The Akasatattva works in higher dimensions of life, whereas the four basic Tattvas, viz., Prithvi, Apa, Teja, Vayu, are of great utility in man`s day-to-day life. He himself is a product of the Panchamahabhutas. The house in which he dwells has three components of the Tattvas and if proper rules are not followed, there will be all likelihood of suffering with anxieties in life. In the day-to-day life human beings carry on various daily activities. These can be grouped under Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika natures. Each direction and a portion of the house are earmarked for the different department of life, keeping in view the planetary Karakatvas. If this rule is transgressed, there will be confusion and those dwelling in that place will encounter many problems of health and monetary affairs. Even for the mutual understanding between members of a family, there will be differences and stress.
The East direction is ruled by the Sun, and the West is ruled by Saturn. In the same way, the North is ruled by Mercury, and the South is ruled by Mars. The North-East is ruled by Jupiter, and the South-East is ruled by Venus. The North-West is ruled by the Moon, and the South-West is ruled by Rahu.
East: The Sun, who rules this direction, is the promoter of health and that is why the sun-rays should enter a house early in the morning. Therefore, one has to keep doors and windows properly to get the sunlight in a house. Windows are, therefore, ruled by the Sun and the Moon who are called the luminaries, which, in other words, are planets responsible for light in human life, and more specifically, physical and mental health. The life-giving principles of the Sun should be followed by keeping doors and windows open so that the sunrays enter a house as the morning Sun has a property of purifying water. The entry of sunlight in the morning is life-protecting, and as the Sun goes up, his destructive force comes into play. By evening when it comes down, it again has a soothing influence. If by chance the kitchen is located in the East of the house, Venus being the enemy of the Sun, the housewife may suffer from bilious complains and nervous debility, and also there may be uterine disorders.
West: Saturn is the presiding deity of the West direction. This direction is very suitable for locating the dining room which will bring auspicious influence to the family. The person who has the main door in this direction will have come up from great difficulties and he ekes out his livelihood by physical labour as Saturn stands for labour and hard work. To keep food-grains in this direction is good.
North: Since the North is ruled by Mercury which is a planet of the mind, education etc., one can keep the study-room in this direction, in addition to the treasury of wealth. The presiding deity Mercury who is symbolic of Lord Vishnu is the Lord of Wealth. If the main door is kept in this direction the head of the family will be intelligent and will earn his living through business enterprises or intellectual activities as Mercury stands for buddhi the karakatuas for consultation and communication are good here. Generally, this is a good direction to keep the money-chest.
South: The South direction has Mars as its lord. This is the best direction for the bedroom. The husband-governing planet Mars and the wife-governing planet Venus are both friendly to each other. This, therefore, is a good direction for them to sleep and is very conducive to deep attachment and understanding between them. When the kitchen and the bedroom are in one direction, the couple will experience a lot of mental unrest. It is also not good lo take food in this direction as they may suffer ill-health or other ailments. This direction is called the direction of the god of Death.
North-West: Vayu is the presiding deity of this direction. Vayu is the god of Wind, and the ruler is the Moon. If the main door is towards this direction, the lord of the house will have many travels. This is a very good place for storage of food-grains.
South-West: This direction is ruled by Rahu. This is the place where the toilet has to be built. If by chance the walls of this direction are dilapidated, there will be visitations of spirits.
North-East: This direction is ruled by Jupiter and the presiding deity is Iswara. This is the place where divine contemplation is done. Idols of worship should be kept in this direction. The owner of the house will have high honour, respect and prestige in society. It is said that the room and the bathroom in this direction will ensure auspicious results and will promote longevity, good health, good fortune and peace of mind.
South-East: The presiding deity of the South-East is Lord Agni, the god of fire, and Venus is the governing planet of this direction. If the kitchen is kept in this direction, there will be peace and tranquillity in the family. If by chance there is an overhead tank or large accumulation of food particles in this direction corners, the house-wife and her daughters will suffer from ill-health.
Hence according to Vastu it has been said that to understand the good and bad aspects of different portions of the house, one has to understand the permutations and combinations of major planets and sub-planets joining them. In order to understand this, one has to identify each planet with different portions of the house. The Sun and the Moon representing the windows are found on the right and left side of the front portion of the house. The inside hall of the house is identified with Mars, Venus with the bedroom, Saturn with the store-room, and Ketu with ventilation of the front door. Generally speaking, Ketu represents the conservancy, stagnant water or a ditch. The moon generally stands for cowshed and also storage of grains. Though Saturn is also a planet connected with storage, he represents Bhutaganas, which means, living beings who consume food. Therefore, the West direction is meant for dinning room. In addition to mercury`s jurisdiction of the hall in the house, he represents the treasury room where treasures of the house in the form of jewels, money, cash and documents are kept. It may be also called as strong-room where the iron-chest is kept. Rahu, the ruler of Nirrtya is a planet ruling waste material. Therefore, the lords of eight directions are Indra (East), Agni (South-East), Lord Yama (South), Lord Varuna (South-West), Sani (West), Kubera (North), Iswara (North-East), and Vayu (North-West).
