Vastu Shastra: Vasthu in The Vedas

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Vasthu: Vasthu in The Vedas

The word Veda is derived from the root "vid" meaning "to know". Thus Veda means knowledge. It is considered to be the source of all knowledge. According to the ancient belief of India, Vedas are not the creation of any human being. It is apauruseya (without human intervention), it is self-generated from the nature. If the nature is considered as one single entity and that entity is considered as a living individual, it should necessarily have soul and mind. It can then be stated that Vedas are the thoughts arising from the mind of the nature. The mind of the sages engrossed in penance identifies with the conscience of nature. In such a situation, it is not irrational that the Vedic hymns, which are thoughts of the mind of nature, become perceptible to the internal vision of the sages. The Vedic hymns so realised were narrated to the disciples who wrote them down and, therefore, are available to us today. Because of this, the sages are called the seers of Vedas. They are not creators of Veda; but only those who have perceived Vedas. From the very beginning of the creation in the universe, the Vedic hymns are resonating in the atmosphere.

Vedas are 4 in number Ð rk, yajur, sama, atharva. As a supplement to the 4 Vedas, there are 6 vedangas - siksa (instruction), vyakarana (grammar), chandas (meter), nirukta (etymology), jyotisa (astro-science) and kalpa (space). The Vedas will not be complete without these 6 vedangas. Without limbs (angas), the body (angi) will be incomplete.

Vedopangas:

Each Veda has a subsidiary: ayurveda (knowledge of life) for rgveda, dhanurveda (knowledge of tools and weapon) for yajurveda, gandharvaveda (knowledge of arts) for samaveda and sthapatyaveda (architecture) for atharvaveda. In addition, puranas, nyayasastras, mimamsas and dharma sastras (smrtis) are also considered as upangas. Sthapatyaveda which is the subsidiary of atharvaveda is the subject of this discussion. Because it is the subsidiary of Veda, its authority is clear and undisputed.

Sthapatyaveda:

Sthapatyaveda is the knowledge of sthapatya, the function of the silpins. It is also called silpasastra (the building science). In common parlance, sthapatyaveda is the science of construction. It is also called Vastuvidya, the knowledge of vastu.

Vastu

Literally, vastu is derived from the word ÒvasÓ meaning Òto dwellÓ or Òto resideÓ. Vastu is the dwelling place of mortals and immortals Ð mortals like human beings, animals, birds, plants and all other living things and immortals like gods, demigods, spirits etc. It is classified into 4 categories.

1. The earth (Bhumi), the habitat of all living beings,

2. The buildings (harmya) for different activities,

3. The vehicles (yana),

4. The seats (sayana)

Bhumivastu:

From the primordial sound (nadabrahma), the first syllables of a, u, m (vyahrtis) emerged. From these, the alphabets were born. From the alphabet were derived the 7 chandas and from the chandas were born the Vedas. From the energy of the reverberations of the hymns of Veda, millions of stars were formed. The stars exploded into planets and satellites. In a few of these planets, there appeared atmosphere suitable for life. This is the story given by the sages. The sun is a burning star. The planets and the satellites are all fragments separated from the sun. The solar system consists of the sun at its center with the planets revolving around the sun and the satellites moving around the planets. What we have to consider here is our habitat, the earth. The scientists agree that the outer crust of this planet has cooled and solidified with about 75% of its surface area covered by the oceans, but the inner core is still hot and is in a molten state. At the time of separation from the sun, the entire planet earth, both outside and inside were in a burning hot condition. The sages who introduce Vastupurusa ( the presiding deity of vastu) as a burning demon might have seen the origin of the earth through their inner vision. Thus, by the term vastu, these stages mean the earth itself.

When the surface of earth is divided into several continents, each continent is a vastu. This is similar to the fact that when a large piece of wood is cut into several pieces, each piece is the original wood. When the continents are divided into different nations, and the different nations are subdivided into states, districts, panchayats, villages and homesteads, each one of these, even the smallest sub-unit is a vastu. It is this vastu that forms the support for all buildings. That is why Sthapatyaveda is called Vastuvidya.

Harmyavastu:

Buildings for varied activities are divided into symbolic buildings (prasadavastu) and residential buildings (grhavastu). Symbolic buildings include temples, palaces, pavilions, seats of government etc. Grhavastu includes not only residences, but all ancillary constructions like grain-store, cattle shed, gatehouses etc. While the above two categories of vastu are immovable (sthira), conveyances and seats are called caravastu (movable artifacts). They are called vastu because they are used as temporary resting-places

Classification of Silpins :

Silpins, the professionals engaged in the planning design and construction of vastu are divided into 4 classes Ð Sthapati, Sutragrahi, Vardhaki and Taksaka. Each class has a specific role. Sthapati is the master builder who is empowered to plan, design and direct the construction from the beginning to the end. He should not only be well versed in all traditional disciplines but should also be perfect in mind and body, righteous, kind and free from malice. Sutragrahi is the supervisor of work and is the son or disciple of sthapati. His job is to see that all building parts are aligned correctly. He should be able to give instructions to the other craftsmen. Taksaka is the craftsman who cuts and shapes the building elements. Vardhaki joins together the building elements shaped by taksaka. These four classes are considered to be the descendants of Viswakarma, Maya, Manu and Twasta, the sons of Brahma, the creator.

Acarya :

Acarya is the learned preceptor who gives the yajamana (one who wishes to construct a building) all necessary advice and guidance in selecting the proper site and the sthapati and other silpins. The sthapati, yajamana and the acarya form the trinity of vastusthapana (construction) comparable to Brahma, Visnu and Rudra of Hindu philosophy.

The Resource Material of Vastu

The fountainhead of Vastuvidya is the Vedopanga sthapatyaveda. Its theories and practices are found in several later treatises. These source books can be generally classified into the puranas (ancient religious works), samhitas (compilation) and studies

The puranas (18 in number) describe the rituals, morals and religious aspects. Though all the puranas contain information on theory and practice of construction. Matsyapurana, for example, contain 19 chapter devoted to planning of settlements, design and construction of temples, iconography, construction of wells etc. It also refers to 18 ancient acaryas (preceptors) of Vastuvidya: Bhrgu, Atri, Vasistha, Viswakarma, Maya, Narada, Nagnajit, Visalaksa, Purandara, Brahma, Kumara, Nandikeswara, Saunaka, Garga, Vasudeva and Aniruddha. These acaryas were responsible for preserving, enriching and spreading the knowledge.

The samhitas are compilations of scientific knowledge. Their period is between 4th century BC and 6th century AD. Among them, the important ones are Arthasastra of Kautilya, Natyasastra of Bharata, Brhatsamhita of Varahamihira, Mayamata of Maya and Manasara of Manasaramuni. Arthasastra gives information on the measurement system, settlement planning, construction of forts and palaces and building byeÐtaws. Natyasastra gives details of construction of assembly halls and auditoria. Brhatsamhita is an encyclopedic work of which one chapter is devoted to Vastuvidya and one to the construction of wells. Mayamata is an exhaustive treatise containing 4585 verses in 36 chapters. Manasara is a veritable treasure house of knowledge of vastu, arranged in more than 5000 verses.

Between the 6th and 12th centuries AD, several agama texts were compiled as part of sakalaradhana (idol worship). All of them give details of construction of temples and ancillary structures. Kamikagama, Vaikhanasagama and Padmasamhita are important agamas giving details of such construction.

Several studies have been made after the 12th century AD. They take into account the differences in style based on climate building materials and social and cultural factors. Samaranganasutradhara, Kasyapasilpasastra, Viswakarmaprakasika, Vasturatnavali and Prayogamanjari are some of them. Tantrasamuccayam, which can be considered as an agamic text, is another such work. Silparatna, which is a classic work, half of which is devoted to the buildings and half to iconography, is another important work of this period. Two texts, which cover residential buildings exclusively, are Manusyalayacandrika of Tirumangalat Nilakantan and Vastuvidya of unknown authorship. The fact that these 4 works of study are the contributions of Kerala bears testimony to the systematic development of Vastuvidya in Kerala.

Selection of Site:

Selection of site suitable for the construction is given great importance in Vastuvidya. The selection is based on terrain and soil conditions and aquatic and biotic factors. Gentle slope towards east and north are considered auspicious. The plan shape should be rectangular or square. Irregular shapes are not preferred, but they can be made acceptable by choosing the largest square inscribed in it.

In case of very large plots, a square plot of desired dimension can be chosen at a suitable location. Soil is tested by tramping over it and by consolidation and permeability tests. Presence of substances like cinder, bone, hair etc. is inauspicious.

Proximity to paddy fields and hermitages is also not good, the former because of foundation difficulties and likely encroachment and latter to prevent disturbance to the environment. Flowering, fruit-bearing and milk-exuding trees are good. Presences of cattle and good neighbour hood are welcome. Availability of plenty of water of good quality is a must.

Vastubali, the Sacrificial Offering to Vastu

Whatever be the nature of the construction, the site should be sanctified before starting the work. The vastu may have several defects as places of unnatural death, existence of inauspicious substances etc. Such defects should be rectified by rites in two stages, before the work is begun.

The first stage consists of ploughing the entire plot, sowing seeds of nine grains enriched by evoking the moon (who is the lord of herbs) and watering the area. After the seeds germinate and the seedlings are high enough to be swung by wind, cattle are allowed to graze the field. Here what is attempted is to awaken the creative energy of the earth and suck out and remove the bad effects.

The second stage consists of levelling the north-east corner of the plot belonging to Isana and conducting the sacrificial tantrik rite called Vastubali. This is done in north-east corner because it is considered as the most auspicious part of the plot. This rite consist of satisfying the angry and fire-emitting Vastupurusa through worship, invoke Brahma the creator to his chest, empanel super-human powers like vayu (air), varuna (ocean), agni (fire), antariksa (atmosphere), spirits and demons into various limbs of his body after propitiating them and thus calm down the Vastupurusa, so as to make the site suitable for the desired construction work. Details of this rite are given in the texts Satapathabrahmana and Samaranganasutradhara.

Size, Shape, Orientation and Location in Vastu

To define a vastu, Vastuvidya specifies 4 factors: size, shape, orientation and location.

Size :

The size of a vastu is defined by its dimensions. Anthropometric dimensions are used in Vastuvidya. The basic unit is vyama, the span between the tips of middle fingers when both arms are stretched to the sides. In a standard person this is equal to his height (kaya). Octal subdivisions are used to define the sub-units. One-eighth vyama is a pada and one-eighth pada is an angula. In addition to the anthropometric dimensions (purusapramana), the grain size was also used to define the dimensions as is natural in the agricultural community. The width of barley (yavodara) was used as a standard dimension and was called yava. The two systems were connected by the relation, 8 yava = 1 angula. Successive octal subdivisions of yava yield tila, liksa, romagra, radhadhuli and paramanu (table 01).

Table 01. Octal system of Measurement.

To account for the difference in human proportions due to ethnic differences, three types of angula are proposed:

6 yava = 1 athamangula

7 yava = 1 madhyamangula

8 yava = 1 uttamangula

Uttamngula of 8 yava is taken as the standard.

The standardised value of angula in metric system will be 3 cm. Therefore, 1 pada = 8 angula = 24 cm and 1 vyama = 64 angula = 192 cm. One yava will then be equal to 3.75 mm and one tila will be 0.47 mm. For practical use in the field a measure called hasta equal to 24 angula is defined. This is equal to the length of arm from the shoulder. Several hastas were used with measures of 25, 26, 27, 28,29, 30 and 31 angula, but the hasta of 24 angula length called kisku is universally adopted. The other hastas are used for special purposes. One half of hasta i.e. 12 angula is called vitasti and one eighth hasta = 3 angula is called parva. Hasta, vitasti and parva are practical units.

For larger measurements, a unit called danda is used. One danda is the perimeter of a square of side 1 hasta and therefore, equal to 4 hasta. Eight danda makes one rajju and 1000 rajju is one yojana.

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