RBSE VU Vastu Vigyan cheat sheet

Vastu Shastra is one of the Upavedas, traditionally attached to the Atharvaveda; its subject matter is Vastu Vidya, the science of dwelling and built form.

Core classical texts: Brihat Samhita (Varahamihira, chapter 53 on architecture), Mayamatam, Manasara, Samarangana Sutradhara (King Bhoja), Aparajitaprccha, Vishvakarma Prakasha, and Shilpa Ratna.

The eight directions (Ashta Dik) are named after their presiding deities: East-Indra, South-East-Agni, South-Yama, South-West-Nirriti, West-Varuna, North-West-Vayu, North-Kubera, North-Soma/Brahma.

Three classical canons recur: orientation to cardinal points, proportional grid (mandala) laying, and elemental (Pancha Bhuta) correspondence with zones.

Pancha Bhuta mapping: Prithvi (earth) centre/SW, Jala (water) NE, Agni (fire) SE, Vayu (air) NW, Akasha (space) centre; each zone is assigned the element that suits it.

The Vastu Purusha legend (myth of the cosmic being pinned face-down by 45 devatas) explains why the centre and NE are kept light and open while SW is heavy.

Shilpa texts treat measurement as canonical: units such as angula (finger), hasta (cubit), danda, and the yojana scale building dimensions relative to the owner's height or the building's width.

Distinguish Vastu (built environment, spatial) from Jyotish (time-based astrology); classical texts treat them as sister disciplines but with separate rule sets.

The Vastu Purusha Mandala is a square divided into a grid of pada (cells); the most common is 9x9 = 81 pada, with 8x8, 10x10, and 12x12 variants used for different building types.

The 45 devatas occupy the perimeter and inner cells; Brahma occupies the central pada(s). The central zone is therefore kept unbuilt (open to sky or light well).

Direction finding: use a magnetic compass corrected for magnetic declination; true north differs from magnetic north by declination (roughly 0-2 degrees east over most of Rajasthan).

Site (bhumi) selection criteria: soil colour and smell, water absorption test (a pit refilled with dug soil should leave a surplus), plant growth test, and slope toward NE or N.

Slope and water flow: ideal plot drains toward north, east, or northeast; a plot sloping toward SW or S is considered inauspicious.

Plot shapes: square (best), rectangular with length:width within 1:2 (acceptable); avoid triangular, circular, or irregular plots; if unavoidable, remedies apply.

Roads (vedha/marga dosha): a plot at a T-junction or dead-end facing the road is a dosha; corner plots are preferred with the road on north or east.

The 32 entrances (32 dwara) classification in classical texts relates plot orientation to the street; the most auspicious entry is from north or east.

Auspicious ground-breaking (bhoomi pujan) is timed to the lunar month, nakshatra, and tithi; the classical rule avoids the owner's birth nakshatra and certain inauspicious months.

The 16-zone (16 mahavastu) or 8-direction model assigns rooms: Puja NE, master bedroom SW, kitchen SE (Agni), living/dining E or SE, children's bedroom W or NW, guest room NW, bathroom W or NW.

Kitchen rule: cooking flame should face east; the cook stands facing east with the hob on the SE wall; sink and hob are kept apart to separate water and fire.

Master bedroom: bed head toward south or west; SW is the heaviest zone and suits the owner's room; avoid beds under beams or directly under a staircase.

Toilets should be in NW or W, never in NE (Ishanya) or the exact centre (Brahmasthan); a NE toilet is the most-cited residential dosha.

Staircase: clockwise ascent, located in S, SW, or W; the number of steps is often taken as odd; avoid a staircase in the NE or centre.

Brahmasthan: keep the central 1/9 area of the plot open or lightly loaded; a pillar, toilet, or staircase at the centre is a major defect.

Building height and mass should be heavier on the S/SW/W sides and lighter on the N/NE/E sides; this is the 'heavy-to-light' gradient rule.

Main entrance: preferred in N, E, or NE pada of the facade; the door should open inward and clockwise; avoid a door directly facing a toilet or a stair.

Plot-to-building ratio: the built area should not exceed about 60-70% of the plot; leave open space greater on the north and east than on the south and west.

Owner/manager's cabin is placed in the SW zone; the cash counter or safe is in the north or NE, with the safe opening toward north or east.

Staff seating: employees face north or east for productivity; avoid seating under a beam or with the back to an open door.

Factory layout: heavy machinery and raw material storage in S/SW/W; finished goods and dispatch in NW; boiler or furnace in SE (Agni zone).

Warehouses: storage in SW and W; loading docks in NW; the main gate in N, E, or NE.

Institutional buildings (schools, hospitals): the principal's or administrator's office in SW, classrooms facing east or north, library in NE or W, and the main entrance in N or E.

Retail: entry in N/E/NE, display and high-value goods in N or NE, billing counter in N or E, and the cash box facing north.

Hotels and restaurants: kitchen in SE, dining in E or SE, guest rooms in W/SW, reception in N or NE.

The 'open space' rule scales: commercial plots should keep proportionally more open area in the north and east than the south and west, mirroring residential practice.

Institutional case studies commonly flag: a NE toilet or staircase, a central Brahmasthan obstruction, and a SW entrance as the top three defects to correct.

Color-to-element mapping: E/NE (Jala/Akasha) pale blue, white, green; SE (Agni) red, orange, pink; S (Yama) red, coral; SW (Prithvi) earth tones, brown, beige; W (Varuna) white, blue; NW (Vayu) grey, white, pastel.

Furniture placement: heavy items (almirah, sofa) on the S and W walls; light items in the N and E; beds and seating should not face a mirror or a toilet door.

Mirrors: place on the north or east wall so the reflection does not cut the bed or the main door; avoid a mirror facing the bed.

Aquarium or water feature in the NE; fire elements (candles, lamps, hob) in the SE; avoid water in the SE and fire in the NE.

Plants: green leafy plants in the E or N; avoid thorny plants near the entrance or in the bedroom; a Tulsi plant is traditionally placed in the NE.

The centre (Brahmasthan) of a room should remain open; avoid a heavy dining table, chandelier, or pillar at the centre of the house.

Decor: metal items in the W or NW; wooden items in the S or SW; avoid sharp-edged art or weapons in bedrooms; keep the NE light and uncluttered.

Doors and windows: larger openings in the N and E for morning light; smaller openings in the S and W to reduce heat gain; this aligns with climate-responsive design.

Remedies are classified as structural (demolition/rebuild), semi-structural (partitions, doors, extensions), and non-structural (colors, metals, yantra, plants, pyramids).

The classical principle: a defect (dosha) is corrected by adding the opposing element or deity in that zone, not by removing the zone's function.

NE toilet correction: keep the toilet dry and clean, place a copper or brass vessel, use light colors, and add a Vastu pyramid or copper strip on the wall.

Brahmasthan defect: keep the centre uncluttered, place a light or a copper pyramid, and avoid heavy furniture; a central pillar is mitigated by a mirror or a light fixture.

SW entrance or SW extension: place a heavy metal object (iron) and earth tones; a SW extension is corrected by a heavy boundary wall and dark colors.

Salt remedy: coarse sea salt in a bowl in a defective corner, replaced periodically, is a common non-structural remedy; it is a traditional practice, not a proven physical effect.

Yantra and pyramid remedies: the Vastu pyramid, Shree Yantra, and copper strips are traditional remedial tools; their effect is symbolic and should not be presented as scientifically validated.

Mirror remedy: a mirror on a wall can 'open' a closed zone or 'cut' an extension; a mirror on the north wall of a small room is a common correction.

Remedy selection rule: prefer the least invasive remedy that addresses the zone's element and function; document the defect, the remedy, and the expected outcome.

The 12 zodiac signs (rashis) are mapped to directions: Aries-E, Taurus-SE, Gemini-S, Cancer-SW, Leo-W, Virgo-NW, Libra-N, Scorpio-NE, Sagittarius-E, Capricorn-SE, Aquarius-S, Pisces-SW.

The 9 planets (navagraha) are assigned to directions: Sun-E, Moon-NW, Mars-S, Mercury-N, Jupiter-NE, Venus-SE, Saturn-W, Rahu-SW, Ketu-NW (variants exist).

The 27 nakshatras are grouped by direction for site and foundation timing; classical texts prescribe specific nakshatras for bhoomi pujan and griha pravesh.

Griha pravesh muhurta: the auspicious months exclude the lunar month of Bhadrapada and the inauspicious tithis (amavasya, chaturdashi, ashtami); the owner's birth nakshatra is avoided.

The owner's janma rashi and nakshatra are checked against the plot's direction and the proposed entrance; a mismatch is addressed by choosing an alternate entrance pada.

The 'Vastu Purusha' is linked to the lunar calendar: the 45 devatas correspond to the 45 days of the Vastu Purusha's legend, and some texts tie the mandala to the 27 nakshatras.

Distinguish: Vastu corrects space (orientation, layout), Jyotish corrects time (muhurta, dasha); a complete consultation uses both, but they are separate rule systems.

Caution: planetary-direction mappings vary between texts; state the source when citing a specific mapping, and avoid presenting one variant as universal.

Modern Vastu-compliant planning integrates orientation with climate: north/east glazing for daylight, south/west shading and thermal mass, and cross-ventilation from N/E openings.

The 'solar path' rule: in the northern hemisphere the sun is south of the east-west axis; the south facade receives the most heat, so heavy walls and small openings belong there.

Apartment Vastu: the flat's own entrance, kitchen, and master bedroom are assessed relative to the flat's orientation, not the building's; the building's main gate is assessed separately.

Case-study method: record site orientation, plot shape, road position, entrance pada, room placement, and defects; then list structural, semi-structural, and non-structural remedies with cost.

Common case-study findings: NE toilet, SW entrance, central staircase, kitchen in NW or NE, and a south-sloping plot; each has a standard remedy set.

Modern tools: compass or GPS for true north, laser distance meter for dimensions, CAD for the mandala overlay, and a checklist for the 16-zone assessment.

Regulatory interface: Vastu is not a building code; it is applied alongside municipal setbacks, FAR, and fire norms, and cannot override statutory requirements.

Critical framing: Vastu claims are traditional and cultural; present them as design heuristics and client preferences, not as scientifically established causal effects.

Scale drawing: choose a scale such as 1:100 or 1:50; plot the true north arrow on every sheet; orient the drawing so north is up or clearly marked.

Measurement units: 1 hasta (cubit) is about 18 inches (45 cm); 1 angula is about 0.75 inch (1.9 cm); 12 angula = 1 hasta; 1 danda = 4 hasta (varies by text).

Plot area calculation: square = side squared; rectangle = length x width; irregular plots are divided into triangles and summed; convert to sq ft or sq m consistently.

Mandala overlay: divide the plot into a 9x9 grid, mark the central 3x3 as Brahmasthan, and map each room to its pada before finalizing the layout.

Compass correction: record magnetic bearing, apply declination for the site's longitude, and mark true north; a 5-degree error shifts the entrance pada.

Drawing checklist: north arrow, scale bar, dimensions, door and window swings, room labels, zone labels (NE, SE, etc.), and the Brahmasthan marked.

Project workflow: site survey, orientation, mandala overlay, zoning, layout, defect list, remedy list, and a final compliance check against the 16-zone model.

Documentation: keep a measurement log (date, instrument, reading) and a photo record; a Vastu report should state the method and the source text for each rule applied.

Scale drawing: choose a scale such as 1:100 or 1:50; plot the true north arrow on every sheet; orient the drawing so north is up or clearly marked.

Measurement units: 1 hasta (cubit) is about 18 inches (45 cm); 1 angula is about 0.75 inch (1.9 cm); 12 angula = 1 hasta; 1 danda = 4 hasta (varies by text).

Plot area calculation: square = side squared; rectangle = length x width; irregular plots are divided into triangles and summed; convert to sq ft or sq m consistently.

Mandala overlay: divide the plot into a 9x9 grid, mark the central 3x3 as Brahmasthan, and map each room to its pada before finalizing the layout.

Compass correction: record magnetic bearing, apply declination for the site's longitude, and mark true north; a 5-degree error shifts the entrance pada.

Drawing checklist: north arrow, scale bar, dimensions, door and window swings, room labels, zone labels (NE, SE, etc.), and the Brahmasthan marked.

Project workflow: site survey, orientation, mandala overlay, zoning, layout, defect list, remedy list, and a final compliance check against the 16-zone model.

Documentation: keep a measurement log (date, instrument, reading) and a photo record; a Vastu report should state the method and the source text for each rule applied.