Vastu and Astrology in Modern Times

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[Smt. Priyanka Sethepalli (USA) asked: I have a question that has been bothering me for a while now.

1. It is advised that one should never buy a south facing home as it is believed to lead to some problems. But, how is it that depending on one's birth star (Janma Nakshatram), it is said that a South facing home is especially beneficial for them more than main door facing other directions. How true is this?

2. Also, some business owners particularly look for south facing main entrances as it is believed to be lucky for them. There are so many variations of beliefs and Vaastu texts all over India. I would love to have some clarity on this relation between birth star of a person to the main door of a house facing different directions.

3. Also, why does it seem to be so important in South India (especially for telugu people) and not so important or followed by other states?

4. Expanding this further, do the same Vaastu rules apply everywhere irrespective of the country you live in and the weather in that region? Thank you. Regards, Priyanka]

Swami replied:- I have not properly understood your second question (“it is said that a South facing home is especially beneficial for them more than main door facing other directions. How true is this?”). Vaastu of the Jyautisha Shastram says that the main door of the house shall not face south because Lord Yama, the deity of hell, is situated on south side. It also says that you should not sleep putting your feet towards south because your face will be towards south. Astrology says that the south face-house shall have the following bad results, which are second marriage, financial loss, lack of issues and sometimes even death of the house owner (Tasya bhaaryaadvayam dhananaashah, putraabhaavah, kvachit kartrunaashah). It is also said that south face is beneficial to people regularly killing the animals doing mutton-business (kiraataanaam dakshinaa). If a person is hit by one negative aspect, the other negative aspects may not work. This means that a fellow, who is married twice or having no issues may not undergo financial loss because one crime can’t have two punishments! I hope, this is the answer for your second question, if I am correct. People misunderstand the basis of astrology by thinking that they are perfect people without any sin and the bad planet coming in its period or in Gochaara (the present movement of planets) is giving a bad result! In fact, the fruits of past sins and past merits done by the soul guide the planets (deities of the planets) to give bad and good results in the prescribed periods as per the judgment of God.

Astrology is written by sages and it is better to follow it because by following it, you are not cheated or exploited by anybody. If you are cheated or exploited by somebody through a tradition, you shall analyze it with perfect scientific logic and reject it because somebody is trying to cheat you for his benefit!

Even in Vaastu, moderns are not perfectly understanding the heart of the astrological scripture. It is said that you shall select a plot for constructing house in such a way that South-West side of the plot must be in higher level and North-East side must be in lower level (Iishat pashchima dakshinonnata mahii…). This is said in those ancient days when there was no common drainage system. As per Vaastu, the tradition is that elder issue shall live on south-west side and younger issue shall live on north-east side (assuming that the house constructed is divided between two issues). In such case, the water shall flow from elder issue to younger issue. This is possible only when the above instruction is followed. But, now the drainage system is well developed and this will not arise and hence, this instruction can be neglected.

Some Vaastu principles are scientific according to civil engineering, which says that a beam shall be put after 12 feet length. Vaastu also says the same (Dvaadasha pade parighaa). Some principles are with good background. It is said that well must exist in North-East corner and staircases to upper floor shall not exist in North-East corner (Iishaanyaam kuupah na nisshrenih). This is because that while coming down on the staircase, one may slip and fall in the well! It is also said that a road shall not face the main door of your house coming from opposite direction (Viidhishuulaa mukhadvaaare). This is because if you are going out through the main door, the vehicle coming from opposite side may not hit you accidentally.

Astrology deals with the deities of planets and not with the inert planets about which astronomy deals. The deities are energetic beings (angels) with divine powers blessed by God, who pass on the fruits of both past sins and merits to the souls in a prescribed specific period of time as pronounced by the judge-God. The deities of nine planets are the executive powers of God. If you worship the deities of planets or deities of deities of planets, you are worshipping God only in direct way because there is no difference between the power (deity of planet or its deity) and the possessor of the power (God). If you are a very strong devotee of God, you need not worry about Vaastu or Astrology. Astrology applies to entire universe and does not differ from one region to the other region on the earth.

The word ‘Panchaanga’ means that astrology is in five parts:- 1) Jaatakam (horoscope prepared on the basis of date and time of birth), 2) Gochaara (the current running chart of planets applying to the zodiac based on name), 3) Vaastu (plan of own house), 4) Muhurtam (the time in which a work is started by you) and 5) Mantra Aaradhanam (prayers to deities of planets or deities of deities of planets or God). When one gets a misery, he shall search the defect in all these five parts. A disease may be due to defect in blood, kidneys, lungs, heart and digestive system. You have to search for defect in one or many of these parts through diagnosis before you attempt for the treatment through worships! Your Vaastu may be good, but, you might have got the misery due to your horoscope. Your heart may be good but, your lungs might have been affected! There is a special theory called Taajaka Siddhaanta of Pandita Niilakantha Diikshita, which is application of Gochara on the horoscope itself directly.

One important point must be noted because some say that the horoscope of wife supports husband. This is correct if the wife is unemployed and depends on husband. But, if the wife has her own professional line, her horoscope is limited to herself only. Similarly, the horoscope of new born issue will affect the parents, but, as the child grows and forms its own line of life, this point of support disappears. Among the five parts, the fifth part (devotion to God) is very strong provided the devotion is also very strong. My father was a great astrologer and was often telling Me to concentrate on astrology because this subject is in aspiration of everybody. Jyautisha Shastram means the subject dealing with the Jyoti or light (planet). I was telling him that I am concentrating on the root light or God or Paramjyoti (Param jyotirupasampadya…Veda) that illuminates the nine lights (planets). Finally, I gave the correlation between astrology and spiritual knowledge. If the astrologer is helping the society to believe the unimaginable God through the unimaginable powers of planets, such astrologer is basically a philosopher only.

A very strong devotee of God may be very much well off in all aspects even though the other four parts are very bad. By this, one shall not mistake that astrology is false because the bad effects are not seen in a specific person. The aim of the sages in writing astrology is to help an ordinary human being only. In this help the first step is to create belief in the unimaginable power of God through the subject of unimaginable powers of planets. If this first step is well established, the second step of developing the devotion to God becomes very easy.

Neither astrologer nor people consulting astrologer recognize the importance of the concept that astrology consists of five parts by which we can realize that we shall think about this concept before blaming astrology or astrologer in the light of the failure of the subject to treat that astrology is a false subject or the astrologer failed in his prediction. I will explain this with an example. Suppose an astrologer has suggested a good muhurtam for marriage. The muhurtam may be very good in real sense. The astrologer also rectified vaastu of the house of the new married couple. By this, two parts out of five parts (Jaatakam, Gochara, Vaastu, Muhurtam and Mantraaraadhanam) have become good. What about the other three parts? The horoscope and gochara might be defective with influence of bad planets due to their past sins and hence, problems come. Now, all the people of the couple blame astrologer by saying that even though they performed marriage in the muhurtam suggested by astrologer and even though the vaastu of the house is rectified by the astrologer, problems have come and hence, the astrologer is inefficient or the astrology is a false subject. People of the couple have shown the horoscopes of the couple to the astrologer, who suggested prayers to the deities of bad planets and God along with some charity (related to planets) to beggars and this comes under the fifth part, called mantraaraadhanam. If the couple does the prayers sincerely and does the charity properly, the problems will disappear because the other three parts (Jaatakam, Gochaara and Mantraaraadhanam) have also become good. Now, all the five parts have become good and hence, the problems disappear (problems disappear temporarily only, which can disappear permanently only when reformation of the soul is done). Suppose, the couple is not doing the remedial procedure suggested by the astrologer, again people will blame the astrologer saying that the astrologer is wrong or astrology itself is false!

The above concept can be more clearly understood by taking the example of diagnosis and treatment of a patient. The patient is the human being hit by worldly miseries. Doctor is God and the assisting compounder is the astrologer. Worldly misery is the disease to be cured. The five parts of astrology are the five main clinical tests like blood test, ECG of heart, testing kidneys, testing lungs and testing digestive system. The patient is suffering with fever (worldly misery). Blood test and ECG tests show no defect. Will the people of the patient blame the doctor saying that the above two tests are good and still the patient is with fever! They say that either the doctor is inefficient in these two tests or the medical technology itself is false! The doctor wrote for the other three tests also, got reports and prescribed the corresponding medicines. If the patient uses those medicines related to the other three tests, fever will subside. But, the patient does not use properly the prescribed medicines and blames the doctor that even though blood and ECG reports are good, fever is not subsiding!

Astrology is systematic science constructed by sages for the welfare (though temporary) of the humanity. Some doctor may fail in diagnosis and treatment and that shall not mean that the medical science itself is false. If you don’t understand the total structure of astrology in light of five parts (panchanga) even a good astrologer is misunderstood and blamed by the public! The remedies suggested by the astrologer involve prayers and worships to God and charity to beggars. Both these steps are good leading to improvement of devotion to God and subsequent reformation of the soul (Kshipram bhavati dharmaatmaa—Gita).

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