General Principles of Vaastu

Bowing to the heavy demand of matters related to Vaastu this is an attempt to bring forward some general points of Vaastu which could be of some benefit to many:

The following are some of the Vastu-logically correct principles of house making and design. Please note that like most of the ancient sciences, some of the knowledge that is contained in these principles may not be of any relevance at present times. However, the very basic of Vastu principles will always continue to be beneficial to the mankind in one form or the other.
The basic principles are:

* If you are in the process of buying a plot or site, please remember that plots/sites in South West, South & West directions are more advantageous than others.
* According to Vaastu, the most beneficial entrances in the house are those in North East, East or North direction.
* Living Room or the dining room is best looked in East, North & Northeast directions.
* The bedroom according to Vaastu should be in southwest/south or west direction.
* The children’s bedroom should ideally be in Northwest. It could be in Southeast & North as well but never in southwest or south.
* If you are fortunate enough in present times to have the luxury of having a separate room for the guests, make the guestroom in Northwest or northeast direction.
* The kitchen of the house is ideally located in Southeast followed by Northwest & East.
* Bathrooms & Toilets should be in Northwest of the house or in West or South direction.
* While purchasing a plot or a site, it is advisable to go in for a rectangular or square shape. As far as possible, the site should be slopping towards North & East or Northeast.
* While making the building or the house, it is advisable to have equal open space on all four sides. The levels of open spaces should be higher in South & West side and lower in North & East side. Outlets of rainwater should be in Northeast or North zones.
* The living room of the central zone (Brahmasthan) should be free from any kind of obstructions. By obstructions, we mean any kind of beam, pillar, fixture, toilet, staircase or even a wall or lift.
* The direction in which you sleep is also very important. One should never sleep with head in the north. Sleeping with head towards south ensures long life. While on a journey, it is advisable to sleep with head towards west.
* In your study room, have your seat so as to face east or north. Do not have a toilet in the study room, though you can have a bathroom.
* Do not use a dark color in the study room. Use yellow or white or pink. Put the book shelf in east or north.
* If you construct more than a floor, prepare the first floor on Southwest. The height of first floor shall not exceed that of ground floor. Do not build a storeroom on first floor.
* It is said that a storeroom in the Northwest corner leads to abundant supply of essential commodities. Keep a holy picture on one eastern wall. Light colours should not be used on the storeroom. Use dark colours or blue or green. Never sleep in the storeroom at night. Also refrain from taking out grains from the storeroom in night.
* The bathroom/bathrooms can be either inside or outside the house. In case it is inside, it should be located on the eastern or northern side. (If attached to a bedroom, then to eastern or northern side of the bedroom). When located outside, then it should be in Northeast corner, but away from the main building. The lavatories are forbidden in Northeast, Center, Southwest and West directions of the house.
* Vaastu Shastra also guides us about what type of plants and trees should be planted around a dwelling unit so as to enjoy their positive properties the most.
* Vaastu does not prescribe having a Mango, Banana or a Jamun tree very near your house. However Peepal at some distance from the house in West direction is considered auspicious as is Imli in South West of the house.
* It is also auspicious to have an Anaar, Ashoka, Chandan, Champa, Chameli,Gulaab , Nariyal & Keshar tree around a house.
* On the size & shape of the door , Vaastu advises that width of the door should be half of the height of the door. Square doors as also automatic doors should be avoided.
* The Paintings / Statues in the house are also important. One should not have pictures depicting war scenes (even if they belong to the Epic Mahabharata or Ramayan battles) in rooms other than the office. Similarly scenes depicting negativities of life like sorrow, struggle, violence (including that of wild beasts), tragedy and of calamities.

According to the Vishwakarma, the celestial architect, Lord Brahma was the first recepient of this knowledge from Lord Shiva as a part of the Vedas, just like He received the knowledge of Jyotish. Vaastu Shastra as is practised presently is based on the 125 verses contained in Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira. This very point indicates the vital link between Jyotish and Vaastu. Unfortunately, what the standard Vaastu experts are applying today is the use of temple architecture in homes and offices. There is a need to use the Astakavarga and other charts of Vedic Astrology along with Vaastu principles for every individual home, provided this is to be designed for a particular person to occupy for a long period. If instead flats and apartments are being designed for the general public, then the standard principles can be used.

Comparison of Hindu & English Time units

Here I would try to bring out the comparison between Hindu and English Time Units especially for those interested in manual calculations and for those who are keen about Hindu Time units.

Hindu Time Units : They are
Ghati, Vighati, Lipta, Vilipta, Para and Tatpara.

1 Ghati = 60 Vighatis
1 Vighati = 60 Liptas
1 Lipta = 60 Viliptas
1 Vilipta = 60 Paras
1 Para = 60 Tatparas

Further 24 Hours = 60 Ghatis
Thus 1 Hour = 2.5 Ghatis
or 60 Minutes = 2.5 Ghatis
Now 1 Ghati = 60 Vighatis
Therefore 1 Hour = 60 Minutes= 2.5 Ghatis = 2.5X60Vighatis = 150 Vighatis
or 1 Minute = 2.5 Vighatis
Similarly 1 Second = 2.5 Liptas
Beneath "Second" there is no English Time Unit so we generally go for milli second,
micro-second etc. Further
1 Second = 2.5 Liptas = 150 Viliptas = 9,000 Paras = 5,40,000 Tatparas
Imagine the division of a Second by 5,40,000 !! That was told by None other than the Great Sage Parashara !! It is believed to be known even before him, but it was scripted by him along with the Jyotish Shaastra.
A day has 24 Hours so it will have 24X60X60 = 86,400 Seconds

On the other hand A day has 24 Hours = 60 Ghatis
Therefore A day has 60X60X60X60X60X60 = 46,65,60,00,000 Tatparas
Just Imagine here the conception of the minuteness of Time by Maha-Rishis and their Intellect.
A day in the calculation of Hindu astronomers contains the above number of Tatparas. This can possibly be conceived by 'The highest Human intellect' and that too many Thousands of years ago!

Shadbala and its Conceptual details Part IV

4. CHESTA BALA
Planets which are relatively slow (among them retrograde planets) get a high Chesta Bala value. Planets which are relatively fast get a low chesta bala value. The reasoning is, the slow moving planets are able to focus their energy more because they stay at one place. The maximum amount of Shashtiamsas to be earned is 60, with respect to the relative speed and the average speed of a planet. Therefore it is possible that a relatively fast moving Saturn gets a low Chesta Bala, while a relatively slow moving Mercury gets a high Chesta Bala. The Sun and Moon do not get Chesta Bala values. They move in a fairly regular pattern and do not go retrograde ever.
5. NAISARGIKA BALA
Each planet gets a certain amount of Shashtiamsas according to the luminosity it has. Because the Sun is the brightest planet it is given 60 Shashtiamsas. Saturn is the faintest and gets 8.57 Shashtiamsas. This means that the amount of Shashtiamsas a planet receives according to Naisargika Bala is same in every chart.
6. DRIK BALA
Drik Bala is called aspect strength. If a planet is aspected by benefics the planet receives a positive Shashtiamsa value. If a planet is aspected by malefics than it gets negativeDrik Bala points. The calculation of the Drik Bala value is a bit complicated because we also take partial aspects in account i.e. 25% , 50% and 75% aspects. We know that the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury aspect the planet in the seventh sign from it. Now forthis purpose we say that these planet aspect the zodiacal degree in opposition (180 degrees from it). The point which is 120 degrees from these planets get a partial aspect of 50%, the point which is 90 degrees from the planet gets a 75% aspect, the point which is 60 degrees gets a 25% aspect and the point which is 30 or 150 degrees from the planet gets no aspect at all. Most Astrologers/Jyotishis only work with full (100%) aspects, but for thispurpose we work with partial aspects (that means aspects which are weaker than full aspects). This makes the calculation of Drik Bala quite cumbersome. What is important to know is that if a certain planet has a negative Drig Bala value than it is mainly under the influence of malefics and if it has a positive Drig Bala value it is under the influence of benefics. Therefore the Drig Bala value is very interesting. By looking at the Shadbala printout we can immediately see if a planet is mainly under the influence of benefics or malefics and how strong that influence is.
7. TOTAL SHADBALA
Finally, the Shashtiamsas are added up. We get the Shadbala value in Shashtiamsas. Next they are divided by 60. Then we get the Shadbala values in Rupas. It is important to realize that the influence of certain Shadbala factors is much greater than others. Simply because the amount of Shashtiamsas to be gained by certain Shadbala factors is much greater than by others. For example, the amount of Shashtiamsas which can be gained by the Sthana Bala is a lot more than, that can be gained by Dig Bala. Therefore the six Shadbala factors are not equally important. According to the Shadbala rules every planet needs a certain amount of Rupas to be strong. According to these rules Mercury needs 7 Rupas, Jupiter needs 6 ½ Rupas, The Moon needs 6 Rupas, Venus needs 5 ½ Rupas, Saturn, the Sun and Mars need 5 Rupas. These values are seen as the minimum requirement for a certain planet to be strong. There has been no explanation of this anywhere. The total Shad Bala in Rupas is divided by this minimum requirement and then we get the Shad Bala ratio. The most interesting about this Shad Bala ratio is to see whether a planet has more or less than the minimum requirement and how much that is. In general most astrologers attach more value to the total Shad Bala.

Shadbala and its Conceptual details Part III

2. DIG BALA
This principle has similarities with the principle of Oocha Bala. Now the decisive factor is not the location of the planet in a certain sign, but in a certain house. Each planet is powerful when it is located in a certain direction. Dig Bala means directional strength. The Sun and Mars are powerful in the South. These are planets which function especially well in the tenth house (the tenth house is the portion of the sky directly above the head). Saturn is given maximum Dig Bala when it is in the West, the seventh house. Moon and Venus get maximum Dig Bala when the are in the North (fourth house). Mercury and Jupiter function well in the first house (the East). A reason for this is that the morning is a great time for studying and learning. That is why Mercury and Jupiter, planets which have to do with studying and learning, are strong during that time of day (at that time the Sun is near the ascendant). The Sun and Mars are energetic planets which need the energy that is available around noon (at that time the Sun is in the tenth house). Saturn is the planet of shades, which are at its maximum during the evening (when the Sun is opposite the ascendant). Moon and Venus are soft planets which function good during the time that is meaned for sleeping and making love (at midnight the Sun is in the fourth house). A planet gets maximum Dig Bala when it is in middle of the bhava (house) where it functions especially well. If for example the Moon is located right in the middle of the fourth house he gets maximum Dig Bala and is given 60 Shashtiamsas. If the Moon is
in the middle of the tenth house it is given 0 Shashtiamsas. A slight complication is that for determining this BV Raman works with the bhava chart and not with the rashi chart. The midpoint of the houses in the bhava chart may differ from the midpoint of the
houses in the rashi chart (which is always 15 degrees of a certain sign). The Bhava Chart is a chart which has unequal houses. It is comparable to the way we work with houses in Western Astrology (and in particular the Porphyry house system). The Bhava Chart is
explained later. Dig bala gives a good indication for how strong a planet is in its
house.

3. KALA BALA
This has to do with the strength which a planet has because of the time of the day. It is strength of time. It consists of the following:

1. Divaratri Bala According to this system the Moon, Saturn and Mars are powerful during midnight. At noon they are powerless. These are the natural malefics + the Moon. The Sun, Jupiter and Venus are powerful during noon and are powerless during midnight. These are the natural benefics AND the Sun. Adaptable Mercury is
considered to be always powerful. This means that in every chart Mercury gets the
maximum of 60 Shashtiamsas which can be gained by this factor. The Moon, Saturn and Mars are given 60 Shashtiamsas only if the person is born at midnight and 0 if the person is born at noon. Sun, Jupiter and Venus get 60 Shastiamsas if the person is born at noon
and zero if he is born at midnight.

2. Paksha Bala A Paksha is equal to 15 lunar days. When the Moon is increasing it is Sukla Paksha. When the Moon is decreasing it is Krishna Paksha .The benefics are Jupiter, Venus, Moon (from the 8th day of the bright half of the lunar month to the 8th day of the dark half of the lunar month) and good influenced Mercury. These beneficial planets are powerful during Sukla Paksha. The malefics are Sun, Mars, Saturn, badly influenced Mercury and the Moon (from the 8th day of the dark half of the lunar month to the 8th day of the bright half of the lunar month). They are powerful during Krishna Paksha. The benefics get more Shastiamsas if a person is born on Sukla Paksha and the malefics less. If a person is born during Krishna Paksha the malefics get more points.
The maximum amount of Shashtiamsas to be gained is 60. The value of the Shastiamsas of the malefics AND the value of the Shastiamsas of the benefics is always 60. The Shastiamsas of the Moon are always doubled.

3. Thribhaga Bala The day (that means the period of daylight) is divided into three equal parts and the night (the period without daylight) is divided into three equal parts. In this system Jupiter is always given 60 Shastiamsas. In addition, if someone is born during the first part of the day Mercury gets 60 Shashtiamsas. If someone is born during the second part of the day the Sun gets 60 Shashtiamsas. If born during the last part of the day Saturn gets 60 Shashtiamsas. If born during the first part of the night the Moon is given 60 Shashtiamsas. If born during the second part of the night Venus gets 60 Shashtiamsas. If born during the last part of the night Mars gets 60 Shashtiamsas. I see some connection between this system and the system of Dig Bala. In the reasoning behind Dig Bala the first part of the day is seen as particularly good for Mercurial activities. Noon is seen as good for activities which have to do with the Sun. Saturn is
strong when he is opposite the ascendant (at the place of the evening Sun). Also the Moon and Venus are strong during nighttime. However, the value attached to the late night Mars is something which cannot be found in Dig Bala.

4. Abda Bala The planet which is the lord of the year will get 15 Shahtiamsas. The lord of the year is the planet which belongs to the first day of the year. For example if the first day of a certain year is Sunday the year is ruled by the Sun, which receives 15
Shashtiamsas according to this method.

5. Masa Bala The planet which is the lord of the first day of the month in which a person is born receives 30 Shashtiamsas.

6. Vara Bala The planet which rules the day at which the person is born receives 45 Shashtiamsas.

7. Hora Bala A day is divided into 24 hours or horas. Each hora(1 Hour period)
is ruled by a planet. The first hora is ruled by the planet which rules the day. For example at Monday the first hora is ruled by the Moon. Then the order is according to the days of the week (next hora will be of Mars then of Mercury and so on). If you are born at some
distance from the equator the horas are not of equal length. The period of daylight contains 12 horas and the period without daylight contains 12 horas. The ruler of the hora when you were born gets 60 Shashtiamsas.

8. Ayana Bala. The value a planet gets according to Ayana Bala has to do with the declination it has from the equator. If a planet has 0 declination the ayana bala is 30. For Venus, the Sun, Mars and Jupiter the Northern declinations are added to his value and the Southern declinations subtracted (the consequence of this is that a planet has a low ayana bala if the planet has a Southern declination and a high ayana bala if the
planet has a Northern declination) . For Saturn and the Moon it is the other way around. For Mercury declinations are always added. The maximum amount of Shashtiamsas to be gained is 60. The ayana bala of the Sun is always doubled.

9. Yuddha Bala This concept has to do with planets which are in war. Therefore we only encounter Yuddha bala values if there are planets at war in the chart. First we have to calculate the total Sthana bala value AND Dig Bala AND Kala Bala till Hora Bala of the two fighting planets. Then calculate the difference between these two values. This difference must be divided by the difference between the diameters of the two planets as seen in the sky. The result of this calculation is the Yuddhabala. This must be added to the Kala Bala total of the winning planet and subtracted to the Kala Bala of the loosing planet.. Readers are requested to further study from other sources as well.

To be Contd/-