Vastu Purusha is the body in which every aspect of human activity takes place. Whether we build a house, a factory, a school, a well, an enclosure, a tank, or a playground, we are placing it on top of the sacred body of the cosmic being that has come to reside with us. Every part of his body is sacred, with energies and characteristics that add to and enhance our life on earth. Therefore, it is to him that we bow in gratitude when we start any undertaking, and to him we offer our thanks through flowers and incense, minerals and metals, herbs and colors, amidst music and chants.
The story of the Vastu Purusha goes like this: In the past times, there lived a demon named Vastu who was fierce and powerful and had a habit of terrorizing the world. When the situation became unbearable, the gods united to fight him. However, his powers were such that his essence continued to permeate the land causing untold misery to humans and gods alike. In response, the gods turned to Lord Brahma for help.
Affected by the grievance of the gods, Lord Brahma wrestled and pinned the demon firmly to the ground, and as an added precaution ordered a number of gods to sit on him and stop his activities. Popular belief is that the Vastu Purusha lies face down on the ground, although some texts state that he is face up.
Although it is a myth, it can be interpreted in the sense that energy comes from cosmic space and manifests as the energy contained within material phenomena. Cosmic energy manifests as a phenomenon after going through a series of transformations: ether, fire, water and earth. Therefore, the built space is created according to the impulses of the earth, in consonance with the wakefulness and sleep of the earthly energy.
Vastu or bhoomi is vibrant and alive. This is the space of the earth or the earth. This energy resides in the earth and receives various names, such as Vastu Nathan, Bhoomi Purusha and Vastu Purusha. This is the energy of the material solar substance.
Similarly, the energy of Akasham or cosmic space is known as Vishwa Purusha, Vishwa atman, Paramatman.
The Vastu Purusha is considered to be awake when it is oriented towards the cardinal points, and it is said to be asleep when it is oriented towards the non-cardinal points like NE, SW, SE, NW.
During the period of Dhanur (December January), Mine (March April), mithuna (June July), kanya (September-October), it is considered unfavorable to start construction activities.
During the period of Table (April May), Vrishabha (May June), Kataka (July August), Simha (August September), you the (October November), Vrischika (November December), Makara (January February), kumbha (February-March), it is conducive to building.
It can be said that we too are earth or Bhoomi and the energy within us is Vastu Purusha. When the earth is asleep, the Vastu Purusha is considered to be asleep. At this time it is not beneficial to start home construction activities. The Shastras state that this ‘wrong’ timing could have negative effects on the residents. The face of the Vastu Purusha is oriented towards the position of the sun, says the text.
One school of thought says that the central axis or Madhya sutram running through the Vastu Purusha and the one running through the house must be one and the same.
In another school of thought, the Vastu Purusha are arranged on the plot and the building overlap in such a way that the central axes of both do not coincide. Pada Vinyasa is the method by which a land site is divided into a uniform grid. Each part of the grid is attributed to a god, corresponding to the gods who were to have dominated the Vastu Purusha (indicated earlier in the myth). Each of these modules receives an offering at the time of construction, during the ceremony of puja bhoomi.
All traditional culture has related to the physical environment in terms of states of consciousness of the cosmic spirit, and has built legends and myths around the gods and goddesses. There are nymphs and devas that are half human, half animal or bird deities who are winged wonders or extraordinary composite creatures.
