[scooby05]

Vaasthu is a Science of Nature. Its to do with the 5 elements of nature.
In todays times, in cities it May be irrelevant to an extent due to space and cost constraints, but does not mean that we can or should oppose 'nature and its basic elements' if we can. we all know the powers of 'Air' 'Water' 'Fire' 'Sky' 'Earth'. I do try to correct the Vaastu of any place I want to buy, as it is possible to an extent. We still believe in our old traditions and culture and try to imbibe the same onto our children, so why not follow certain principles of Vaastu[Nature]

[Newpunter]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I agree with most of what everyone is saying. Vasthu was based in sound principles earlier, but I don't think most of them are relevant anymore. Besides, the original Vasthu has become corrupt with a lot of nonsense added to it.

The kitchen in question here is in the South West direction and according to the Vasthu experts, this means there would be health problems for the inhabitants. I have tried but cannot see the logic in this at all.

This poll and thread has given me some ammunition to discuss with my wife later today, so thanks for the help .

@Gansan, thanks for the suggestion. Will PM you if I can soften my wife's stand today .

Please keep the discussion going as I think it would help more people who find themselves in situations like mine.

[rohan_iitr]

Vastu is a science and its recommendations are mostly based on common sense and general knowledge. But somehow it got linked to religion and superstitions and has now become like a weapon to scare people with.

My suggestion is to follow the main principles of the science and not worry about minor details.

I would suggest you to visit a nearby book store and buy a book on Vastu. They are not expensive at all.

Then cross check the conflicts raised by the "experts" with the recommendations given in the book. If the issues raised by your experts are in line with the recommendations given in the book, then you should thank the expert and look for another house. In case the opinion of local expert differs with the recommendation of the author, you know whom to believe - some local self declared expert or a book author.

It would be relatively easier to convince your wife to buy this house if it meets the basic vastu rules, as mentioned in a vastu book. It is next to impossible to find a house which is 100% vastu compliant.

Rohan

[Rameshdude]

Hi guys,
Yes,now many people and different religions are consulting a Vasthu expert before constructing a house. Some of their suggestions sounded logical. One of my friend went through bad health, his friend, a Vasthu expert suggested some modifications in his house, and after that , there was good health changes ! Anyway,he lives in a house, but for people like us ,living in an apartment, we can't do anything.

New punter, what I would suggest is,there is something called Vasthu Pooja. It is not that one believes in it, but do that Pooja, and you can convince your wife that all will be fine, and you would get the apartment of your choice. ( winks) . Hitting two birds with one
stone.

[condor]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I would suggest you to visit a nearby book store and buy a book on Vastu. They are not expensive at all.

Actually, just google it. Most times the major points are the same everywhere. And for the smaller points - one may not be able to follow these anyway.

[ra'ul M]

Voted for the second option.
Reason:
My family believes in Vastu and wanted all our company offices to be according to vastu! I have personally hired, met and dealt with some of the best vastu folks in the country and trust me when I say this, they all contradict each other on some point or the other! So, it's definitely not a science because science is based on facts and they dont differ
Second point, and the most important point in your case. I went ahead and set up offices following each and every vastu principle to the point of the placement of all the furniture, location of partitions and even the timing of opening and closing the blinds. Three years and 25 offices after, I can safely say it did not work! Heck, we have even closed some of those amazingly perfect offices due to non performance, infrastructural issues and poor location [Finding a prefect location according to vastu is also no mean task in big cities].
Also, my house is built from scratch, again involving all sorts of vastu principles and experts. I am any happier? Heck no! It's the same thing.

So, go ahead and buy that dream house you want. It's just a perception so all it needs is changing. Easier said than done though!

P.S.- If you wan't to convince your wife, try feng shui. It's much more accommodating and you can easily correct the flaws rather than having to tear down walls and moving around stuff.

Hope it helps.

[noopster]

I voted option 2, Newpunter, but I would strongly recommend you give up thoughts of buying this house since the rest of your family are believers. Do you know what the great Neils Bohr said, when some visitors to his office made fun of a horseshoe hung on his door? "I am told it works, whether you believe in it or not". There's superstition for you in a nutshell.

Pardon my bluntness but if you put your foot down and move into this house, every illness, every fall, every minor accident, every major tragedy, every examination score, every automobile mishap will SOMEHOW be attributed to that damn bad vastu. And sooner or later you will get fed up and sell your place off. My advice to you is: either DON'T check a place's vastu at all or, having done so, abide by it. There are no half-measures!

[Samurai]

As many have mentioned, Vasthu is set of guidelines to build a house taking the nature into account. If you are building an independent house, and have the space the accommodate the Vasthu guidelines, do go ahead and do it. But if you have a site/flat which is pointed the wrong direction according to Vasthu, it is time to ignore some of the guidelines.

The biggest scam in the last decade or two is that something bad will happen if you ignore Vasthu. Nothing can be further than the truth. Sadly too many people fall for this scam, especially those who are having some kind of trouble in their life. They are convinced that fixing the Vasthu of the house, will fix their problems.

Most houses built before 90s were not built looking at Vasthu, so most are in violation to some degree. Since the 90s, Vasthu consultants have been extorting the public. I can think of a few examples in my extended family itself, where people have drastically altered the house, turning it butt ugly to appease the Vasthu gods. Where they couldn't, they performed a series of poojas to fix it.

There is one example, which I still can't get over. In the 90s, I once visited a wife's relative in a remote town and was surprised to see their home situated in a mud road which was home to lots of huts, almost a slum. They are quite well off and I didn't expect them to live in such a shady road. Anyway, they did have a big compound and gate that differentiated them from their poor neighbors.

After entering, I was in for more surprises. The maid was washing clothes and even cleaned dishes were kept out for drying in the sun in front of the house. The house itself had a very strange facade, with no aesthetics whatsoever. As we entered a very modest entrance, we first encountered a long passage and then the kitchen. Then we moved to the dining room and then to the living room. It was strangest house I had seen in India.

An hour later, after refreshments, I ventured deeper into the house. I reached the last room taking it to be a bedroom and my whole world went upside down. It was a closed veranda, with huge wall to wall windows and a wide door. Beyond the veranda, I could see exquisite garden and a huge locked gate facing a clean tar road, with a nice neighborhood. I stood there with my jaws open. My wife joined me there and she already knew the cause for my shock. She said, "Apparently, their house was facing the wrong side according to Vasthu, so they changed their entrance to slum road." No, none of their personal difficulties have been resolved since then. But they still believe they did the right thing by facing the slum road.

This is what blind adherence to Vasthu does to people. Takes away their reason.

[Spitfire]

For me Vasthu matters and its a big deal. And I would always buy a Vasthu compliant house.

But not for any scientific, religious or any of that jazz.

Purely because if tomorrow I have to sell it. I can quote VASTHU COMPLIANT in bold on the advertisement and have double the number of people queue up outside and ask for a better rate. Simple.

I believe in karma. Only.

[anujmishra]

Vaastu is new way to make money for Vaastu consultants. They scare people and extort money. I never had belief on such things. These consultants never amended their house goes on top to advice others to amend their house. One such time, I advised one so called vaastu consultant to amend your house and become billionaire then I will follow.

In India these things are becoming big business. Everyday, some baba pop out of TV for pravachan and scaring people & ask them to follow (for continuous flow of money).

If you ask same question to my wife, she will be full opposite of my reply . Am I sounding bit harsh?

[differential]

vaasthu is for poeple who can really afford it. dont get me wrong it is a purely fashion accesory to ypur house specifications in this day and age. if it proved to be as rationale as in oldendays(at that time it was based on strong logic, goegraphy and land conditions) then ok fooollow it, but now in its current avatar: an expensive add on. try finding a small bit of land on MG road for sale, ofcourse the whole of MG road cant be vaasthu compliant.. well that explains it. boss take the time to explain it to ur wife and go ahead with it if you like the place. happy hunting

[Statement]

Couple of points to ponder.
If we rebuild the houses of all the poor people in India according to Vaastu, will it improve their life style?
If something is followed for centuries, it need not be right! Heard of the caste system?
Some of the best countries to live in, wouldn't have heard the word Vaastu.

But then, it is really imperative that you take your wife into confidence on this, other wise as noopster mentioned, everything that goes wrong can get attributed to it.

If in your place, I will surely try to convince my wife about it, and if I will not be able to, at the end of it, I MIGHT let go of the place. Because I guess when buying a house, its about you both being happy and comfortable and not just you.

Coming to think of it, maybe the only thing where you have to look at just your comfort and happiness, is when buying your undergarments.

[Samurai]

There are only two strong reasons to follow Vasthu. They are mentioned below:

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Purely because if tomorrow I have to sell it. I can quote VASTHU COMPLIANT in bold on the advertisement and have double the number of people queue up outside and ask for a better rate. Simple.

Easy to sell in future.

Originally Posted by noopster

if you put your foot down and move into this house, every illness, every fall, every minor accident, every major tragedy, every examination score, every automobile mishap will SOMEHOW be attributed to that damn bad vastu. And sooner or later you will get fed up and sell your place off.

It is impossible to reason with superstitious relatives.

[condor]

Originally Posted by ra'ul M

So, it's definitely not a science because science is based on facts and they dont differ

Medicine is also a science. Doctors use the same set of parameters when diagnosing. But the efficacy of treatment depends on how well the doctor interprets the data. Just like with any other field.

I am not saying follow it. But I will not rubbish it yet. I dont know enough of it to do either. It's a call one has to take & go ahead with. At the end o of the day, this one aspect will be neither the trump card nor a deal-breaker (for the results / in future life of the residents of the house). To the extent Vastu will affect the residents, it's still one part of the over all picture. It's what the residents make out of their life as a whole.

Just the point I would also quote for @raul_M. He may have followed this one part. But each business, each of their locations is still a combination of a myriad of factors. If something failed at some location, it could have been due to any number of reasons. If something succeeded at another, again, it will depend on a number of things. Just because the Vastu there was right, does not mean things will happen on their own.

I'm sure that @raul & people involved ran their business to the best of their abililites. But things are not always in one's hands. I dont see any need to generalize & lay the blame or give credit to one aspect of the over all picture & subsequent results.

[ra'ul M]

Originally Posted by condor

I dont see any need to generalize & lay the blame or give credit to one aspect of the over all picture & subsequent results.

Exactly my point. If you have the luxury to go for it, then sure. Like in the case of making a new house, you have the option of designing it to your preference so might as well incorporate everything.
But in other cases, it really hampers with rational decision making and causes unnecessary confusion. Like in the case of buying flats. Really, how can the entire society be vastu compliant in the same way when the flats are constructed in every direction? So, it's better to choose something and relish it.

But, as noopster said, now that he has already taken the plunge, it will be very difficult not to think about it if some thing unusual happens.

OT: About running the business part I was using it as an example to prove that even if all things are done the same way they give different results so one factor [vastu in this case] should not be given undue importance.