Divine Vaastu : Apartment Living
For harmonic living of the occupant, a multi-storey complex should be vaastu friendly. The towers with greater height or more number of floors are placed in the south west and the ones with lower height and fewer number of floors in north east or east. Vaastu enjoins reducing floor heights in all multi-storey buildings. The minimum differential recommended is reduction by one-twelfth part of the lower floor height and each subsequent floors upward. It is required that the entry to the complex be from the exalted zones of desired direction, preferably from north or east.
Compliance to vaastu regulations is utterly difficult in apartments and flat systems. However, one can base the selection in conformity with Vaastu principles based on solar and geomagnetic energy. Making a conscious effort to own a flat in the northeast sector of a multi-storey tower may help to begin with. Still better the tower chosen is the one which is located in the northeast or north or east. The other apartment towers should not shadow the stated directions, in the early morning hours.
While the master bedroom can be located in the southwest, the kitchen may be located in the southeast or alternatively in the northwest. Most importantly, the bedroom located in the southwest may be used as a master bedroom or be given to the elders of the family to enhance the auspiciousness of the apartment.
Efforts should be made to select an apartment in the higher floors of the towers, in particular if the complex is located at a level below the road or street in immediate proximity. Balcony may be preferred in the East or North East or North. Also, these stated balcony or balconies should not be shadowed in the early hours of the morning. It is better to ensure that the entry of the apartment is not from a dark corridor.
Preference should be given to a complex having roads and approaches from North and the East, or at least on the North or the East. West can also be acceptable, but a South road should have the main gate as closer to the eastern end. The complex should have at least the southwest corner as right angle. Northeast corner being an acute angle is auspicious. Acute angle corners in other directions are not recommended. Main entrance should better not have obstructions such as water tank, electric pole or transformer or a tree or septic tank and so on.
The complex should be enclosed of open space more on the north or east and least towards the south. Gradient slope should be towards northeast, north or east, and never towards south, west, or southwest. Rainwater harvesting pit and underground tank should better be located in the northeast part of the complex to bring about harmony and prosperity to the occupants. The overhead tank structure should better be located in the west of southwest part of the complex.
Judicious selection of an apartment is the one in which the common staircase and elevator block is located on the south or west or southwest of the apartment. The rooms and enclosed spaces inside a flat should better be four cornered – each 90 degree angled. “C” shaped towers are better than “L” shaped ones. As far as possible, main entrance may be in the exalted zone of the related direction.
The cooperative housing societies may prefer to have thicker and higher compound walls on the south or west of the complex and also make best efforts to isolate the inauspicious corners or irregular nature of the plot of “veedhi sula” wherever present. While the proper cross ventilation is ensured, doors and windows should preferably be larger on the northern or eastern flanks, and those be smaller on the southern and western flanks.
Most importantly in an apartment, a beneficial location for a kitchen is Southeast corner. The oven should be placed in the East of Southeast enabling the housewife to face East while cooking. Alternatively, kitchen can be located in the West of Northwest, or in the West as a last option it is okay to have the kitchen in the South. In all cases, cooking platform should be in the Southeast corner of the kitchen, enabling the cook to face East as far as possible. The sink in the kitchen should be in the Northeast corner of the kitchen or closer to it either in the north or east. Avoid kitchen in the Northeast as it would bring economic losses. The kitchen should have a large window in the East. However, the placement of gas stove should not have a window behind it.
Preferably, the drawing room must have larger windows in the North and East. It is important to have a window in the East of the study room. As for bedrooms, ensure that windows or openings should not be in the South and if they are unavoidable, they should be smaller in size and fewer in number. Alternatively, these openings can be kept closed most part of the day. Living room in the flat is preferred in the Northeast, Northwest, East or Northern directions. All heavy furniture such as sofa, cots, diwan, tables should be arranged along the Southern or Western walls. Light furniture such as folding or fibre chairs or modas can be arranged along the Northern or Eastern directions. The Northeast corner of the living room should be kept vacant, better still to keep a live plant in the North or East zones. While duplex is not favoured in vaastu, the stairs going upward should be avoided in northwest and from the central part of the lower floor.
As to the toilets, it is most important that there is no toilet in the northeast zone of your apartment, more so on the eastern zone or end. Common toilet should be towards the Northwest of the living room or alternatively to the Southeast. And in case of bedrooms toilets are preferred in the Northwest corner. Toilets can also be located in the West or South sectors.
The taps in the toilet should be either in the East, North or Northeast. The mirrors on north or east wall should be preferred and can be big sized, otherwise, the mirror should be of smaller size on other walls i.e. west or south. The slope of the flooring of the toilet should facilitate flowing of water in the East, North or Northeast directions. The geyser in the toilet should be located in the Southeast corner or in the Northwest corner and lastly along the South or West walls respectively.
There should not be any room having lower level of flooring in the Southwest, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. It is safer to have all the rooms in the even level, or preferable is the northeast part being lower. The dedicated pooja room in a flat can be located preferably in the Northeast zone. Alternatively, pooja room can be in the West or East of the study room or dining room.
The master bedroom in the flat should be in the Southwest corner. Avoid children’s bedroom in the Southwest which can promote disobedience in children. For male children, a room in the Northeast or in the West can be better and for female children a Northwest room is recommended.
The main entrance of a flat should be in directions namely north or east of the northeast section of the flat or east of the southeast section or west of northwest section or quadrant of the flat. It is also necessary that the flat should have openings and balconies on the northern or eastern side of the flat. The main door to the flat may better be of two shutters with full opening inside. A ventilator above the main door is preferred too. A rectangular design main door in teakwood is preferred. A threshold is also recommended in a main door entrance. It is also good to have a second door or an arch leading to the main flat. The doorway should always be cleared of footwear and may be stored along the south or western wall.
The subsequent doors should be smaller than the main door, while the exit or the service door should be the smallest. If the entry is from an inauspicious direction, keep the main door closed using a door closer and hand a mirror on the nearest eastern or northern wall.
Necessarily, avoid kitchen or a toilet or store in the northeast section of your flat. The burner should be designed in the southeast corner and water in northeast section of your kitchen. Fridge is best in west or northwest, while the utensils and shelf on the south or west walls.
Make sure that any facility including a dining table does not come under a beam. A square or rectangular dining table with a wooden top is preferred. It may be placed in eastern or northern or central part of the flat. A wash basin with a mirror near the dining is allowed only on northern or eastern wall.
Study or meditation is best facing east or north. If the prayer room is designed it should be so designed that the gods face the east or north direction and a mangal kalash filled with water is kept on the prayer platform in front of the deities. Arti lamp and Agarbatti increases the auspiciousness of the prayer room. Avoid placement of departed souls in the prayer platform. It is preferred that only limited number, preferably total odd number, should be placed on the platform allowing uncluttered viewing or darshan.
Do not despair if you already have an apartment not meeting the above vaastu requirements, as there are remedies available to weaken the negative impact of absence of positives and presence of negatives. Most potent in this respect are the plants, crystals and pyramids, specific colour wall clocks, paintings and decoratives.
