It has been in vogue to place a figurine of Lord Ganesha at the entrance of homes, offices, shops and other buildings. As most people believe that it is inauspicious to place the image or statue of Lord Ganesha with his back towards their home, so they place another image on the inside of the entrance. In this way, the position of Sarvapratham Pujaniya (who is worshipped first) Lord Ganesha is reduced merely to that of a dwarpal (gatekeeper). Moreover, by placing his images both inside and outside, they unknowingly have to face his back whenever they enter or leave the building. This has to be avoided at any cost as it brings about abject poverty.

Interestingly, this tradition was started in Rajshtan about 250 years ago. This region, which was at that time one of the most prosperous in the country, is now dismissed as a sick state. However, of late with discontinuation of this tradition, it has once again started prospering.

There is another reason behind not displaying Lord Ganesha’s image at entrance. According to the scriptures, once goddess Parvati asked Lord Ganesha to guard the entrance while she was busy inside. Following her instructions, Ganesha did not allow anybody, including Lord Shiva to go inside. There ensued a serious dispute. Since then, the belief has prevailed that Lord Ganesha should not be placed at the entrance. 

Many people consider that only a North-East facing entrance is auspicious. They give up West and South-facing plots, because they consider them to be highly inauspicious. The surprising fact is that 80 percent of most successful businessmen and political leaders occupy properties facing West or South. This disproves the belief that the main entrances in the West or South zones are inauspicious.

MahaVastu believes in practical observation, collecting case studies and distilling the result to create a crystal clear understanding. In more than 2000 documented case studies, done by trained MahaVastu experts, it has been found that it does not matter which direction a building  faces, the most important consideration is the exact location of the entrance as per the first step of MahaVastu.

Today, we live in a different world where knowledge, skill, expertise, fame and branding attract more money as against the chanting or religious texts. Attributes like knowledge, skill and expertise are the attributes of the West direction. Fame, recognition and power are attributes of the South direction. So the activities related with these areas of life must be conducted in West and South facing buildings only.

If you observe the famous restaurants and food shops, you will find that in almost all cases, they face West. Most of the technological companies and skill-imparting institutions are West-facing. One must consider in which area of life one wants to excel and grow. Then he should check this with the 16 zones and decide which direction suits him the best.

There is a misconception that vastu does not permit doors facing each other and that these should always be staggered. The reality, however, is that all the ancient vastu scriptures are silent about door alignment. Practically also, the plans of old buildings, including ancient temples do, the four doors — the main entrance, door to the prasaad, mandap door and the door to the garbha griha were always aligned along a straight line.

                This pattern in door location is observed in almost all the houses in Old Delhi. Houses built here are beautiful case studies of application of MahaVastu 4- step method. Those streets in which such houses are made were not only centres of attraction in the past centuries, but even today, major wholesale Asian markets are governed from these places. If doors aligned in a single row had been so wrong — then how would this city flourished for so long?

                Again, all the places in England have not only three or four, but at times, up to seven doors, aligned one after the other. We all know too well the role England has played in shaping the history of the world.

                So, it is always better to design the doors as per practical requirements of architecture planning in compliance with the first step of MahaVastu, namely, considering the effects of the 32 entrances.

An entrance has independent effects on the residents of the house. Effects of an entrance are different from those of a bathroom. If both are not placed according to MahaVastu, it creates problems. The notion that the bathroom and entrance door made close together as part of architectural design causes vastu dosha is not always true.

                 Interestingly, the fact is that if made according to MahaVastu, the main entrances and toilet will always be next to each other.

                  If you observe the effects of a toilet in 16 MahaVastu zones (refer Chapter 22) and the effects of 32 entrances explained earlier, it will be clear that the ideal zone for a toilet lie near the best locations for an entrance. According to MahaVastu toilets should ideally be built  in the zone of disposal.Vastu defects are caused when these recommendations are received.

Getting up facing East is a myth. In order to wake up facing East, one will have to keep their head in the West and feet towards the East while asleep. This is not correct as per observations documented by Vastushastri Khushdeep Bansal. It has been seen that sleeping with your head in the West brings stress and tension.

In fact, different directions have different effects depending upon the directions of the feet and head respectively. According to MahaVastu,one who wants to be enlightened,should sleep with their head in the East. While studying, children should also sleep with their heads in the East. Sleeping with your head in the East brings knowledge and wisdom. Sleeping with your head pointing North affects your health; your head pointing South brings happiness and wealth. So, married couples and earning members of the family should sleep with their heads pointing South.

In reality, a natural balance between the human body and the magnetic lines of earth is developed only when one sleeps with his head in the South or East directions.

This is a myth. In fact, the South direction has been considered primarily as the place for sleeping or for a bedroom in the ancient vastu texts (Vishwakarma Prakash). The master bedroom can also be located in between North and North-West; and South-West and West. Nairitya koan, the South-West corner, is the zone of weapons, tools, armour, skills. For children or those struggling in their career, a bedroom in this zone will be more beneficial. For newly wedded couples also, bedroom in this zone is very good, because this zone is conducive to  marital relationships.

The bedroom for the head of the family should be located in between the South and South-East, because this is the zone of peace, relaxation, strength and recognition. As other options, the bedroom can also be in the West or East.

It is wrong to think that placing goods in NW zone will make them move faster. Even more foolish thinking is that making marriageable girls sleep in this zone will help in their getting married soon. Girls cannot be equated with saleable goods.

Documented research has also brought up an amazing fact that at times post-marriage problems for girls arise on account of their pre-marriage house, viz., their parents’ house. The root cause for such finding was a widely spread vastu-myth that marriageable girls should be in North West (NW) only.

         When Acharya ji visited homes of those people who claimed that it happened in their homes, they observed that these girls were actually, sleeping in the Mahavastu zone of sex and attraction, namely, NNW. In that case, due to the effect of this zone, marriage did occur but latter in life, the girls faced enormous problems due to lack of understanding and care for each other.

 

An entrance has independent effect on the  residence of the house. Effects of an entrance are different from those of a bathroom.If both are not placed according to MahaVastu,it creates problems. The notion that the bathroom and entrance door made close together as part of architectural design causes vastu dosha is not always true.

               Interestingly, the fact is that if made according to MahaVastu, the main entrance and the toilet will always be next to each other.

              If you observe the effect of a toilet in 16 MahaVastu zones (refer Chapter 22) and the effects of 32 entrances explained earlier,it will be clear that the ideal zones for a toilet lie near the best locations for an entrance. According to MahaVastu, toilets should ideally  be built in the zone of disposal. Vastu defects are caused when these recommendations are reversed.

It is a myth. During our school life, almost all of us were told innumerable times by our parents, friends and other well-wishers to study facing the East. The fact, however, is that there is no one direction suitable for all fields of study.

The most suitable direction depends upon the subject being studied. For example, to achieve proficiency in mathematics and science, students should study facing the West. If one studies facing the South, he develops good debating skills, logical ability and sharp business acumen. For creative or religious work, one should study facing the East.

These days, the common refrain of most parents is that children do not pay much attention to studies. For such students, the study table should be in the middle of the South-West and West zones. If this arrangement is not possible, then the alternative zones for the study table are North-East (NE), South-East (SE) and South (S). If children do not concentrate on their books and are frequently distracted, they should study facing the West.

It is a common misconception that in a building, the kitchen and toilet should not be adjacent to each other.

Surprisingly, the ideal locations for a toilet and the kitchen are adjoining to each other as per the elements and 16 zone method of MahaVastu. In the last 20 years, after planning for thousands of buildings with this method, not even a single negative effect has been observed. 

In fact, kitchen and toilet, both, should be built after considering the elements associated with the 16 MahaVastu zones. According to MahaVastu, the best zone for a kitchen is South-East; other permissible MahaVastu zones being North-West, West, South and South-South-East. On the other hand, MahaVastu zones prescribed for locating a toilet are South-South-West, West-North-West and East-South-East.

Clearly, the ideal locations of a kitchen lie adjacent to the ideal locations for a toilet.

              It should also be remembered that the kitchen is represented by the fire element and the toilet by the earth element. As fire complements earth, therefore, there is no vastu dosha if the kitchen and toilet are adjoining.

A widely followed myth is that all kinds of puja should be performed in the Ishaan or the North-East (NE) zone only. If you observe old palaces or old homes, which were made exactly as per Vastu Shastra, Puja altras were made in the West zone of the building. Moreover, in all  the temples, deities have been placed in the West, facing the East direction. To understand this concept in depth, let us review what is written in the vastu shastra.

     ईशान्यां देवतागृहं आग्नेयां पाक मुच्यते |

     नैऋत्यां तु शास्त्रगारं वायव्ये भण्डार संस्थितम ||

Ishaanyam devtagriham means that the devta remedies in the North-East vastu zone, but, it does not say that one must do puja here. Had the writer of vishwakarma Prakhas meant that, while mentioning the idea activities of different vastu zones, clarity, in the same series of shloka, he would have written pujagriham instead of devtagriham.

The word dev means any potential deity or soul guide with whom you communicate with in a meditative state. This zone governs clarity of thoughts and intuitive foresights to gain benefit in your life. So, the devta should be placed here, but rituals should not be performed here. To perform rituals, one can choose any of the adjoining MahaVastu zones - NNE and ENE, because both of these zones support the processes of cleansing and strengthening of the Manomaya and Vigyanmaya Kosha.

Different directions have different presiding deities who govern varied aspects of our life. Therefore, in order to worship the concerned deity, puja should be offered in only that particular direction which he/she governs. For example, puja of Lord Hanuman and Goddess Mother Durga should be performed in the South (S) zone. Similarly, by relating different devtas with the attributes of the 16 MahaVastu zones, one should place their puja altars in the prescribed and proper directions.

Many people consider anti-clockwise stairs as extremely negative in nature. Vastushastri Khushdeep bansal collected a lot of data to clarify the point whether the stairs should be clockwise or anti-clockwise. Interestingly, in the original texts of vastu shastra there are no guidelines on staircase. From his observations, he derived the formula for clockwise and anti-clockwise staircase.

As per his observations, a clockwise staircase creates a downward vortex of energy in a MahaVastu zone, while an anti-clockwise staircase creates an upward energy vortex. These downward and upward energy vortexes change the natural effect of a MahaVastu zone.

The analogy that his concept is equated with is this: as you tighten a screw, you rotate the screw driver clockwise and it goes downwards. If you rotate the screwdriver in the anti-clockwise direction, then the screw rises. So, a clockwise staircase in the NE zone will suppress new ideas, creativity and intuition. On the other hand, an anti-clockwise staircase located in NE, will create more new ideas and creative intuition. Similarly, a clockwise staircase in positive zones will suppress those zones, and anti-clockwise staircases in these zones will amplify the positive attribute of that zone in your life.

So, one must remember that the staircase can be clockwise as well as anti-clockwise depending upon the MahaVastu zone they fall in. If they are in a zone whose attribute we wish to enhance- for example, in the zone of money, they should be anticlockwise. If they are in a zone whose effects need to be moderated, like the zone of disposal or aggression, then, these must be clockwise. Generally speaking, a staircase should descend from West to East and from South to North.

It is widely held that square plots are ideal to make a home in. It is a myth.

              Many people delay in making their own house,because they are in search of a square plot. In practice, we have found square plots only in villages, where there is relatively plenty of land and you can make a square plot. However, in well developed and organised urban infrastructure,most of the plots you find are rectangular plots.

              This myth has no relevance as people living in perfectly square plots have never grown well. MahaVastu experts worked on the reason why people in square plots did not do too well. In the detailed study of the effect of spaces on human consciousness, the MahaVastu team has found that ‘any perfect space symbolises death; imperfection causes the world to exist’.

             As per Pauranic symbolisations, the Earth is carried by Shesh Naag ( a very powerful and revered serpent). This symbolic representation depicts that the survival and evolution of life is on ‘residue’ (Shesh) and the ‘serpent energy’ (Naag). Further , when we decode the symbolism, this serpent energy is also inside the human body in the form of kundalini, which pushes the residues (the seed and ovum) to create life on the planet.

              Life is created out of desires to achieve the Anandmaya kosh.Those who took their consciousness to a different state of complexion lost interest in creating more life.

             So, as per MahaVastu, only meditation centres and religious practices are recommended in perfect square-shaped buildings - not homes and businesses. So, it is always better to have rectangular plots to fulfill your purpose on this planet.