Questions and Answers
22 questions on Mandir and Puja Room Vastu
What happens to a temple that has a big river flowing to its South?
Most people answer that it would fail, but Raj Vallabh says such a temple becomes not just a tirth but a mahatirth, because for a temple water is the element of peace. Nemawar and Siddhavarkoot near Omkareshwar, with rivers to their South, are among the most powerful places.
When living beside a temple, are left and right judged from the deity's facing or from the house?
From the deity. Imagine the deity seated facing out: do not live on the deity's own left side, while the deity's right side is very good. On either side your wall must not touch the temple wall; if you leave a gap and build your own separate wall there is no negative effect, though the right side still gives the better results. Many people living on the left, touching the temple wall, have been ruined.
There is a temple in front of my house with a road in between. Is there a defect?
No. With a road in between there is no defect.
What is the effect of a deep pit or a large pond to the South of a temple?
It harms the temple. It is not a direct problem for the person who had the temple built, but the shilpi (temple architect) who builds vastu defects into a temple also has to bear their ill effects.
Old village houses had a central courtyard (aangan) set lower than waist level; is that a vastu defect?
A sunken courtyard in the centre suits only a temple. In homes the courtyards were actually built raised, with a boundary all around and a tulsi platform in the middle, so they were not counted as a defect.
How is zoning done for a flat?
Exactly as for any plot; flats, industries and every other building follow the same method. Finding the centre of a flat can be hard, so use AutoCAD or the paper method for irregular shapes. Only a temple differs, because it uses the 64 pad grid, where North falls between N4 and N5.
Which pada grid is used for homes and businesses, and which for temples and towns?
Both the 81-pada and the 64-pada grids carry the 45 devtas. The 81-pada vastu is used for homes and business premises, while the 64-pada vastu is used for temples, villages, royal palaces (raj mandir) and towns, including a town gate. This course teaches the 45 devtas on the 81-pada grid.
Why did the Chandel kings carve nude scenes on the Khajuraho temples?
To change the mind (chitt) through images (chitra), even the minds of the devtas. Agni is regarded as a virgin goddess who feels shy on seeing such scenes, so lightning has never struck these temples, and the pleasure-loving Indra, lord of rain, is pleased and gives Khajuraho good rain; tribal women still plough naked under the moonlight when rain fails. The kings also wanted their heirs not to become ascetics.
Why has not a single stone of the Khajuraho temples moved in over a thousand years?
No cement or adhesive was used: male stones were joined into female stones, an example of the physical property of materials. The temples were also oriented so that the sun's rays fall first at the deity's feet and, as the sun reaches the South-East, at another deity's feet.
A wooden temple with elephant figures stands in the North-East. Is that fine?
Elephant figures should stand on something solid, not hang in the air. The temple can stay, but a temple with elephants is better placed in the West.
Should a home temple have a dome (shikhar)?
A small temple at home should not have a big dome or shikhar; keep it small.
The West is best for the temple. If the West is a balcony, can it be covered and the deities hung, since they are not consecrated?
Hanging is ruled out for consecrated deities: if the idols are pran-pratishthit (consecrated), they must never hang.
Is it right to build a temple in the kitchen?
No, building a temple in the kitchen is not right at all. Keep only a small kalash in the Agni kon (South-East) and a small photo of your guru there; that is not a temple. Guru (Jupiter) and Mars are friends, so the guru's grace supports the kitchen.
How can a puja room in the South-East be corrected?
If it holds a consecrated (pratishthit) idol, the idol should be moved. If the idol is not consecrated, there is no need to worry, as these rules apply to consecrated idols.
Can a photo of God be put up in the Brahmasthan?
Yes, there is no problem in putting God's photo in the Brahmasthan, because it is the place of Brahma.
Do paintings or decorative idols of God also need correct placement?
Yes, they also represent a planet and should be placed correctly. A consecrated God's photo should face North or East, or West if that is not possible, but never South; South-facing is for the photos of ancestors who have left this world.
Can a mandir face North or West?
A North-facing mandir is fine; temples of God are often kept North-facing. A West-facing mandir is moderate.
Can a temple built in the wrong zone be treated?
Yes. However wrong the zone, merely correcting the direction of the deity corrects your condition; the full method is given in the next class.
Is it acceptable for the front door to face a temple?
If there is no road in between, it is wrong. If a road runs between the door and the temple, the dosh ends.
Are three doors in a straight row inauspicious?
They can be either. In the South and West, from where negative energy comes, three doors in a row on padas where doors should not be are inauspicious. In the North and East they are auspicious: temples, all built facing North or East, have three or five doors in a row, as do royal palaces, so the blanket belief that they are bad is a myth.
In my East-facing house the temple had to be on the North wall, so the gods face South; is that wrong?
Do not make the gods face South; it brings heaviness, for example interviews go well but give no result. Place them on the West wall instead so that they face East.
Our mandir is in the Brahmasthan and Lord Shiva faces West; is that a problem?
Do not worry about Lord Shankar facing West; worry only about the South, and even Hanuman ji may face South. If a deity ever faces a wrong direction, fix a mirror directly in front of the deity.