Vaastu Tips for the Temple in your Home

In almost all Hindu households, a place for puja or worship is earmarked. Chanting of mantras with devotion and a meditative state brings peace to the mind and ushers an atmosphere of positive energy. Vaastu explains the importance of having a puja area in the house and how to set it up in the right manner. Our ancient scriptures give ample importance to the direction in which the place of worship is located. Certain directions are best for spiritual energy, which can counter negative energy. On the other hand, a puja room in the wrong direction can bring negative results for the residents and make them face problems and depression most of the time.

Some items are very auspicious for the place of worship and can augment positive energy. Hence in the course of this article, I shall enlighten on items that are considered auspicious for the puja room.

THE LOCATION OF THE PUJA ROOM

As stated earlier, the direction of the puja room should be given utmost consideration. The northeast portion of the house is ideal for the place of worship. The energy of this part is spiritually enriched and other vaastu defects can be negated. On the contrary, there should not be any toilet, septic tank, dust bin, staircase, garage or kitchen in the northeast which blocks or dirties this sacred direction.

Puja should NOT be done in the south or southwestern part of the house.

THINGS TO BE KEPT IN THE PUJA ROOM

Smiling pictures of deities

While keeping photos or pictures of deities, only smiling pictures should be kept. Never keep photos of gods in anger. For instance, refrain from keeping pictures of Ma Kali or Shiva doing Tandav.

Conch Shell (Sankh)

The conch shell is a favourite instrument of Lord Vishnu. It is played (by blowing into it) in almost all religious rituals. The sound of the conch shell (called sankh in vernacular parlance) can break/mitigate negative energy. It is very auspicious to keep the conch shell in the puja room. The Sankh can also be kept in pairs in the north of the living room for prosperity. However, only those conch shells which can produce sound should be used.

Peacock Feather

The peacock feather is a symbol of regrowth, rejuvenation, royalty, respect, honour and integrity. The peacock is identified with Goddess Lakshmi, who is supposed to be a divine harbinger of peace and prosperity in a house. Also Lord Krishna wears a peacock feather on his head and it is the official vehicle of Lord Karthick.

Hindus believe that keeping a peacock feather at home especially in the puja room is very lucky. It brings growth and prosperity in the household.

Gangajal

The water of River Ganga (Ganges) is considered very holy and it is said that Gangajal never gets spoilt. This water should be kept in the place of worship, which in turn pleases Ma Lakshmi. It is very auspicious to sprinkle gangajal mixed with turmeric in every nook and corner of the house on a Thursday to remove negativity and usher in positive energy.

Gangajal is believed to destroy one's sins and grant salvation and wish fulfillment.

River Ganga after starting from Gomukh crosses numerous types of vegetation before flowing on plain terrain. According to findings from scientific inquiry this is why the water has medicinal qualities. Scientists have also found that River Ganga has many living organisms that do not allow its water to get polluted. On the contrary, these organisms destroy the agents that pollute water.

It is customary to adminster Gangajal to dying people with the hope that the deceased will attain salvation. The holy water is sprayed in the house for purification purposes. Here are some rules about keeping this holy water:

1. One should not eat non vegetarian food in the room where gangajal is kept.

2. Gangajal kept in plastic bottles or cans loses its property.

3. It should be kept in pure metallic vessels made of copper, silver or brass etc, while being used in religious occasions.

4. The northeast is the best direction to keep gangajal.

5. Gangajal should be touched with clean hands only after washing them.

The Shaligram

The Shaligram is considered as a non-anthropomorphic form of Lord Vishnu. Shaligram is essentially fossilized stones that are found in the Gandaki River in Nepal. It is very good to keep Shaligram in the puja room. But certain rules are to be followed while keeping the Shaligram at home .

Along with adhering to the vaastu tips pertaining to temples, there are some plants that you should remove from your home for enhancing positive energies.

Plants that produce milk should not be kept at home. Similarly thorny plants like cactus should never be kept.

Hindus worship the peepal tree (sacred fig). However, this tree should not be there inside the compound. If you look around closely, you will notice that peepal trees are worshipped in public or temples only.

Reader queries answered

1) Does vaastu affect animals? Are there any vaastu rules for keeping them?

P Barthakur, Jorhat

Vaastu is a geo-magnetic energy and it acts on human beings, plants and animals alike. The animals have a natural instinct of sensing negative and positive energy. You will notice that a dog will bark at suspicious characters while it is friendly with some. A cat or dog chooses its own place to sleep, which is invariably the same place. Birds and insects sense earthquakes before us and create a ruckus before an earthquake comes.

Vaastu specifies the northwest direction to keep pets. The north and east may also be considered. Pets like fish or turtles are best kept in the north direction.

2) I wish to construct a temple in the northeast of my plot as it is the best direction for spiritual purposes. However, someone told me to check its vaastu before going ahead. Is it alright to have it?

Sudhir Jain, Guwahati.

It is true that the Northeast is the direction for spiritual energy and we should offer our prayers in the northeast. However, constructing a temple in the northeast will make it heavier and lead to the closure of the Northeast direction entirely which is not desirable. Infact Never construct a temple in the northeast of your plot. If you are going to construct a temple, do it in the West.

You can have a dedicated place of puja in the northeast of your house.

Also Read: Be High on Style in a Cocktail Gown

Also Watch: