Questions and Answers
82 questions on 45 Vastu Devtas
Can we create the mantras of the vastu devtas ourselves?
Yes. Use the name as Om Shri [devta name] Namah, or the beej syllable of the devta element between Om and Namah, since every devta is made of the five elements. These short mantras are easy for clients and no less effective than the long ones in Samarangan Sutradhar and Vishwakarma Prakash; offering bhog samagri uses a separate mantra.
Are there 45 vastu devtas or 49?
There are 45 devtas, but 4 more devtas stand on all four sides to protect them, so basically there are 49. Bhog samagri is offered to these 4 guardians as well, after the 45.
In the vastu purush concept, should the NE diagonal be kept free of an underground water tank?
Correct, not on the exact diagonal where the head of Shikhi devta falls. Vedic vastu calculates the Shishu Pishach points, and no shilanyas pit, water pit or any other pit is dug on them; this is taught in the diploma.
When the kitchen is gridded separately, are the devtas gridded as well?
No. The separate kitchen grid marks only the zones, not the devtas.
The North-East is the most sacred direction, so why should the main door not be opened at E1, the pada of Shikhi devta?
Because it is the most sacred and pure place, entering there with shoes and slippers is a serious problem. Shikhi devta, who sits at E1, then produces his fire, and his anger brings agni bhay (fear of fire), a greater chance of fire breaking out in the house. So E1 should not be used for the main door, even though people commonly praise it.
What is chhappar phaad wealth, and which door brings it?
Chhappar phaad ke means wealth that arrives while you sit quietly, for example someone leaving you a fortune worth thousands of crores in a will. The N4 door of Bhallat devta, the best of all 32 door padas, is called the vipul sampada dwar and brings money in overflowing measure. In one well-known case a childless industrialist family left its entire estate by will to the chartered accountant who had served them, and the beneficiary's house had a complete N4 door decorated exactly as an N4 door should be; former employees became the owners of a huge group.
How do we find N1 to N8 and the other door padas on a map?
Use the zoning chakra shown on the first day, or draw it: from the centre of the map draw the four directions 90 degrees apart and the corner directions at 45 degrees, then halve again to 22.5 degrees and once more to 11.25 degrees, which gives 32 padas (360 degrees shared by the 32 guardian devtas). Starting from E1 next to the North-East line, go round clockwise from E1 to E8, then S1 to S8, W1 to W8 and N1 to N8, on the 81-pada grid. Practise this as homework.