When negativity shows on a land at the start of work, keep performing havan with aahuti and mantra jaap until the smell turns fragrant; the negative energy then leaves on its own.
When a family sleeps far too much, the home sits on a lazy, dormant land whose fire element has fallen to zero; a havan, an eight-day cow ghee akhand jyot in the South-East and daily dhoop with Bhimseni kapoor restore the fire and correct the sleep.
A daily havan of makhana (kamal gatta) with desi cow ghee at the Parjanya pad, begun on one's own nakshatra day and continued for 45 days, develops fertility in couples who cannot conceive.
At the shilanyas or bhoomi poojan of any house or factory the first tilak goes to the mason (shilpi), contractor or Vastu consultant, not the pandit, and they are given the best clothes and a shriphal (coconut). Their goodwill enters the building, while a craftsman's tears of hurt in the mortar act like a buried bone (shalya dosh).
After a birth or death in the family (sutak or patak) the Vastu devtas are affected too, so the whole house is purified: clothes are washed, raw clay vessels are thrown away, a dhoop kund is carried through the house and offerings are made to the Vastu devtas.
After demolition or the removal of a defect, a short Vastu pooja is done even when a full one is not possible: offer 45 small pieces of gud to the 45 devtas, or at least invoke the nine lords of the directions and the centre with the words Bho [name] Vastu Dev Vastu Shanti Kuru Kuru.
Each direction of the house, and the centre for Brahma
Vastu pooja is the prana pratishtha of a house: just as an idol is not worshipped until its prana pratishtha, a house is established only through Vastu pooja. It is due at fixed stages of construction and again whenever the house is disturbed.
At griha pravesh, the earthen kalash brought from the temple and carried in through the door is set on wheat in the North-East corner of the kitchen; the wheat sprouts from the kalash's moisture and shows the energy of the new home.
A well older than 25 years is a pujya (revered) seat of Varun devta and must never be filled in without a vidhi: transfer its deities into a coconut, lower a kalash, fill it with river sand and soil, and leave the coconut in a working well.
Old dug well in any wrong zone, such as the South-West or West
Bhog must be served to each devta at its own pad, in a dona made of leaves or on a paan leaf, with a request to accept it, just as food is served to a guest. Items merely lying in the house are not an offering.
A small havan at the Shikhi pad with a teaspoon of desi cow ghee mixed with a spoon of shali dhan, offered as nine aahutis with the devta's mantra, multiplies the energy of Shikhi.
Bhog samagri is offered devta by devta, always starting with Indra (E4) and moving through Agni, Yama, Nairiti, Varun, Vayu, Kuber and Ishan through all 45, then to the 4 guardian devtas who protect them on the four sides.
Each of the 32 outer devtas holds a 45-minute period of sadhana, so together they complete the 24 hours. Havan, offerings and jaap done in a devta's own period wake and activate it quickly.
During aahuti with the Bhoomi Jagran Mantra, the flame takes the shape of whatever negative object lies in the land; photographing the flame and studying it shows what is buried there or what has been done to the land.
The custom of boiling milk in a new home is a nimitta test: milk that boils over silently is auspicious, while crackling or popping sounds show that some ritual remained incomplete or a defect remains in the construction.
Aahuti (oblations) are offered with fragrant dhoop to each of the 45 Vastu Devtas on the land; the devta at whose aahuti a sneeze, itching, crackling, harsh words, a frightening sound or crying is noticed marks the zone where the land holds a defect.
On the land, over the zones of the 45 Vastu Devtas
An earthen kalash full of water, topped with a coconut and five mango leaves, is set on a heap of wheat in the North-East of a built home; the colour, shine and growth of the javare that sprout from the wheat show the energy of the home.
When bhog samagri is offered at a devta pad holding negativity, the defect tries to come out: tiles, plaster or ground may crack, or itching or heat appears in the body part linked to that devta.
A mantra chanted while offering aahuti on a land to awaken it; it is used to verify the land's energy through the havan and to keep working until the negativity leaves.
During the battle with Andhakasur a drop of sweat fell to the earth and produced a being whose rampage made the earth shake. Brahma had him lie face down and promised that he would be worshipped with offerings and that not an inch of land would be built on without remembering him.
The biggest pooja, havan and sthapana of the 45 devtas should be done at garbh vinyas or shilanyas, while the devtas are on open ground and can receive their samagri at their own pads; the building is then raised over them.
Some texts use a word read as maans (meat) in devta offerings, but Vishwakarma Prakash clearly states that maash means black urad dal, made into a pithi (paste), not meat.
Vastu devta pooja bears fruit only when done by someone who represents Brahmin qualities by conduct rather than birth: vegetarian, of good character and pure in mind and feeling.
The deity faces East first and North second, never South; the worshipper faces North for wealth, East for spiritual progress and South or West for tantra, and before a consecrated idol all directions become zero.
Each zone suits a particular worship: North for Saraswati and Ganesh, NNE for pranic sadhana, NE and East for meditation, South for Hanuman and Devi, West best of all, while SE, SSE and SSW suit no puja.
Best: West. By deity: North, NNE, NE, East, South, SW (ancestors), WSW, WNW, NW, NNW. No puja: SE, SSE, SSW.
If the North of a flat or house is polluted, for example by a toilet, should we advise removing it, and is a pooja needed afterwards?
Yes, advise removing it: the North is Kuber's place, and keeping filth at the place of wealth is like putting dirt in the mouth, so wealth cannot grow. After any demolition do a Vastu pooja; even a short one is enough, offering 45 small pieces of gud to the 45 devtas or invoking the nine lords with Bho Indra Vastu Dev Vastu Shanti Kuru Kuru and so on for each direction, with Brahma at the centre.
Do we need to bring an idol of the Vastu devta for the Vastu pooja?
No. Keep the samagri simple and do the pooja from the heart; any pooja is an offering of feelings, and what matters is the bhav offered, not whether paan or gud could be offered.
Which mantra is used while pouring water in the pit test and in the vastu devta havan, and where can it be found?
The water mantra chanted while pouring water into the pit is not found in Jinvani; it was to be shared with the class group (exact words: refer to the class recording), and the Gayatri Mantra can be used instead. The Bhoomi Jagran Mantra used for aahuti on the land is found in the book Pratishtha Parag, a text on pratishtha (consecration).
Does the relationship with the Vastu Devtas end once the vastu pooja is done at the start of construction?
No. A farmer who sows a seed does not end his bond with it there: he protects, waters and nurtures it until it flowers, fruits and grows into a shady tree, even a kalpavriksha (wish-fulfilling tree). In the same way, Indian architecture holds that a structure of stone and lime is not lifeless; prana settles into the building and its soil and controls the feelings of the people who live there, so the devtas established in the land must keep being nurtured.
When do the Vastu Devtas have the greatest effect, and when should they be established?
Students answered griha pravesh and bhoomi poojan, which is only partly right: the greatest effect comes at the garbh vinyas or shilanyas, the day the land is taken over and the foundation is laid. Then the pishach, manushya, dev and brahma bhoomi are marked, the vastu pooja is done and every devta, 32 in the pishach bhoomi and the rest inside, is worshipped at its own place with its samagri, following the vidhi. A child cannot be born without a seed in the womb, and food works only through the mouth, not the ear or nose, so the biggest pooja, havan and sthapana belong to that day; building over the devtas afterwards is like tethering a cow first and then building its shed. Done later, remedies bring back only about 35% of that role, though even 5% is a lot.
Do the Vastu Devtas reside in the sky or on the ground?
On the ground. That is why they should be established at the shilanyas itself, and their bhog samagri is offered on the ground at each devta's own place.
If many things are already kept at a devta's place, does that count as an offering?
No, goods lying there are not arpan or samarpan. A guest never picks sweets off the dining table himself; they are served on his plate and he is invited to start. In the same way, serve the devta its bhog in a leaf dona or on a paan leaf, which the devtas love, and request it to accept the offering and increase the energy of the place. If the pooja was not done during construction, offer it at griha pravesh: any dish made in desi cow ghee, such as gujiya.
Does the time of offering matter when worshipping the devtas?
In a full vastu poojan all 45 devtas are worshipped and offered together. When one particular devta has to be activated, offer its bhog samagri or do its jaap in its own time slot for the maximum result. An offering at another time is not useless, but just as food eaten at the fixed time of hunger satisfies more, the result differs.
If problems are many, how many devtas can be activated at one time?
In a vastu pooja all 45 devtas are activated together in one sitting. A single devta can also be activated on its own with its samagri at its own time.
Is vastu poojan done only when construction starts?
No. Do it at bhoomi poojan or shilanyas, when the first slab is laid, when the main door frame is installed and on griha pravesh; the start of construction and griha pravesh are essential. Also do it after a renovation in which walls are broken, for a marriage, the start of a job or business and the birth of a child, and once a year on a swayam siddh muhurta such as Akha Teej or Gudi Padwa for a year of happiness and peace.
Someone who represents Brahmin qualities by conduct, not by birth: a vegetarian of good character with a pure mind. A person who eats non-veg, drinks or does wrong deeds turns the pooja into a mere show. Wear the janeu, purify yourself and wear clean or new clothes.
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.