Vashtu Sastra Guide

T. Selva

ISBN: 983-41341-2-6

Publisher: Master Yuvaraj Sowma

Format: Paperback

304 Pages

Price: RM35.00

Website: www.vasthuweb.com

Preamble:

I was invited to attend a talk by T. Selva on the 2^nd of December 2006. On that day, he was also due to launch his latest book, Vasthu Sastra Guide. I was already familiar with his writing in the weekly column in StarMag and was somewhat curious about the author. Nevertheless, I admit, I attended with some sense of trepidation as I still felt that all this was in the realm of the esoteric. I was pleasantly surprised and most certainly impressed by T. Selva for one solitary reason: Mr. Selva said something to the effect that there was no reason for people build opulent places of worship anywhere for God is within man. I knew then that this man was of sound mind and I was keen to hear more and read his book. The following is a review of his book, Vasthu Sastra Guide.

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Vasthu Sastra Guide is a non-fiction piece of work. In the author’s own words:

Although the awareness of Vasthu Sastra is increasing daily worldwide, I found that many people lacked understanding of the effective application of Vasthu Sastra rules on their properties. This prompted me to write this book to enhance the understanding of Vasthu Sastra. … My purpose in writing this book is to share my discoveries and knowledge of this science with people interested in harmony and peace of mind.

The topic in question is Vasthu Sastra and for those who do not know what it is the author has provided a simple definition of this term – ‘vasthu’ means a habitat and ‘sastra’ means science. Indeed, Mr. Selva states, ‘Vasthu is not magic, superstition, a religion or religious ritual, and does not work on a belief system. It is also not a question of faith but a fact of life.’

The book focuses on the steps a householder should take to ensure that he is living in a Vasthu Compliant house. It is possible to pick up this book, skip the first few chapters and hone in on the detailed explanation of where things should be placed within a dwelling place. However, this is to do disservice to the text proper for Mr. Selva has taken steps to provide a brief explanation of the origin of this ancient science, the application and effectiveness of Vasthu Sastra, some fundamental principles. These initial explanations provide a basis of understanding much of the remainder of the text. For instance, Mr. Selva says:

When an individual creates a home, he or she is creating a micro universe that entails all aspects, influences and elements of the universe.

Mr. Selva proceeds to give a detailed analysis of how to choose a piece of land, checklists for what to observe and be cautious about when choosing this land, how to construct the house proper and what to do if the property is already built up. It is not merely the external area of a property that is discussed but the internal portions of each quadrant of a home, like the master bedroom, the kitchen and the study area, is also investigated. If you live in an apartment, there is a specific chapter on how to make this micro universe you call home Vasthu Sastra compliant. Of particular enjoyment are the case studies which all showcase stories of people’s whose lives have changed when they began to practice Vasthu Sastra principles.

In all, the most appealing thing about the entire book is that it is filled with graphics; this means that even when a reader is hard-pressed to read each and every word in this book, it is possible to absorb the wealth of knowledge by just looking at all of the pictures.

Mr. Selva’s training in journalism comes through as the words he uses to describe the complex theories and ideas are simple to comprehend. More often than not, books in this genre are written in a style so complex that one just casts the books aside. With Vasthu Sastra Guide, it is quite possible to complete reading the entire book in a very short space of time.

The single criticism of this book is the fact that it has a subtitle, ‘Indian Feng Shui’. Imagine if Feng Shui is described as the ‘Chinese Vasthu Sastra’? There would probably be uproar of sorts. Clearly, at this moment in time, using this subtitle of ‘Indian Feng Shui’ is a necessary marketing strategy as Vasthu Sastra is a new field in the Malaysian context and people are unlikely to understand what it means. Still, it does not bode well and one can only look forward to the time when the use of such a subtitle will be unnecessary. Therefore, the chapter that explains the differences which exist between Vasthu Sastra and Feng Shui is very much welcomed and the sentences which jump out at a reader are these:

Vasthu Sastra can be practiced without demolishing or renovating your walls. … As to which one of the sciences to follow, my advice is try both and find out which one works for you better or observe Vasthu Sastra and Feng Shui by incorporating both practices.  

The book is a reasonable size and the paper used is of good quality. It is clear that care has been taken to showcase appropriate, colourful and beautiful artwork. All of these specifications denote a book of excellent quality. And yet, the most baffling thing about it is that the book is priced at a mere RM35.00. Then again, when the hope of the author is ‘that this book reaches every home in the world and brings happiness, joy, wealth, harmony and improved health to every human being on this planet …’ is not surprising that this book has been this reasonably priced.

Without a doubt, this is a highly recommended book and can be purchased online at www.vasthuweb.com.

Aneeta Sundararaj is the author of The Banana Leaf Men (a novel) and Snapshots! (a collection of short stories). She is also the creator, webmaster and editor-in-chief of the website, 'How To Tell A Great Story' which caters for all manner of storytellers. Visit http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com to learn more.

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