Vāstu Pūjā

Vāstu Pūjā, “the worship of the site”

Vāstu Pūjā is the worship done on a building site before any sacred or household building is raised. The Agni Purāṇa (Chapters 39–41 and 92–94) teaches it. It covers the testing of the land, the worship of the vāstu-purusha and his forty-five attendant devas, the laying of the foundation stone (śilā-nyāsa) and the purifying of faulty land. The vāstu is not seen as mere ground. It is a living being, the vāstu-purusha, whose help and blessing are needed for the prosperity and holiness of any building raised on him.

The Agni Purāṇa gives the rite twice over. Bhagavān Hayagrīva teaches it to Brahmā for the temples of Vishṇu and the other devatās (Chapters 39–41), and Parameśvara, Bhagavān Śiva, teaches it to Skanda for the temples of Śiva (Chapters 92–94 and 105). Agni Deva gives it again to Vasishṭha Maharshi for the house (Chapter 247), and Hayagrīva gives the prayers for entering a new house (Chapter 65). The Purāṇa tells how the devatās buried a great and terrifying being in the earth, who became the vāstu-purusha, and how every deva seated on his body must be satisfied with his own offering before anything is built. It gives the drawing of the maṇḍala of sixty-four squares and its larger forms for houses, cities and whole kingdoms, the taking possession of the ground, the first digging at the auspicious moment, the finding of buried bones, and the laying of the foundation stones Nandā, Bhadrā, Jayā, Riktā and Pūrṇā, each a devī, with the prayers to them. It also tells that Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa did vāstu-pūjā when they settled at Citrakūṭa (Chapter 6). The Purāṇa says that no temple or other building may be raised without this rite, and that even one who performs only the foundation consecration is freed of all pāpa (sin).

The vāstu-purusha

Bhagavān Hayagrīva tells Brahmā that in the past there was a great being, terrifying to all creatures. The devatās buried it in the earth, and it is called the vāstu-purusha. On his field of sixty-four padas (squares), the deities of the padas are to be satisfied with offerings, each according to its place (Chapter 40).

Parameśvara describes his form to Skanda (Chapter 93). The vāstu-purusha has curly hair and lies on his back, face upward, and his form is like that of an asura. At the time of pūjā he is remembered lying face up. But when the foundation for walls and the rest is being laid, one meditates on him lying with his face turned down. His knees, elbows and thighs lie toward the north-west (vāyavya) and the south-east (āgneya). His feet, joined one to the other, are toward the south-west (nairṛti), and his head is toward the north-east (īśāna). His hands are joined in añjali and rest on his chest. The pūjā of the devatās who are mounted on his body brings auspiciousness.

The Purāṇa names twelve marma-sthānas (vital points) of the vāstu: Sama, Nāḍī-sampāta, Mahāmarma, Kamala, Phala, Triśala, Svastika, Vajra, Mahāsvastika, Sampuṭa, Trikaṭi, Maṇibandha and Suviśuddha. All of these are to be worshipped on the vāstu, the walls and the rest.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 40, 93

Kinds of consecration

The Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 92) names five kinds of consecration of sacred structures for Bhagavān Śiva.

1. Pratishṭhā, the standard consecration of an image.
2. Sthāpana, installation.
3. Sthira-sthāpana, firm installation for lasting structures.
4. Utthāpana, the lifting or raising of an image.
5. Āsthāpana, the setting in a lasting seat.

Two matching kinds apply to Vishṇu temples, with like degrees of permanence and purpose. All these rest on vāstu-pratishṭhā as their first foundation. A sacred image cannot be consecrated in a space that has not itself first been purified and consecrated as a vāstu.

Parameśvara opens this teaching to Skanda by saying that the pīṭha (pedestal) is Śakti and the liṅga is Śiva, and that from the union of the two the pratishṭhā is done with the mantras of Śiva. He tells each kind more closely. Pratishṭhā is the installation done in a special way when there is the union of the brahma-śilā. Sthāpana is when the image for worship is installed on the pīṭha itself. Utthāpana is the installation of the liṅga done with a base (ādhāra). Āsthāpana is when the liṅga is installed and the learned perform its saṃskāra. The two kinds for Vishṇu and the other devatās are named āsthāna and utthāna. In all these pratishṭhās the placing of Paramaśiva, whose form is pure consciousness (caitanya), is to be done. In temples (prāsādas) too, five kinds of pratishṭhā are taught, by the divisions of the pada-adhva and the rest.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 92

Testing the land: bhūparīkshā

Before any building is raised, the land is tested to see that it is fit. The Agni Purāṇa (Chapters 39 and 92) gives bhūparīkshā, the examination of the earth, in several stages.

• Colour by varṇa. The colour of the soil shows which community the land suits best. White soil is for brāhmaṇas, red soil for kshatriyas, yellow soil for vaiśyas and black soil for śūdras. Land whose colour matches the varṇa of the intended owner, or the nature of the intended use, is most auspicious.
• The digging test. A pit is dug and filled with water in the evening. If the water stays level or rises by morning, the land is excellent. If it sinks only a little, the land is middling. If the water is gone altogether, the land needs purification.
• The slope. The slope of the land affects the flow of prosperity and well-being. Land that slopes to the north or east is auspicious. Land that slopes to the south or west needs more care.
• Purifying faulty land. Land with bones, charcoal, ant-hills or other impurities under the soil can be purified by set offerings. These are fire offerings, sprinkling of consecrated water, and worship of the vāstu-purusha with the proper bali (food offering).

Parameśvara gives the testing for a temple in this way (Chapter 92). For brāhmaṇas, ground whose earth is white and has the fragrance of ghee is best; for kshatriyas, red earth with the smell of blood; for vaiśyas, yellow earth with a good fragrance; for śūdras, black earth with the smell of surā. Ground that is low to the east, to the north-east or on all sides, and high in the middle, is praised. A pit one hasta (cubit) deep is dug and filled back with the soil taken out of it: if soil is left over, the ground is excellent. Or the ground may be tested with water and the like. Ground defiled by bones, charcoal and such things is thoroughly purified by digging, by tethering cows and other animals on it, and by ploughing it many times. The ground is purified in this way for building a city, a village, a fort, a house, a temple and the rest.

Agni Deva adds more marks for the house (Chapter 247). By the vāstu-śāstra, land of white, red, yellow and black colour is fit to dwell on for brāhmaṇas, kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras in order. Land with the smell of ghee is for the vipras, with the smell of blood for kshatriyas, with the smell of cooked food for vaiśyas and with the smell of liquor for śūdras. For them in order, land of sweet, astringent, sour and other tastes is good, and land grown with kuśa, sarpaṭa, kāśa and dūrvā grass. Hayagrīva also teaches that the ground is examined first, and then the vāstu is examined on it (Chapter 65).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 65, 92, 247

Taking possession of the ground: bhū-parigraha

After the ground has been purified (bhū-śodhana), it is taken into possession (bhū-parigraha). Hayagrīva tells Brahmā the rite for a temple of Vishṇu (Chapter 39). Bhūta-bali, the offering to the bhūtas, is given up to the boundary of the enclosure with black gram, turmeric, puffed grain, curd and barley flour. Reciting the eight-syllable mantra, one scatters barley flour in the eight directions and says: “May the rākshasas, piśācas and others who live in this place go away from here. I am about to build a temple of Mahāvishṇu here.” Then the ground is ploughed, and cows are made to walk over it.

Parameśvara tells Skanda the first rites for a temple of Śiva (Chapter 92). In the maṇḍapa the whole rite is done, from the worship at the door to the mantra-tarpaṇa, and then the yāga of a thousand offerings with the Ghora-astra mantra. On ground levelled and smeared, the directions are fixed, and lines are drawn clockwise with gold, unbroken rice and curd. Śiva is worshipped in a water-filled kalaśa in the north-east corner. Then vāstu-pūjā is done, and the crowbar and the other tools are wetted with the water of that kalaśa. Outside the maṇḍapa the rākshasas, grahas and others are worshipped and bali is given in the directions. When the lagna (the auspicious moment) comes, the ground in the square of the south-east corner is dug first with the crowbar, wetted and smeared with honey, and the soil is thrown toward the south-west. The water of the kalaśa is poured into the pit, the ground and the tools are wetted again, and the tools are worshipped.

Then another kalaśa is covered with two cloths and placed on the shoulder of a brāhmaṇa. With the sound of instruments and of the Veda he goes to the eastern boundary of the city, halts there a moment, and carries the kalaśa round the four sides of the city clockwise up to the north-east, wetting the boundary marks as he goes. Taking this Rudra-kalaśa round the city is the bhū-parigraha, and it is called the arghya-dāna kriyā.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 39, 92

The vāstu-pūjā rite

The Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 93) gives the rite after the land has been tested and found fit, or purified.

• The ground is cleared and levelled, and the vāstu-maṇḍala is drawn on it.
• The maṇḍala is a grid of squares. It is 9 × 9 (81 squares) for household buildings, or 8 × 8 (64 squares) for particular kinds of building, as tradition lays down.
• Each of the forty-five vāstu devas has a set place in the grid.
• Brahmā is placed at the very centre of the maṇḍala, as the creator and the sustaining power of the building.
• Indra has the place of the eastern gateway, as master of the east and the chief deva of direction.
• The remaining forty-four devas are worshipped in their set places, each with his own mantras and bali. They include the eight guardians of the directions (ashṭa-dikpālakas), the particular vāstu devas of each zone of the maṇḍala, and the sub-devas of the corners in between. The bali is cooked food, sesame, flowers and fragrant substances suited to each deva.
• The rite ends with the vāstu-bali. Cooked food is shared among the workers who will build the house. They are honoured as sharers in the holy work of creation.

Drawing the maṇḍala of sixty-four squares

Parameśvara tells Skanda that after the temple has been marked out with the cord, the vāstu-maṇḍala is made on a square, level piece of ground with sixty-four squares. Two diagonal lines (vaṃśas) are laid out in the corners, and eight cords are marked to run to the cross-corners, divided as lines of two and six squares. On these the pūjā of the vāstu-devatās is done. Eight devatās are lords of the corners and sit in the eight half-corners. Marīci and the others, placed in order in the east and the other directions, are lords of six squares each. Brahmā in the middle of them is lord of four squares, and the remaining devatās are lords of one square each.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 93

The offerings to each deva: Hayagrīva’s teaching

Hayagrīva gives Brahmā the offering for each deity of the sixty-four padas, in this order (Chapter 40).

Outside the field, Carakī is given meat and ghee, Kumārasvāmī pulaga and blood, Vidārī red lotuses, Kandarpa a fruit and cooked rice, Pūtanā fruit and bile, Jambhaka meat and blood, Pāparākshasa bile, blood and bones, and Pilipitsa garlands and blood. Then the dikpālas beginning with Īśāna are offered blood and meat. When any of these things cannot be had, unbroken rice is offered. Bali is also given, as one wishes, to the rākshasas, mātṛkās, gaṇas, piśācas, pitṛs, kshetrapālas and others.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 40

The offerings to each deva: Parameśvara’s teaching

Parameśvara gives Skanda the offerings by the four quarters (Chapter 93).

Then the inner devas round Brahmā are worshipped. Brahmā in the middle is given modakas, and so is Marīci, who enjoys six squares in the east. Savitā, in the south-east square below Brahmā, is given red flowers, and Sāvitrī, in the square below Savitā, water with kuśa. Vivasvān, lord of six squares south of Brahmā, is given red sandal. Indra, in the lower square toward the south-west from Brahmā, is given turmeric rice, and Indraja, below Indra, sweet food. Mitra, in the six squares west of Brahmā, is given rice mixed with jaggery. Rudra, in the square below the north-west corner, is given food cooked in ghee, and Rudradāsa, in the square below Rudra, fresh meat. Pṛthvīdhara, lord of the six squares in the north, is given a naivedya of a grain whose name is damaged in the print. Āpa, in the lower square in the north-east, and Āpavatsa, in the square below, are given curd and pāyasa. Brahmā, in the four middle squares, is given pañcagavya, unbroken rice and a cooked offering with ghee.

Outside the vāstu, in the four intermediate directions from the north-east round to the north-west, the four Mātṛkās beginning with Carakī are worshipped. Carakī is given meat with ghee, Vidārī curd and lotuses, Pūtanā meat and bile, and Pāparākshasī bones, meat, bile and blood. In the four quarters outside, Skanda in the east is given rice with green gram, Aryamā in the south khicaḍi (rice and pulse cooked together) and a flower, Jambhaka in the west blood and meat, and Pilipiccha in the north red rice and flowers. Or else the whole vāstu-maṇḍala may be worshipped with kuśa, curd, unbroken rice and water.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 93

Larger maṇḍalas for houses, cities and kingdoms

Parameśvara tells Skanda that in houses, cities and the like, a vāstu-maṇḍala of eighty-one squares is worshipped. Its lines of three and six squares are made as before. Īśa and the other corner devatās hold one square each, Āpa and the others two squares each, Marīci and the others six squares, and Brahmā nine squares (Chapter 93).

He gives this maṇḍala more fully in Chapter 105, for the growth of houses and temples in cities, villages and forts. Ten lines facing east stand for ten nāḍīs, and the Purāṇa names nine of them: Yavatī, Kāntā, Viśālā, Prāṇavāhinī, Satī, Vasumatī, Nandā, Subhadrā and Manoramā. Ten more nāḍīs flow northward, and the Purāṇa names nine of them: Hariṇī, Suprabhā, Lakshmī, Vibhūti, Vimalā, Priyā, Jayā, Jvālā and Viśokā. By them the nine squares are divided into eighty-one. When the cord is thrown, these nāḍīs made of lines become manifest and are meditated upon. The devatās stand in groups of eight (ashṭakas), one ashṭaka in each of the four directions:

• East: Īśa, Jaya, Śakra, Arka, Satya, Bhṛśa and Vyoma, with one more name damaged in the print.
• South: Agni, Pūshan, Vitatha, Soma, Kṛtānta, Gandharva, Bhṛṅga and Mṛga.
• West: Pitṛ, Dvārapāla, Sugrīva, Pushpadanta, Varuṇa, Daitya, Śosha and Yakshmā.
• North: Roga, Appā, Mukhya, Bhallāṭa, Soma, Śaila, Aditi and Diti.

Brahmā is worshipped on the nine middle squares, and the devatās with six squares each on twenty-four squares. Between Brahmā and Īśa, Āpa is worshipped, with Āpavatsa on the two squares below and Marīci on the six after that. Between Marīci and Agni is Savitā on two squares, with Sāvitra on the two below and Vivasvān on the six below that. Between the Pitṛs and Brahmā, on two squares, are Vishṇu and Indra, and on the two below, Indra and Jaya. Between Varuṇa and Brahmā, on six squares, is Mitra. Between Roga and Brahmā, on two squares, are Rudra and Rudradāsa, with Yakshmā on the two below. Outside the maṇḍala, in the corners from the north-east in order, the bāla-grahas are worshipped: Carakī, Skanda, Vidārī, Vikaṭa, Pūtanā, Jambhā, Pāpā and Pilipiccha.

For a city, a village and a small town (kheṭa), the vāstu of a hundred squares is also taught. Its two diagonal lines run to the corners and are called durjaya and durdhara, “hard to conquer” and “hard to hold”. The placing of the deities is as in a temple. Brahmā is worshipped on the sixteen central squares. Marīci, Vivasvān, Mitra and Pṛthvīdhara are worshipped on ten squares each in the four directions of Brahmā. In the corners, Diti, Agni, Pūshan, the Pitṛs, Pāpayakshmā and Roga hold one and a half squares each. Skanda and the others hold six squares, and Carakī and the others five squares each (Chapters 93, 105).

For establishing a country or kingdom, the vāstu-maṇḍala has three thousand four hundred squares, as the Purāṇa gives it. Brahmā in the middle is lord of sixty-four squares, Marīci and the others of fifty-four each, Āpa and the other eight devatās of thirty-six each, Īśāna and the others of nine each, and Skanda and the others of a hundred each; the squares of Carakī and the others are in proportion to these. The vāstu-pūjā may also be done on a maṇḍala of twenty thousand squares, with the placing done nine-fold as in the vāstu of a country. A maṇḍala of twenty-five squares is also prescribed, and one of nine squares may be used. In the middle of a hexagon, a triangle, a circle and the like, a square vāstu-maṇḍala is also made. The vāstu is used for the pits dug for foundations, in the laying of the Brahma-śilā and in the installation of a mūrti. To all the devatās of the vāstu-maṇḍala a naivedya of rice cooked in milk is offered. A vāstu-maṇḍala five hastas in length and breadth may serve for all these works, but a maṇḍala made to the measure of the house or temple is always the best (Chapter 93).

Agni Deva gives the maṇḍala for the house (Chapter 247). First the brāhmaṇas are worshipped, and on land free of bones and foreign matter a pit is prepared. Then a vāstu-maṇḍala of sixty squares, as the Purāṇa gives it, is drawn, and Brahmā is installed on the four squares in its middle. East of these is Aryamā, lord of the house-squares; Vivasvān is to the south, Mitra to the west and Mahīdhara to the north. Āpa and Āpavatsa are in the north-east, Sāvitra and Savitā in the south-east, Jaya and Indra in the south-west near the west, and Rudra and Vyādhi in the north-west. Each direction has eight devatās, and of them the first and the eighth are the lords of the house in the maṇḍala.

• East: Parjanya, Karagraha, Mahendra, Ravi, Satya, Bhṛśa, Gagana and Pavana. Some put Antariksha and Agni in the south-east in place of Gagana and Pavana.
• South: Pūshan, Vitatha, Gṛhakshata, Yama, Bhṛṅga, Gandharva, Mṛga and the Pitṛs.
• West: Dauvārika, Sugrīva, Pushpadanta, Asura, Varuṇa, Pāpayakshman and Śesha.
• North: Nāgarāja, Mukhya, Bhallāṭa, Soma, Aditi, Kubera, Nāga and Agni.

Mṛga and Sugrīva are installed in the south-west, and Roga and Mukhya in the north-west. Nāga and Karagraha are drawn in the north-east. In the east Sūrya and Indra are the best; in the south Gṛhakshata is the best; in the west Sugrīva is the best. At the north door Pushpadanta gives welfare, and Bhallāṭa is also called Pushpadanta.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 93, 105, 247

The rite before building

Hayagrīva tells Brahmā that no temple or other building may be built without first satisfying these deities with vāstu-homa, bali and the like (Chapter 40). At the Brahma-sthāna, the central place, Śrī Hari, Lakshmī and the gaṇa-devatās are worshipped. Then Bhūmi, the vāstu-purusha and the kalaśas with their small lidded pots (vardhanī) are worshipped, and in the middle of the kalaśa Brahmā and the dikpālas are worshipped. Svastivācana is recited, one bows, and the final oblation (pūrṇāhuti) is offered.

Then the master of the house, holding a water vessel with holes in it, turns the stream of water along the line of the cord in clockwise circles, as the rite says. Along the same path seven seeds are sown, and along the same path the digging begins. In the middle a pit one hasta wide and four aṅgulas (finger-breadths) deep is dug, smeared, and the pūjā is begun. First of all one meditates on four-armed Śrī Mahāvishṇu and offers arghya with a kalaśa. Then the pit is filled with water poured from a pitcher, and white flowers are put in it. This excellent pit, turned to the right, is filled with seeds and earth. When this arghya-pradāna is complete, the ācārya is given a cow, cloth and the like. The astrologer and the master builder (sthapati) are honoured as is fitting, and the devotees of Vishṇu and Sūrya are worshipped.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 40

Clearing the site: śalya-parīkshā

The śalya-parīkshā is an important first step. It is the examination for obstacles under the soil, called śalyas. The Agni Purāṇa gives it in Chapter 40.

• Bones bring disease and death to those who live there.
• Metals in certain arrangements cause conflict or loss.
• Deposits of charcoal cause poverty.
• Animal burrows invite instability.

The śalyas are found by divination, by the shadow of a plumb-line or by other methods the tradition lays down. When they are found, they must be removed by careful digging. After they are removed, purifying offerings are made to the vāstu-purusha. These heal the harm done by the digging and win back the goodwill of the deva.

Hayagrīva tells Brahmā that the ground is dug with care until water appears (Chapter 40). If there are bones below the depth of a man, there is no fault for the house. If there are bones within that depth, the wall of the house will crack and the master of the house will have no happiness. Whatever animal’s name is heard while the digging goes on, the bone of that animal is to be known as lying there.

Parameśvara gives Skanda the signs more fully (Chapter 92). To remove the fault of buried things, the ground is dug until stone or water is reached, and bones and the like are dug out and removed. At the lagna, if someone asks a question and letters of the groups a, ka, ca, ṭa, ta, pa, sa and ha come from his mouth, śalyas lie in the directions of those groups. Where birds alight, śalyas lie there. In whatever limb the one performing the rite has a disorder, a śalya of a like kind is to be known. The entry of animals, their cries and the cries of birds show the direction in which śalyas lie. The letters of the alphabet are written in their groups on a board or on the ground, and by the group the śalya is known, in the directions from the east round to the north-east:

• the a group: iron in the east;
• the ka group: charcoal in the south-east;
• the ca group: ash in the south;
• the ṭa group: bones in the south-west;
• the ta group: bricks in the west;
• the pa group: potsherds in the north-west;
• the ya group: corpses, insects and the like in the north;
• the sa group: iron in the north-east;
• the ha group: silver;
• the ksha group: harmful things in that same direction.

Then nine pieces of stone, each one hasta long, are sprinkled and driven into the earth with a mallet. When three parts of the length of the stones have gone into the ground, the pit is filled, smeared and levelled.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 40, 92

The foundation stone: śilā-nyāsa

The śilā-nyāsa is the formal setting of the sacred foundation. The Agni Purāṇa gives it in Chapters 41 and 94. The rite goes through these stages.

1. Bhūpūjā. Worship of the earth at the foundation site.
2. Kalaśa. A ceremonial water pot is set up at the site, with the proper mantras.
3. Homa. Fire offerings are made to purify the site and invite the divine presence.
4. Vāsudeva-pūjā and Ananta-pūjā. Bhagavān Vāsudeva and Ananta Śesha, who holds up the earth, are specially worshipped. Ananta is the foundation of all foundations.
5. Navadravya. Nine sacred materials are put into the foundation pit with the mantra “Ananta-pṛthivī namāmi” (I bow to Ananta-earth). They are gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, aśvattha wood (the sacred pippala), the vishṇukrānta herb and consecrated soil.
6. Navaratna. Nine precious gems are put beside the navadravya or above it.
7. The foundation stone. The stone is laid above them with circumambulation, music and recitation of the Vedas.
8. Feeding of brāhmaṇas. The rite ends with the feeding of brāhmaṇas.

Hayagrīva’s teaching: the pāda-pratishṭhā

Hayagrīva calls the laying of the stones the pāda-pratishṭhā, the consecration of the foundation (Chapter 41). First a maṇḍapa is built, and on it four kuṇḍas (pits): in order, the seats for placing the jars, for placing the bricks, for the door and for the pillars. Three of the four parts of each kuṇḍa are filled with gravel and levelled, and on it the vāstu-devatās are worshipped. The bricks laid in the foundation must be well fired, twelve aṅgulas long and four aṅgulas thick. If the temple is to be of stone, stones one hasta long are laid instead of bricks.

Nine kalaśas of copper or clay are set up, filled with water, with all the herbs (sarvaushadhi) and with water mixed with sandal; gold, grains and the like are put in them, and they are worshipped with fragrant paste and the rest. With these kalaśas the stones and bricks are wetted while the Vedic mantras are recited: the three ṛks beginning Āpo hi shṭhā, Śaṃ no devīr abhishṭaye, Taratsamandaḥ, the Pāvamānī ṛks, Ud uttamaṃ varuṇa, Kayā naḥ, Varuṇasyottambhanam asi, Haṃsaḥ śucishat and the Śrīsūkta.

The stones are placed in the foundation. Inside the maṇḍapa, on a bed in the eastern maṇḍala, Śrī Mahāvishṇu is worshipped. In fire made by churning the araṇi, sacred sticks are offered with the twelve-syllable mantra. The āghāra and ājyabhāga oblations are made with the praṇava, and eight oblations with the eight-syllable mantra. With the three vyāhṛtis, oṃ bhūḥ svāhā, oṃ bhuvaḥ svāhā, oṃ suvaḥ svāhā, oblations are offered in order to Agni the lord of the world, to Soma and to Śrī Mahāvishṇu. Then the expiatory homa is done, and the pūrṇāhuti is offered with black gram, ghee and sesame, with the twelve-syllable mantra joined to the praṇava.

The ācārya, facing east, installs and worships the devatās on the kalaśas placed in the eight directions, and in the middle a stone and a kalaśa are placed on smeared ground. On the eight kalaśas are installed Padma, Mahāpadma, Makara, Kacchapa, Kumuda, Ānanda, Padma and Śaṅkha, as the Purāṇa gives them, and on the central kalaśa Padminī. These kalaśas must not be moved. Near them, from the east round to the north-east, one brick is placed at each. On the bricks the śaktis beginning with Vimalā are installed, and in the middle the devatā Anugrahā. Then the ācārya prays: “O Ishṭakā Devī, daughter of Aṅgiras, the best of munis! Not one of your limbs is broken or deformed. You are complete in all your limbs. Now I install you.” With this mantra he installs the bricks and, with a concentrated mind, performs the garbhādhāna, the placing of the sacred deposit, in the middle.

For the garbhādhāna, Śrī Mahāvishṇu and Śrī Mahālakshmī are installed on a kalaśa, and earth, flowers, minerals (dhātus) and gems are placed near them. The deposit vessel (garbha-pātra), of metal or the like, twelve aṅgulas across and four aṅgulas high, is worshipped. Then Pṛthivī is worshipped in a lotus-shaped copper vessel, and these prayers are made:

• “O Bhūdevī, ruler of all beings, shining on a seat of mountains, girdled by the oceans, take the garbha in solitude.”
• “O Nandā, daughter of Vasishṭha, with the Vasus and with the people, make me joyful.”
• “O Jayā, daughter of Bhārgava, you give victory to the people; give victory to me also.”
• “O Pūrṇā, daughter of Aṅgiras, fulfil my wishes.”
• “O Bhadrā, daughter of Kaśyapa Maharshi, give me an auspicious mind.”
• “O beautiful Jayā Devī, full of all seeds and rich in all gems and herbs! O Nandā Devī, daughter of Vasishṭha! Delight here joyfully.”
• “O Bhadrā, daughter of Kaśyapa, you are the daughter of Prajāpati; you pervade the four directions; you are very great, beautiful, enchanting. Delight in this house.”
• “O Bhārgavī Devī, you are full of wonder; worshipped with fragrant paste, garlands and the rest, you shine. O Devī who gives wealth to people, sport in this house.”
• “For the joy of the lord of this land, the lord of the town, the lord of the house, the children and the others who live in it, and all men and beings, increase their riches.”

Then the vāstu-kuṇḍa is wetted with gomūtra, and the garbha is placed in it. At that time the ācārya is given a cow, cloth and the like, and food is given to others. When the deposit vessel and the bricks are in place, the kuṇḍa is filled. Then a pīṭha for the chief devatā is built according to the height of the temple: the best pīṭha is as high as half the width of the temple, the middling one a fourth less, and the least half the height of the best. After the pīṭha is set, vāstu-pūjā is done again.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 41

Parameśvara’s teaching: the nine stones and the five stones

Parameśvara tells Skanda the śilā-nyāsa as a limb of the pratishṭhā of Śiva (Chapter 92). The guru, holding the general arghya, goes to the maṇḍapa, worships the door-guardians at its door and enters by the western door. There he purifies himself and consecrates the kuṇḍas and the maṇḍapa, installs the kalaśa and the vardhanī, and worships the lokapālas and Śiva, and the fire as before. Then with the yajamāna he goes to the bathing pavilion of the stones.

There are four stones of the temple-liṅga named Dharma and the rest, best at eight aṅgulas high. The paving stones are square and one hasta long, and the bricks half the measure of the stones: a temple of stone takes stones, a temple of brick takes bricks. The nine stones or bricks are marked with the vajra and other signs, or five stones with the lotus sign, and the building of the temple begins with this marked stone.

• The five stones: Nandā, Bhadrā, Jayā, Riktā and Pūrṇā. Their five treasure jars (nidhi-kumbhas) are Padma, Mahāpadma, Śaṅkha, Makara and Samudra.
• The nine stones: Nandā, Bhadrā, Jayā, Pūrṇā, Ajitā, Aparājitā, Vijayā, Maṅgalā and Dharaṇī. Their nidhi-kalaśas are Subhadra, Vibhadra, Sunanda, Pushpadanta, Jaya, Vijaya, Kumbha, Pūrva and Uttara.

The stones are given a seat of praṇava, and the rites of striking and scratching are done with the astra-mantra; then they are covered with the kavaca-mantra. With the astra-mantra ending in huṃ phaṭ, they are given the cleansing bath with earth, cow-dung, gomūtra, astringent decoctions and scented water, then the bath with pañcagavya and pañcāmṛta. After the bath with scented water, each stone, with the mantra marked with its own name, is smeared with fruits, gems, gold, water from a cow’s horn and sandal, and covered with cloth. It is given a golden seat, carried round the yāga-maṇḍapa, and laid down with the hṛdaya-mantra on a bed or on a spread of kuśa.

There the stones are worshipped, and the tattvas from buddhi to pṛthivī are placed on them. The three tattvas that pervade the three parts, the Śiva-tattva, the Vidyā-tattva and the Ātma-tattva, are placed on the stones in order and worshipped with their own mantras, and their lords with the hṛdaya-mantra: oṃ hūṃ śivatattvāya namaḥ and oṃ haṃ śivatattvādhipāya rudrāya namaḥ, to the Śiva-tattva and Rudra its lord; oṃ vidyātattvāya namaḥ and oṃ hāṃ vidyātattvādhipāya vishṇave namaḥ, to the Vidyā-tattva and Vishṇu its lord; oṃ hāṃ ātmatattvāya namaḥ and oṃ hāṃ ātmatattvādhipataye brahmaṇe namaḥ, to the Ātma-tattva and Brahmā its lord.

In the nine-stone way, on each tattva and each stone the eight mūrtis are placed: earth, fire, the yajamāna, the sun, water, wind, the moon and ākāśa, and then their eight lords: Śarva, Paśupati, Ugra, Rudra, Bhava, Īśāna, Mahādeva and Bhīma, with mantras such as oṃ dharāmūrtaye namaḥ, oṃ dharādhipataye śarvāya namaḥ. Then the lokapālas beginning with Ananta are placed, each with his own mantra. The nine bījas of the lokapālas beginning with Indra are lūṃ, rūṃ, yūṃ, broṃ, trūṃ, jhaṃ, jhūṃ, hrūṃ and traṃ. In the five-stone way, touching each tattva-stone, the mūrtis beginning with pṛthivī are placed, and their five lords, Brahmā, Vishṇu, Rudra, Īśvara and Sadāśiva, are worshipped in them, with mantras such as oṃ pṛthivīmūrtaye namaḥ, oṃ pṛthivīmūrtyadhipataye namaḥ.

The five kalaśas are worshipped with their name-mantras and installed. An enclosure is made round them with sacred ash, kuśa and sesame with the astra-mantra. In the kuṇḍas the Ādhāra-śakti is placed and worshipped, and offerings of ghee are given to the tattvas, their lords, the mūrtis and the mūrti-lords. For the purification of Brahmā and the ātmā, a hundred homas each are offered with the Brahma-mantras up to the pūrṇāhuti. The stones are sprinkled with the water of peace (śānti-jala) and worshipped, and, touching them with kuśa, the presence and the joining of each tattva are done, with the mantras oṃ āṃ īṃ ātmatattva-vidyātattvābhyāṃ namaḥ and oṃ haṃ uṃ vidyātattva-śivatattvābhyāṃ namaḥ. The five kalaśas, filled with ghee and honey, their tops anointed with pañcagavya and the five lokapālas as their devatās, are worshipped and homa is done near them.

Then all the devatās of the stones are meditated upon: “Those śilā-devatās are of the form of vidyā. They have completed their bath. The radiance of their bodies shines like gold. They wear bright garments and are adorned.” For the removal of faults such as any lack, and for the purification of the vāstu ground, a hundred homas each are offered with the astra-mantra up to the pūrṇāhuti.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 92

Laying the stones and the prayers to the five stones

Parameśvara then gives the laying itself (Chapter 94). Outside the vāstu-maṇḍala, in the north-east and the other directions, Carakī and the other devatās are worshipped as before, with three homas for each devatā, and bhūta-bali is given. At the chosen lagna the śilā-nyāsa is begun. In the middle of the pit the Ādhāra-śakti, the supporting power, is placed, and an excellent kalaśa consecrated with the mantra of Ananta is set up. With the mantra laṃ pṛthivyai namaḥ, “laṃ, salutation to Pṛthvī”, a stone that is the form of Pṛthvī is placed on it.

Around it, in the east and the other directions in order, eight kalaśas beginning with Subhadra are set in pits where the Ādhāra-śakti has been placed, with the mantras of Indra and the other lokapālas. On these kalaśas the stones Nandā and the rest are placed, furnished with the tattvas, the mūrtis and their devatās. Just as mūrtis and the marks of weapons are put on walls, on these stones the quarters are well divided and the eight devatās beginning with Dharma are installed. On the four kalaśas Subhadra and the rest the four stones Nandā and the rest are placed in the four corners, and on the four kalaśas Jaya and the rest the four stones Ajita and the rest in the four directions. Over all of them Brahmā and the all-pervading Maheśvara are installed. Then one contemplates the path (adhvan) named Ākāśa in the middle of the temple. Bali is offered to all of them, and the astra-mantra is recited to remove the faults of obstacles.

In the five-stone way, the stone Pūrṇā is placed in the middle on the Subhadra kalaśa, and the stones Nandā and the rest on the kalaśas Padma and the rest in the south-east and the other corners. If there is no middle stone, the four stones alone are worshipped as mothers and installed. Then the five stones are prayed to:

• Pūrṇā: “O Pūrṇā, you whose form is the gathering of all, you who are Mahāvidyā, you are the daughter of Aṅgiras Ṛshi. Make everything in this rite of pratishṭhā complete.”
• Nandā: “O Nandā, you give delight to all beings. I install you here. As long as the sun, moon and stars shine in the sky, stay firm in this temple, fully content.” And again: “O Nandā, daughter of Vasishṭha, give living beings long life, the fulfilment of all wishes and Lakshmī. Staying firm in this temple, protect it with care.”
• Bhadrā: “O Bhadrā, daughter of Kaśyapa, always bring welfare to all the worlds. O Devī, always give us long life and the fruit of our wishes.”
• Jayā: “O Devī Jayā, always give us Lakshmī and long life. O Jayā, daughter of Bhṛgu, installed here, stay here and give the master of this house victory and prosperity every day.”
• Riktā: “O Riktā, you destroy every excess fault. Be the giver of siddhi and moksha.” And: “O auspicious one, your dwelling is in every place and time. O you whose form is Īśa, stay always in this temple.”

Having prayed thus, one meditates on the house as having the form of ākāśa and places the three tattvas in it. The expiatory homas are performed as the rite says, and the yajña is concluded.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 94

The foundation of a house

Agni Deva tells Vasishṭha Maharshi that all the vāstu-devatās of the house are worshipped with mantras and the foundation stone is laid (Chapter 247). Then the devīs Nandā, Jayā, Pūrṇā and Bhadrā are worshipped with these mantras:

• “O Nandā, daughter of Vasishṭha! Make me rich in wealth, sons and grandsons and gladden me.”
• “O Jayā, daughter of Bhārgava! Give victory to us, your offspring.”
• “O Pūrṇā, daughter of Aṅgiras! Fulfil the desires.”
• “O Bhadrā, daughter of Kaśyapa! Give me auspicious understanding.”
• “O Nandā, daughter of Vasishṭha! Sport in this lovely Nandana-vana, full of every seed and rich with all gems.”
• “O Bhadrā, daughter of Prajāpati! You have the best marks and the Śrīkṛshṇa vrata. O daughter of Kaśyapa, dwell in this four-cornered place which is the form of the earth.”
• “O daughter of Bhārgava, Devī! You give prosperity to the whole world. Worshipped by excellent ācāryas, adorned with fragrant paste and garlands, dwell in my house.”
• “O Pūrṇā, daughter of Aṅgiras! You too, complete in every limb and free from harm, sport in my house.”
• “O Ishṭakā! I am performing the gṛha-pratishṭhā. Give me the enjoyments I desire. Increase men, wealth, elephants, horses and cattle for the lord of the land, the lord of the city and the lord of the house.”

At the time of entering the house, the śilā-nyāsa is done in the same way.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 247

Vāstu-pūjā within other rites

The Agni Purāṇa returns to the vāstu-devatās in the later rites of the temple. In the installation of the Śiva-liṅga, the ācārya offers one homa each to the vāstu-devatās to satisfy them (Chapter 97). In the consecration of the temple door, after the homa and japa, the vāstu-devatā is worshipped under the door with the mantra of Ananta; the five things beginning with gems are placed there, and a homa for peace (śānti-homa) is done (Chapter 100). In the restoring of a worn liṅga, vāstu-pūjā is done as before, and at the close the ācārya offers a hundred homas for nourishment and a hundred homas each for the dikpālas and for the purifying of the vāstu (Chapter 103).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 97, 100, 103

Entering a new house: gṛhapraveśa

Hayagrīva gives the entry into the new house (Chapter 65). The householder about to enter rises at dawn, free of laziness, and bathes in water mixed with all herbs. Pure, he bows to brāhmaṇas learned in jyotisha, feeds them sweet foods and has them recite svastivācana. Then, placing his hands on his waist, he enters the house adorned with arches (toraṇas) and full kalaśas. With a one-pointed mind and joined hands, before a cow, he recites the mantras that give increase:

• “Oṃ, O Nandā, protected by Vasishṭha! Grant wealth, offspring and the rest, and increase my joy.”
• “O Jayā, daughter of Bhārgava, who gives victory to the people! Make me rejoice in wealth and riches.”
• “O Pūrṇā, daughter of Aṅgiras! Fulfil my wishes; make me one whose desires are fulfilled.”
• “O Bhadrā, daughter of Kāśyapa! Make my understanding auspicious.”
• “O Nandā, daughter of Vasishṭha, who gives joy to all! With all seeds and herbs, full of every gem and herb, dwell joyfully in this beautiful house.”
• “O Bhadrā, daughter of Kaśyapa Prajāpati! You are beautiful in every way, great, fortunate, keeper of the best vrata. Dwell joyfully in my house.”
• “O Devī Bhārgavī Jayā! The best of ācāryas have worshipped you. Adorned with sandal and garlands of flowers, you give all the riches of the world. Move joyfully in my house.”
• “O Pūrṇā, daughter of Aṅgiras! You are of unmanifest form.”
• “O Ishṭakā-devī! Give me the things I desire; I ask you to stay in my house. You favour the lord of the land, the lords of village and city, and the lord of the house. Bring increase in my house of people, wealth, elephants, horses, cows, buffaloes and the rest.”

The householder performs all the homa and other acts in the house as the śāstra says, and enters the house by this rite. He gives food to all without hindrance and dakshiṇā to the brāhmaṇas as far as he can (Chapter 66). The entering of a new house is done in the nakshatras Dhanishṭhā, the three Uttarās and Śatabhishak (Chapter 121).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 65, 66, 121

The phala

The Agni Purāṇa says that worshipping the devatās mounted on the body of the vāstu-purusha brings auspiciousness (Chapter 93). Even one who performs only the pāda-pratishṭhā, the foundation consecration, is freed of all pāpa and enjoys bliss in Devaloka. All the bodily pāpas of one who resolves “I will build a temple” perish that very day. What need is there to speak of one who builds a temple as the śāstra says? Even the fruit of one who builds a temple of eight bricks cannot be described, and from this one may know the fruit of one who builds a great temple (Chapter 41).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 41, 93

Vāstu pūjā at the parṇaśālā in Citrakūṭa

The Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa (Chapter 56) tells of a vāstu pūjā in the time of Rāma’s forest exile. Lakshmaṇa built the parṇaśālā (leaf-hut) at Citrakūṭa on the bank of the Mandākinī. Before Rāma entered the new dwelling, he did the vāstu pūjā. He worshipped the vāstu-purusha of the forest hut with the same reverence due to any sacred building, however humble. The hut Lakshmaṇa built had strong posts, a firm thatched roof and smooth plaster.

This account shows that the vāstu pūjā was not only for palaces or temples. It was the right rite for any new shelter where a householder who follows dharma was to live.

The Agni Purāṇa tells the same in brief (Chapter 6). Sītā, Rāma and Lakshmaṇa crossed the Gaṅgā, bowed to Bharadvāja at Prayāga and reached the Citrakūṭa mountain. There they did vāstu-pūjā and lived on the bank of the Mandākinī, and Rāma showed Sītā the Citrakūṭa mountain.

Sources

• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 6, 39–41, 65–66, 92–94, 97, 100, 103, 105, 121, 247
• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapter 56.