System of architectural guidance known as Vastu Shastra, originally intended for practical construction purposes, has been fundamentally distorted into a business driven by exploitation and fear, according to spiritual leader Sadhguru. Sadhguru emphasizes that Vastu was "purely an ancient architectural guidance" devised to solve fundamental challenges faced by builders centuries ago, particularly concerning roof construction before the advent of steel and concrete. Builders, limited by the length of available wood, sometimes constructed houses that were too narrow, such as an 8-foot-wide house built with 8-foot-long tree trunks, leading to living conditions described as tunnels that could seriously affect physical and mental health. To circumvent such unhealthy situations, simple architectural "thumb rules" were established.
Sadhguru notes these rules were merely guidelines—analogous to engineering thumb rules for those "who cannot use their brains". Crucially, these guidelines were not universal; they varied significantly based on environment and terrain, meaning "in different terrains there are different types of vasu[s]". Hilly areas, low-level lying areas, and coastal areas each had distinct Vastu principles adapted to the "particular weather and atmosphere". However, Sadhguru asserts that in the last decade, Vastu has spiraled into "ridiculous proportions" as a business claiming to fix health, business, and virtually every aspect of life.
The consequence of this exploitation has been the rise of "ridiculous things," including people demolishing parts of their homes, moving bathrooms to where kitchens once were, and even sleeping in their kitchens. When people grew tired of these "extra expense[s]," consultants simply devised new methods, such as suggesting putting "one mirror energy gets reflected to your neighbor" or placing a single stone to fix complex problems.
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The main force behind this pervasive trend is "fundamentally fear". Sadhguru recounted a specific, shocking incident in Chennai where a host, upon receiving advice from a Vastu consultant that his business problems stemmed from his sleeping location, moved with his wife to sleep in the bathroom, believing it was the "best place for him to sleep". Finding the host literally sleeping in the bathroom at 2 AM, Sadhguru remarked on the necessity of maintaining dignity, stating, “Even if you die at least sleep in your bedroom and die with some dignity".
This fearmongering has also severely hampered architectural creativity in India. Sadhguru shared that when he attempted to design innovative apartments for a real estate project, he was told his creative designs "Doesn't work" because they were "not according to vasu," with fears that "nobody will buy" the apartments due to concerns about "bad energies will come". The "vasu man," who "doesn't know a damn thing about anything," now determines the shape of the house, the windows, and the doors, leaving the homeowner only the choice of interiors. Sadhguru highlighted the absurdity of this modern application, pointing out that when Vastu Shastra was originally written, "there was no telephone," yet consultants now dictate where a telephone must be placed.
Another powerful anecdote involves a woman whose Vastu consultant declared that because her house's southwestern corner was lower than the northwestern corner, one of her two children would die. Despite initial dismissal, the fear consumed her within three days; if her children sneezed, she worried "which one which one which one" would die, and she "just went crazy in two weeks' time". She eventually paid the consultant 12,000 rupees (after bargaining down from 50,000) for a "fix," which involved planting a massive casuarina pole in the southwestern corner to visually make it appear taller.
Ultimately, Sadhguru challenges the notion that the shape of one’s window or home can fix one’s life. He argues that this obsession distracts people from addressing what is within their control: their own lives. Instead of hoping for external fixes, Sadhguru urges individuals to take responsibility and create their lives the way they want, asserting, "you live in any damn place and still make it good". He concludes that any intelligent human being can create a comfortable house with the right amount of opening and convenience without needing "any scriptural guidance to build a house".
