Also known asvastu shantihavanvastu devta vidhan
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.
Whole house
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.
Ishaan (North-East) corner of the kitchen
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.
At each devta's own pad
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.
Shikhi pad, E1
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 marked devta pad on the house plan
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.