Revival of Vaastu Vignanam

During my formative period as a student and during my professional career as a Sthapati, I had the good fortune of coming under the influence of two Maharishis of worldwide reputation.

During the early days of my boyhood, my father, Sri Vaidyanatha Sthapati, was working as the architect and builder of the Sri Mathrubhuteswara Temple at Sri Ramanasramam in Thiruvannamalai in 1939. This was the temple of the holy mother who gave birth to Bhagavan Ramana. I was around 13 when my father was building the temple and also making the holy image of Bhagavan Ramana in stone.

The Maharishi scarcely spoke to devotees, however devoted they were. But fortunately, he used to talk to my father whenever approached for advice on any issue. I used to stand by his side on such occasions. In the meantime, for the sake of my education, my father had to shift to Salem for the construction of a temple. There, I completed my SSLC and Intermediate at the local college. Yet, my father and I used to visit the Maharishi on work-related matters. During such visits, I closely watched the face of the Maharishi, always lustrous, whenever the talk turned to our family affairs and me. He never inquired about my studies, but he used to look at me with a deep smile, which I interpreted as a flow of grace.

One fine morning, the results of the Intermediate Examination appeared in the newspapers. To our surprise, there was a call from the Maharishi, to which my father and I responded at once. At that time, there was a large gathering of devotees in what was called Bhagavan's Hall. The Maharishi had a newspaper in his hands. Keeping both of us near his Yogasana, he spoke to the devotees with inestimable joy, saying, "Sthapati's son has passed the examination with distinction. His future is going to be very bright." We were dumbfounded. Not even a word of thanks could we utter, so overwhelmed were we with joy. In response, we could do nothing but prostrate before him and silently take his blessings.

The next thing for my father to do was to send me to the Engineering College, Guindy, Madras. In 1947, I applied, and without any difficulty, I got a seat, thanks to my high marks. But my father's dreams did not come true. Though my father was then a leading Sthapati in the field, he had no financial resources. The fee that I had to pay at the time of admission was only Rs. 480, but for hostel and other expenses, one had to pay around Rs. 300 per month. This was too much for him, as his monthly remuneration was only Rs. 100. He was hesitant to take any decision, either for or against. Though he was poor, he never approached anybody for financial help during his lifetime. His idea was to send me to the Engineering College, utilize the knowledge of modern science and technology for a better understanding of the Vastu tradition, and work for its revival and promotion.

Before he could take a decision, the date of admission expired, and the whole family was upset. With stoic endurance, my father kept silent for months. He never even went to the Maharishi for advice or help. A few months later, Maharishi called my father to his side and said, "In your own native place, a college is established, and it will start functioning from 15th August 1947. I feel it is only for him that the college is started late in the year." Taking Maharishi's words as a divine direction, my father lost no time in admitting me there. Unfortunately, it was not an Engineering College but a B.A. class with Pure Mathematics as my special subject. The college was none other than Dr. Alagappa Chettiar College, started in Karaikudi on the first Independence Day.

I was too young to understand that this turn of events would be for the better and more suited to my career as a Sthapati later. We believed in the words of Maharishi and took the journey along the path he directed. Only after I took up Sthapatiship did I realize the value of Maharishi's direction. I am happy to say that it is because of his blessings that I am what I am today. The world around me knows to what extent I have fulfilled my father's dream. I am proud to say that I have gone several steps ahead of my father's expectations. This is because of another Maharishi's intervention and direction that I was blessed with a career as a Sthapati.

The Maharishi, under whose influence I came next, was His Holiness Paramacharya of Kanchi. I had to leave the position of a Sthapati, which I was enjoying under the Palaniandavar Devasthanam, Palani, in 1961 and assume the principalship of the School of Sculpture and Architecture, a position my father had held from 1957 to 1960. My father had to retire as he fell seriously ill. He had a severe stroke followed by a paralytic attack and was unable to speak. Even expert medical treatment was of no use. Finally, I took him to Pillaiyarpatti (near Karaikudi) for Ayurvedic treatment on the advice of Sri S. Ganesan "Kamban Adippodi," who had been my godfather since my early days. Even this Ayurvedic treatment produced no results.

Around this time, in 1963, I met Paramacharya when he was camping at Ilayattankudi, a village about 10 miles from Pillaiyarpatti, where I was born. I had never met him before, though my father had known him intimately for many years. The intimacy between Paramacharya and my father was at its peak when he was commissioned to build a stone mandapam in the premises of Kanchi Mutt. This is the mandapam where pujas are performed today.

The interaction was so intense and frequent that my father was able to present an effective and comprehensive picture of the divine tradition of Vastu and Shilpa. He requested Paramacharya to move society to realize the value of the tradition and work for its revival and development. Of course, the Government of Tamil Nadu had already started a school for the revival and promotion of art and architecture, and my father was the first Principal. This was enough for the revival of skill and expertise. But what my father wanted Paramacharya to do was to create social awareness about the spirituality of the tradition and take it as a mission.

Every Friday, my father used to visit Kanchipuram for work inspection and had serious and frequent dialogues with Paramacharya on Vastu and Agama traditions. My father was not merely a Sthapati with hereditary knowledge of Vastu and Agamas; he was an expert in Tamil and Sanskrit, sculpture and architecture, astronomy and astrology, Vedas and Upanishads, Mantra Shastras and Tantra Shastras, and musicology. He was also a musician with abundant practice in playing the Gottuvadyam.

This profound knowledge allowed him to impress upon His Holiness the spiritual depth of these arts and their purpose for the welfare of humanity. Paramacharya was deeply moved and saddened that such a divine tradition had been relegated to a low status in the social hierarchy. This planted the seed in his heart, which later sprouted into the movement known as "Veda Agama Shilpa Vidvat Sadas" at Ilayattankudi. This movement worked wonders and helped reanchor the spiritual message of the Vastu Vedic Culture in its land of origin.