Choose a room or feature and the zone of the home it is in, and this guide shows three things kept apart: what the classical texts say, if anything, what popular modern Vastu says, and practical suggestions. The split is the point. Most of the familiar room chart is modern, and the result says so.
How to find the zone
Standing in the middle of the home, face the room and read the direction it is in on your phone compass, then match it to the nearest of the eight directions. A room that spans two zones takes the zone that holds most of it. The centre is the middle of the home, the brahmasthan. For help with the compass, see the house facing checker, which has a short guide.
What the classical column is based on
Only what could be checked. The Brihat Samhita, chapter 53, names four rooms and their directions in one verse (53.118): the room for the gods in the north-east, the kitchen in the south-east, the household store in the south-west, and the treasury and granary in the north-west. It gives a result for water in each of the eight directions (53.119), asks that the head of the bed not point north or west (53.124), and asks for care of the central squares (53.66). Acharya’s summary of the Manasara adds that the central square is unfit for a residence and holds the family temple.
That is nearly everything. “Nothing found” in the result does not mean no text says it, only that the verses read for this site do not. The Mayamata and other treatises were not read. The room-by-room article sets this out in a table.
What the modern column is based on
The common teaching of present-day Vastu: master bedroom south-west, children’s rooms north-west or west, toilets north-west or west, stairs on the south or west, and so on. These are extensions of the classical idea that the north-east is light, the south-east is for fire and the south-west is heavy and steady. They are reasonable and widely taught, and they are conventions. The tool labels them as modern and does not attribute them to any verse.
What it cannot tell you
It cannot say your layout is good or bad. Almost no home matches the chart, flats cannot move their rooms, and nothing here is a prediction or a health, money or safety claim. A placement that modern guides advise against is an ordinary case and does not call for rebuilding. Remedies without demolition covers what helps.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Why does the classical column so often say nothing was found?
Because the classical texts read for this site name very few rooms. The familiar chart of bedrooms, stairs and toilets is largely modern. We say so plainly, and we also say that other treatises may contain more.
↳ Which rooms do the classical texts name?
The Brihat Samhita names the room for the gods (north-east), the kitchen (south-east), the household store (south-west) and the treasury and granary (north-west), all in 53.118. It also gives results for water in each direction.
↳ My room is in a zone modern guides advise against. Should I move it?
No. Most homes have several such rooms, and none of the classical texts read here asks you to move a room. Keep the room clean, ventilated and well lit, and read the remedies page for gentle options.
↳ Does the southern hemisphere reverse the directions?
No. North is north wherever you live, and the zones are the same. Only the sun's path across the sky differs, so a north-facing room in the southern hemisphere receives the midday sun.
↳ How do I find the centre of my flat?
Find the middle of the plan by eye, or draw two diagonals across it on a sketch. Nothing needs measuring to the centimetre. The modern advice is simply to keep that area open and light if you can.