Obstruction or Vedha means a hinderance in the natural path of sunlight and wind. There can be various kinds of obstructions in a house. These Vedhas prove harmful to the residents. If any tree or electric pole etc. is placed in front of the house then it is called Dwar Vedha and it hinders the growth of the natives living in that house. There are many other types of vedhas as well which have been described in this chapter.

Different types of Vedhas

Dwar Vedha

Any obstruction in the front of the main gate or main door of the house is known as dwar vedha.

Vastu Rajavallabha Says :

द्वावारां विद्धमशोभन्स्च तरूणा कोणभ्रमस्तम्भकैः |
उच्छायाद्वद्विगुणा विहाय पृथ्वी वेधो न भित्यन्तरे, प्राकारान्तर राजमार्गपस्तों वेधो न कोणद् वये ||

i.e. Presence of a tree, corner, pole, oil mill, temple or a peg in front of the door is inauspicious. Such an obstruction can also be caused by an electric or telephone pole or water tank or even shrubs and plants in front of the door. A well or a hand pump in front of the door creates mental instability and paucity of money. A tree in front of the door creates hindrance in the progress of children. A telephone or electric pole in front of the house keeps the family troubled and sickly. Goddess Lakshmi keeps away from such a house.

If the obstruction causing object is situated at twice the height of the house, then vedha is not applicable. i.e. If height of the house is twenty five feet and the vedha causing object is situated at a distance of fifty feet, then it will not be considered as dwar vedha but if it is situated at 45 feet then it would be considered as dwar vedha.

To protect the house from the internal dwar vedha, one should not make the main doors of the house directly in front of each other. They should not obstruct each other. A smaller door should never be made in front of a larger door. A similar sized door can be made. Three doors should never be made in front of each other even if they are of the same size.

Swara Vedha

If a door makes a sound while opening or closing, it is considered to be swara vedha which does not give good result. The house should be kept free from swara vedha.

Kona Vedha

If some corner of the house is smaller than the other corners then it can create extremely serious troubles or 'Mrityu tulya kashta' for the residents and cause untimely death. For this reason all the corners should be of equal angles. If some corner is less than 90° then a cupboard should not be made in this corner. If the house has 3, 5 or more corners, then also it becomes kona vedha. Residents of such houses can suffer from many types of ailments.

Koopa Vedha

If there is a septic tank or underground water tank or handpump or tap or drain or a canal in front of the main door or main gate of the house, then it is considered to be koopa vedha. This causes continuous shortage of money, so the house should be kept free from koopa vedha.

Brahma Vedha

If machines for grinding wheat or for extracting oil are located in front of the main entrance of the house, then this is considered to be Brahma Vedha. Due to this vedha the life of the residents remains disorderly and there are disputes among the family members. This vedha can be rectified by fengshui.

Keel Vedha

If there is a stake or a nail for tying an animal near the entrance of the house, it is called keel vedha. This vedha curtails the progress of the owner of the house, he keeps on facing hindrances.

Stambha Vedha

If there is an electric or telephone pole or D.P in front of the main entrance then it becomes a serious fault known as stambha vedha. This creates enmity and hostility among the family members.

Vastu Vedha

If there is a store room, garage or watchman's cabin in front of the main entrance, it is called vastu vedha. It creates continuous shortage of money.

• If the main door of the house is situated at the centre of the length or the breadth of the plot, then this is also considered to be a vedha.
• A tap should not be located in front of the main door because water always keeps flowing out of it and this situation is harmful for the children. It also creates wastage of money.

Chitra Vedha

Pictures or paintings of tiger, lion, dog or of other ferocious animals like leopard or of crows, owls, vultures or of ghosts or a war and violence, cause chitra vedha. Horns of animals should not be kept as show pieces. Dwelling of pigeons in the house is also considered to be inauspicious.

Shilpa Vedha

Statues and models of ferocious birds and animals create shilpa vedha. Keeping of stuffed dead hunted animals, as was the practice in royal families, is also a fault. Even decorating animal skins is shilpa vedha. It reduces the longevity of the persons living in the house.

Sama Vedha

If an upper storey has to be made on an existing floor, then the height of the upper storey should be atleast 1 /12 lesser than the height of the lower floor. Otherwise sama vedha is created which causes destruction of the family.

Antar Vedha

Presence of a door between two houses causes Antarvedha. People living in these houses are hot tempered, they get angry easily.

Chhaya Vedha

Shadow of a tree, temple, mountain or a flag should not fall on the house. It causes chhaya vedha. This is of five types -

Temple chhaya Vedha

If shadow of any temple falls on the house between 10 AM and 3 PM, then this is considered to be a chhaya vedha. It creates family disturbances and lack of peace at home. There are professional and financial losses and there is delay in the marriage of children and birth of children.

Dhwaja Chhaya Vedha

If shadow of a flag falls on the house, then too this is considered to be chhaya vedha. According to the shastras, if a house is constructed within 100 feet of a temple, then the residents of the house can suffer on account of dhwaja vedha. This vedha can create heart trouble, mental retardation, insanity and paralysis etc. In addition to this, health of the family members suffers.

Parvat Chhaya Vedha

If a mountain is situated towards east of the house and its shadow falls on the house, then this is considered to be parvat chhaya vedha. This prevents or hinders the progress and fame of the residents. For this reason a house should not be constructed in such a place.

Vriksha Chhaya Vedha

If a tree casts its shadow on the house between 10AM and 3PM, then it is considered to be vriksha chhaya vedha. This vedha stops the progress, so the house should not be made near a large tree.

Bhavan Chhaya Vedha

If shadow of the house falls on the well or boring, then it becomes Bhavan chhaya vedha, which causes financial losses.

• It is inauspicious to have trees like berries, plums (ber), dates, pomegranate, mangrove (babul) or other thorny trees in front of the house. It causes the owners ruin
• Palash tree in front of the house makes the owner forever defeated
• Tamarind tree in front of the house results in untimely demise of the owner
• Wild fig tree (gooler) in front of the house makes the residents suffer from eye troubles
• If shadow of some tree falls on the house, then goddess Nidra controls that house and the people living there become base (tamsik) and superstitious. They suffer from ailments related to bones, bile, rheumatism tuberculosis and sciatica. Their ailments cannot even get cured by the doctors. For these reasons the house should remain clear from the shadow of any tree
• Presence of milk oozing trees in the courtyard (angan) cause monetary losses. So trees like Banyan, Aak, madar etc. should not be planted in the courtyard.
• Bananas, almonds, dates, mangoes, grapes and berries etc. should also not be planted in the courtyard.
• Trees belonging to the gods should also not be planted in the courtyard. Banana belongs to Gandharva while oleander (red kaner) belongs to Sun god, so these trees should not be there in the courtyard. Peepal and sandalwood trees can be planted there, but not in front of the main door.
• Tulsi plant must be planted in the courtyard. Vastu shastra allows planting peepal in the West, Banyan in the East, wild fig (goolar) in the South and wood apple (kaitha) in the North of the house. Planting coriander in the courtyard brings about in change of place for the owner. If in service, he could get transferred.

Sthiti Vedha

Sometimes a lane or a road reaches a dead end and the plots located near the dead end are known as the closed (band) plots or prisoner (kaidi) plots. These plots are not suitable for residential purpose, so these should be discarded.

Sthan Vedha

Location of a childless person's house or a washerman's house, a flour mill or the furnace of a blacksmith in front of the plot is called sthan vedha. Similarly location of a funeral ground or a cemetery near the house also becomes a sthan vedha. Residential house should not be constructed in such a location.

Drishti Vedha

If a feeling of fear or loneliness descends upon oneself after entering a house, then such a house is supposed to have drishti vedha. Residents of such a house are affected by poor mental and financial condition.

Results of a House Near a Temple

People residing in a house located near a temple repeatedly keep coming under the influence of devalaya vedha, which is the dosha caused by the gods of the temple. According to Shiva purana, a house should not be constructed within the range of 100 feet of a temple because the residents will keep on suffering because of Dhwaja dosha. According to the shastras no one should urinate or defecate within 100 feet of the temple. Such an action results in suffering due to deva dosha. It is inauspicious to reside near a Shiva mandir. Rudra resides in it along with his followers who are ghosts and goblins and they keep troubling the people residing nearby. Since Rudra dev is fierce and aggressive, the nature or the people residing nearby also becomes aggressive.

This causes constant bickering and friction amongst father and son and amongst brothers. If the temple near the house belongs to an aggressive deity, then the residents have to suffer more. People living near a temple of Hanuman ji have to suffer because of poverty, misery and sorrows. Temperament of Kalika and Chamunda devis and Rudra is aggressive, fierce and violent, while that of Lakshmi ji, Parvati ji, Vishnu ji and Balaji is satvik, calm and peaceful. In any case temple should not be made inside the house. There should be a place for Puja in the house where pictures and small idols of the Gods should be kept. The puja sthal (room) should not be inside the bedroom and Prana pratishtha of the gods inside the puja shtal should not be done, that place should only be used for worship and for keeping puja articles.