The Hindu Temple v1.c4.s2.40

v1.c4.s2.40

The Vāstupuruṣamaṇḍala, the diagram of the temple, is a Yantra. ('Vāstu-vidhāna' of Nārada, Ms. 1602, Adyar Library; VIII. 26).²³ A Yantra is a geometrical contrivance by which any aspect of the Supreme Principle may be bound (yantr, to bind; from the root 'yam') to any spot for the purpose of worship. It is an artifice in which the ground (bhūmi) is converted into the extent of the manifested universe. The nameless, formless entity which is bound in this case to the spot within the square maṇḍala is known henceforth as Vāstu-puruṣa. The components of the artifice are: the ground on which the maṇḍala is drawn; the form of the maṇḍala; and its name together with the names comprised in its form.