Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c12: Chapter I.
Vāstu-śāstra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c12
- Language
- English
Chapter I.
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The Advent Of Earth-Mahāsamāgamana.
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After salutation (a benedictory verse) to the Architect of all the three worlds—the Lord Śiva, the Author hints at the scope of Architecture—countries, towns, dwellings, Sabhā, the assembly halls, the temples and the furniture as well as the mechanical wooden implements together with the images etc., as some of the broad divisions of the subject matter or the scope of Architecture and hence the necessity of the triad—the Universal Planner, the great heavenly Architect Viśvakarmā, the Universal monarch, Pṛthu, the patron of the Planning and the Earth itself on which the planning to be performed. These three are brought before the Universal Creator, Brahmā and respective duties assigned to each of them. The chapter is named after the Earth, who had gone to Brahmā trembling with fear as the first king Pṛthu was disturbing her. No sooner did Earth reach the Lord, the king Pṛthu also arrived and he too narrated his lot. The Lord pacifies both of them and assigns the planning to the heavenly architect Viśvakarmā. The chapter closes with the advent of Viśvakarmā in the Himālaya. This is indicative of the Uttarāpatha and its style, the Northern or the Nāgara or the Aryan and it is from here that he shall commence his mission.
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*N. B.* The story of the advent of the Earth to Brahmā also suggests that Brahmā is the founder of the North Indian Architecture according to the S. S.
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The Dialogue Between Father & Sons—(Viśvakarmaṇaḥ Putra-Saṃvādaḥ)
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Viśvakarmā now remembers all his four Mānasa sons, Jaya, Vijaya, Siddhārtha and Aparājita to be his comrades in this great task of the Planning. He, therefore, distributed the planning of the human habitation—the towns, Kheṭas (small towns), villages, houses, public places, the gardens etc. together with the forts in between the mountains and rivers for security reasons, on all the four quarters of the Earth to his sons to each one quarter, and himself reserved the planning of the capital of the Universal monarch, the king Pṛthu.
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CHAPTER III.
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The Query—(Praśnodhyāya.)
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Father’s assignment of the respective duties to the sons is done. Now it is the turn of the sons to make query about the details of this great task and hence it is after the query that the chapter is named Praśnodhyāya. The questions are simply great and worthy of the great sons of the great Architect. All the cosmological, physical, geographical, astronomical questions together with their bearing on architectural subjects having so many ramifications themselves are put to the father by the eldest son Jaya. In these questions from the mouth of Jaya, the author has indicated the full scope of the Vāstuvidyā, a detailed notice of which has already been taken in the Study (Part I Chapter II).
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CHAPTER IV.
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Creation (Mahadādisarga).
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After the questions, the answers arise from the mouth of the great Architect Viśvakarmā, the father of Architecture, which he got from Brahmā. In this chapter the answers of the cosmological and physical queries are given, how creation followed (in the light of Sāṅkhya Philosophy) is very nicely dealt with in verses 4-19; how the oceans, the mountains, rivers, islands, came into existence—all are elaborated. The physical features of the Earth are also described. Lastly the biological kingdom is explained—the fourfold Bhūtagrāma consisting of Jarāyuja, Aṇḍaja, Udbhijja and Svedaja with their respective varieties are described.