The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology c13.s5: Śilpaśāstras and Vāstuśāstras

The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology c13.s5

Language: English

Śilpaśāstras and Vāstuśāstras

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We shall now see a bit of the *Śilpaśāstras* in the same manner.

Viśvakarmā, the divine architect or Vulcan, is an eponymous hero like Manu, and is encountered as an author, founder or patron-saint in connection with the arts, sciences or crafts called *śilpa* and the *śilpaśāstras*, i.e., treatises bearing on the *śilpas*. We know of a *Viśvakarmiya-śilpam*³⁹ which is described as a treatise on the manual arts attributed to Viśvakarman. The contents comprise such items as the origin of *Viśvakarman* and the derivation of terms like *takṣaka* (carpenter), *vardhaki* (sculptor), and so forth. The human stature of diverse *yugas* (Hindu epochs), wood and stone as material for sculpture, sacraments for sculptors and carpenters, proportions bearing on the images of plants and *lingams*, consecration of cars, etc. are to be found among the topics. The forms of Brāhmī, Māheśvarī and other goddesses have found a place in the discussion.

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³⁹ Rajendra Lal Mitra: *Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts* (Calcutta 1871), Vol. II, p. 142.

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Attention has been devoted to the sacrificial or Brāhmaṇical thread, the sacrificial threads of gold, silver and *munja* fibre, the qualities of a special stone called *hemaśilā* (golden stone) to be found to the south of the Meru Mountain. Then there are discussions on crowns, crests and other head ornaments, movable and fixed thrones for images, etc. The proportions of doors of temples for *lingams*, the proportions of doors for other temples, the temples for Vighneśa and allied topics belong to the table of contents.

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The *Mayamata*⁴⁰ is a treatise on architecture available in print and deals with the following among other topics: 1. examination of the ground, 2. measurement, 3. ascertainment of the points of the compass, 4. rules for laying out villages and towns, 5. plinth, base and pillars, 6. stone work, cementation, 7. spires, 8. one, two, three and four storied houses, 9. *gopuras* or gates, 10. *maṇḍapas*, 11. out-offices, barns, treasuries etc.

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⁴⁰ Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, 1919.

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All the topics bearing on architecture are discussed in *Mayamatam*. According to the editor Gaṇapati Śastri it appears to be the oldest among the extant treatises in Sanskrit on the subject. An old Tamil translation is available in manuscript. The work is complete in 38 chapters, of which four are missing. The treatise is in verse.

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The *Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra*⁴¹ (Architect of human dwellings) is a peculiar name for a work on *Vāstuśāstra*. It has been published in two huge volumes comprising altogether 63 chapters. The two tables of contents alone cover 54 pages. Architecture has been taken in a very wide sense. The construction of machines (*yantra-vidhāna*), for instance, occupies a significant part of this work (ch. XXXI). There is a chapter on painting (*chitroddeśa*) also (ch. LXXI).

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⁴¹ Baroda, Vol. I, (1924), Vol. II, (1925), Editor T. Ganapati Sastri, See the two prefaces.

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The work contains also discussions on *rasa*, literary "flavour", statues made of gold, silver etc., *patākā* (flag) and so on. Certain machines have interesting names such as *gajayantra* (elephant machine), *vyomachāri vihaṁgayantra* (wooden bird-machine travelling in the sky), *ākāśagāmī dārumaya vimānayantra* (wooden *vimāna* machine flying in air), *dvārapālayantra* (door keeper machine), etc. The chief topics of the work are furnished by the construction of cities, palaces, and mansions of the most diverse classes. It should be observed that the entire treatise is in verse.

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There is a treatise in Tamil entitled *Śilpaśāstra*⁴² which is said to have been originally composed in Sanskrit.

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⁴² Meyer in the *Indian Antiquary* for 1876.

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Vāsavāchārya's *Viśvavidyābharaṇa*⁴³ deals with the duties of artisans.

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⁴³ Aufrecht: *Catalogus*, Part II, (Leipzig 1896) p. 139.

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A treatise on shipbuilding and navigation is *Nāvaśāstram* also known as *Kappal Śāstram*.⁴⁴ An unnamed work deals with navigation as well as house-building and other topics taught in 36 works which are enumerated.⁴⁵

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⁴⁴ W. Taylor: *A Catalogue Raisonnée of Oriental Mss. in the Library of the late College of Fort St. George* (Madras 1857), Vol. III, p. 6.

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⁴⁵ *Ibid.*, Vol. III, p. 350.

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Kalyāna Śivanārāyaṇa’s *Śilpaśāstra-samgraha* deals with architecture.⁴⁶ The author was an inhabitant of Surat (in Gujarat).

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⁴⁶ Edited with a Gujarati transl. by Kalyanadas Bhunabhai Gujjar, Rajnagar, 1898.

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Viśvakarman’s name is associated with *Viśvakarmā-prakāśa* (Architecture).⁴⁷

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⁴⁷ Edited with Hindi transl. by Saktidhara Sukula, Lucknow, 1896.

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The most universal topic of *śilpaśāstras* is house-building. But it deals with many other topics directly or indirectly allied to edifices, for instance, furniture, decorations and ornaments, etc. Besides, the topics of sculpture as well as painting are also discussed in *śilpaśāstras*. There are chapters on sculpture and painting in the *Agni* and *Matsya Purāṇas*. The *Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa*, for instance, has a chapter on *chitra* (painting).

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A very common name for treatises on building is *vāstuvidyā* or *vāstuśāstra*. They may be said to specialize in architecture, although sculpture also comes in for treatment. Very often *vāstuśāstra* and *śilpaśāstra* have to be taken almost as convertible terms. Perhaps in any case we should treat the *śilpaśāstras* as somewhat wider in scope and more generic in nature.

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The name of treatises on *vāstu* (building or architecture) is legion. Jeva Nath Jotishi’s *Vāsturatnāvalī*⁴⁸ Śyāmācharaṇa’s *Vāstusankhyā*,⁴⁹ which is an extract from *Todarānanda*, Viśvakarman’s *Vāstuvichāra*,⁵⁰ Sūtradhāramaṇḍana’s *Vāstusāra*⁵¹ may be mentioned. Gaṇapati Sastri's edition of *Vāstuvidyā* (Trivandrum Sanskrit series 1913) has rendered accessible the contents of a work attributed to Viśvakarman.

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⁴⁸ Burnell: *Classified Index* (Madras 1880).

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⁴⁹ Sudhakara Dvivedi: *Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts in the N.W.P* Part IX, (1885), p. 56.

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⁵⁰ *Ibid.*, p. 56

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⁵¹ Aufrecht, Part I, p. 569.

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The *Vāstuvidyā* is entirely in verse and complete in 16 chapters. The last chapter deals with earth and tile making. Building materials, ground and other things connected with house construction constitute the subject matter.

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Gaṅgādhara's *Śilpadīpaka*⁵² is a metrical treatise on architecture in five sections. Bhoja Vikramāditya's *Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra*⁵³ is perhaps to be taken as one of the oldest treatises on architecture (c. 1050). His *Yukti-kalpataru* which has been mentioned in connection with the *Nītiśāstras* is to be noted in the present context also.

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⁵² Barnett : *Supplementary Catalogue 1892-1906*, London.

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⁵³ Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, 1924.

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Sudhākara Divedī's *Vāstava-chandra-śriṅgonnati* is a work on architecture.⁵⁴

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⁵⁴ Bombay Venkatesvara Press.

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It is to be understood that *śilpaśāstras* are by all means treatises on aesthetics or rather applied aesthetics. They deal chiefly with the problem of form (*rūpam*). But in the present context we are interested in them exclusively as documents of exact science, mathematical measurements, calculations of proportions etc. bearing on Nature and man. It is as furnishing fresh evidences of Hindu command over the things of this earthly earth and of their preoccupation with non-transcendental, unmeta-physical and matter-of fact realities as well as the human world of daily secular interests that *śilpaśāstras* are being introduced as twins of the *vārttāśāstras*. Be it observed once more that none of the texts in manuscripts or print such as have been mentioned for the period from c. 600 to 1300 may belong to this period at all. But it is presumed that the *chitralakṣaṇa, pratimālakṣaṇa* (i.e. marks or characteristics of paintings, images etc.) were known during those centuries and earlier and of course the principles were practised by the painters, sculptors and architects.

Linked texts (10)

Agnipurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Mayamata — Maya, Sanskrit
Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa — Sanskrit
Ṭoḍarānanda — Ṭoḍaramalla 1564, Sanskrit
Viśvakarmaśilpa — Viśvakarman, Sanskrit
Vāstuśāstra (Giridhara) — Giridhara, Sanskrit
Vāstusāra (Ṭhakkura Pheru) — Ṭhakkura Pheru, Prakrit
Vāsturatnāvalī — Jīva 1821, Sanskrit