The Shulbasutras of Baudhayana, Apastamba, Katyayana and Manava: With Text, English Translation and Commentary c8.t24: Chapter 11: Construction of a Rectilinear Śyenacit with Square Bricks
The Śulbasūtras of Baudhāyana, Āpastamba, Kātyāyana and Mānava: With Text, English Translation and Commentary c8.t24
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Chapter 11: Construction of a Rectilinear Śyenacit with Square Bricks
c8.t24.2
**11.1-11.4.** In this chapter, another method of constructing a rectilinear *śyenacit* is described, in which only square bricks are employed. These bricks are : B₁ — one-fourth (of a *puruṣa*), *caturbhāgīyā*, *aṇuka* — 30 × 30 aṅg² B₂ — one-fifth, *pañcamabhāgīyā*, *aratni* — 24 × 24 „ B₃ — one-sixth, *ūrvasthī*, *ṣaḍbhāgīyā* — 20 × 20 „ B₄ — quarter of one-fourth, *aṇukapādā*, *caturbhāgīyapādā* — 15 × 15 „ B₅ — quarter of one-fifth, *pañcamabhāgīyapādā* — 12 × 12 „
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*aṇuka* means one-fourth of a *puruṣa*, i.e. 30 *aṅgulas*; *aratni* has already been explained; *ūrvasthī* stands for one-sixth of a *puruṣa*, i.e. 20 *aṅgulas* (*puruṣasya ṣaṣṭho bhāga ūrvasthī*-Karavinda). *pāda* is a quarter; by using it with bricks of size one-fourth, one-fifth etc. of a *puruṣa*, their quarter bricks are indicated.
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**11.5-11.8.** The plan of placing bricks in the first layer is shown in Fig. 11. The number of bricks used in different parts of the fire-altar, as per explanations of the commentators, are shown in Table 3.
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Fig. 11. Arrangement of square bricks in the first layer of a *caturaśra śyenacit*; bricks in the tail in (a) due to Kapardisvāmī, in (b) due to Karavinda and in (c) due to Sundararāja.
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The direction for the placement of 8 B₄ bricks on each of the two ends of the wings and at their junctions with the body is clear. About the four corners of the body, the commentators explain that 4 B₄s should be placed at each along west-east or east-west. At the junctures, these bricks lie 6 *aṅgulas* within the body, leaving a rectangular space 228 × 120 ang² in the body (*sandhāntarāla*) to be filled by B₂ bricks and their quarters, B₅. Clearly, there can be only 9 rows of 5 B₂ bricks each,
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Table 3. *Bricks in different parts of the citi, first layer; following Kapardisvāmī, Karavindasvāmī and Sundararāja*
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| Parts of the *citi* | Kapardisvāmī | Kapardisvāmī | Karavindasvāmī | Karavindasvāmī | Sundararāja | Sundararāja |
| | Brick type | Total | Brick type | Total | Brick type | Total |
| | B₁ B₂ B₄ B₅ | | B₁ B₂ B₄ B₅ | | B₁ B₂ B₄ B₅ | |
| Body | 28 45 16 10 | 99 | 28 45 16 10 | 99 | 28 45 16 10 | 99 |
| Wings, including brick at junctions | 32 32 | 64 | 32 32 | 64 | 32 32 | 64 |
| Tail | 8 13 8 | 29 | 8 15 | 23 | 16 10 | 26 |
| Total | 68 58 48 18 | 192 | 68 60 48 10 | 186 | 76 45 48 20 | 189 |
c8.t24.9
leaving a rectangular strip which can be fitted by 10 B₅ bricks only. According to Kapardi and Karavinda, the B₅ row is to be so placed that there are 25 B₂s south of it and 20 B₂s north of it (as shown in Fig. 11 ). (*tāsaṃ dakṣiṇataḥ pañcaviṃśatiḥ pañcamabhāgīyāḥ | uttarato viṃśatiḥ |*). Sundararāja prescribes the opposite, saying that the other arrangement is also permissible. The remaining space in each wing can be filled by 16 B₁s and that in the body by 28 B₁s.
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As regards the tail, the direction in the *sūtra* being insufficient, the commentators have suggested different arrangements. Kapardi places 4 B₅s on each side at the western corner of the tail, 13 B₂s in between and above and 8 B₁s in the remaining eastern part of the tail (Fig. 11 (a)). Karavinda divides the tail in two parts filling the western part by 15 B₂s and the eastern by 8 B₁s (Fig. 11(b)). Sundararāja takes *prādeśa* to mean *prādeśakṣetra*, which can be filled by 10 B₅s (*pucchāgre yatpravṛddhaṃ prādeśakṣetraṃ tadupadadhyāt sāmarthyāddaśabhiḥ prādeśaḥ|*); the remaining space is filled by 16 B₁s. The last one appears to be straightforward.
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To complete the number 200, Sundararāja's arrangement shows a deficit of 11 bricks. From the western half of the tail 2 B₁s (one from each side) are replaced by 8 B₄s; in the eastern half, 4 B₁s in the middle are substituted by 9 B₃s. Karavinda's deficit of 14 bricks is met in the following way: 1 B₁ in the body immediately above the fifth row of bricks (in the *sandhāntarāla*) is replaced by 9 quarter B₃ bricks (that is, 10 × 10 aṅg²); 2 B₂s, one each from the western corners of the tail, are replaced by 8 B₅s. Kapardi's deficit of 8 bricks can be met by replacing 1 B₁ by 9 quarter B₃s, as in the case of Karavinda.
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**11.9-11.11.** In the arrangement of bricks in the second layer, 5 B₂ bricks are placed at the juncture between the tail and the body, half of them lying on either side. 14 B₅s are placed around the aforesaid bricks, 10 east of them and 2 on each side. The remaining space in the body can be filled with 94 bricks, thus accounting for 113 bricks in the body with the junction, of which B₂s are 99 and B₅s are 14. In each wing 30 B₂s are placed, so that there are 60 bricks in the two wings. In the tail, following Karavinda, 9 B₃ bricks are placed in the upper half immediately after the junction bricks, in three rows,—two on the sides and one in the middle.
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Fig. 12. Arrangement of square bricks in the second layer; total number of 200 bricks is shown after adjustments.
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The remaining space is filled with 12 *B*₁s. In Sundararāja's scheme, the arrangement is reversed, the *B*₃ rows appearing in the lower part of the tail.
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| Parts of the *citi* | Brick types | | | | Total |
| | *B*₁ | *B*₂ | *B*₃ | *B*₅ | |
| Body, including juncture | 16 | 69 | | 34 | 119 |
| Wings | | 60 | | | 60 |
| Tail | 12 | | 9 | | 21 |
| Total | 28 | 129 | 9 | 34 | 200 |
c8.t24.16
In this way 194 bricks are accounted for. To complete the number of 200 bricks, the following adjustments are proposed by the commentators. There are 10 rows, south-north, in the body, including bricks at the juncture. 10 *B*₂s in each of the 2nd and the 9th row are replaced by 8 *B*₁s each and 10 *B*₂s in the 6th by 20 *B*₅s, with a gain of 6 bricks to make up the deficit. The arrangement of bricks with these adjustments is shown in Fig. 12 and their distribution over various parts in Table 4.