Chapter 67 - The measures along the plumb lines (pralamba-lakṣaṇa)

1-2. The description of the measures along the plumb (lit., measuring) lines [viz., pralamba-lakṣaṇa] of all the gods and goddesses in the straight (? recumbent), erect, and the sitting postures will now be given is detail.

3-6. Equal to the length of the idol, three-fourths, and one-half of that: these are said to be the three kinds of length (of the pralamba-phalakā or the board from which the plumb lines are drawn); and its breadth should be ascertained by the same above mentioned proportions^[1]; and its thickness should be four, three, or two aṅgulas, the measurement being is the deha-labdha aṅgula (finger)^[2].

6. Such should be the features of the measuring board (pralamba-phalakā); it should be made quadrangular (lit., four cornered).

7. The pedestal (lit., seat, on which the idol is placed with the board on its head) should be made equal to that (board), and its thickness should be one standard aṅgula (i.e., three-fourths inch).

8-9. There should be fixed four, three, two, or one small pillar (post) upon the seat; and the idol should be placed between them (the board and the seat).

10-11. The height of the post (above the seat) should be one and a quarter or one and a half of the height of the idol; and the width of the post should be made by the carpenter at his own discretion.

12-13. The measuring board should be discreetly fitted to the top of the posts, and the measuring strings should be suspended from the board to the seat.

14-15. At the fore-end of the string should be tied up a ball-like plummet made of iron (metal) or stone; and the best artist should make a hole (notch) through it and then tie it up with the string.^[3]

16. Thus should all the strings be preferably fixed to the board.

17-18. They (the strings) should be suspended by the front and the back sides, the middle of the body, and the two sides: these are said to be the five strings (lines) in the erect or the sitting posture (of the idol).

19. There are known to be the seven strings with another two suspended from the two edges of the face.

20-21. (Two) strings may be also suspended by the (two) sides of the back of the head at the edges of the face: thus are said to be the nine strings (lines).

21-22. The eleven lines will be stated here; two more strings should be suspended by the two arm-pits, and there will be the eleven lines (strings).

23-24. As an alternative, one line may be drawn by the middle of the back, one by the end of the chin, four by the four sides, and four through their middle, and the fifth chief one by the centre, (thus there being eleven lines).

25-27. Otherwise, one line should be drawn by the front side passing through the middle of all (limbs), and the (tea) lines should be drawn by the two sides of the nostril (puṭa), the two ends of the face, the two arm-pita, the two eyes, and the two sides of the arms: these are said to be another (set of) eleven lines.

28-29. With regard to the sitting posture, the four strings (lines), namely, the two by the sides of the arms, and the two by the sides of the nostril should be omitted, and all the rest should be drawn.

30. The wise (sculptor) should draw the eleven lines in the erect posture (only).

31-39. The strings should be suspended (i.e., lines should be drawn) passing by the middle of the forepart of the crown of the crest jewel, and by the middle of the crown; by the middle of the root of the crown fillet, and by the middle of the forehead; by the middle of the two brows, by the middle of the nose, and by the middle of the chin; by the middle of the glottis, by the middle of the heart, below that by the middle of the navel, and similarly by the middle of the sex-organ; by the middle of the root of the two thighs, and by the middle of the two knees; by the middle of the two tubular vessels (calfs), and by the middle of the two heels; by the middle of the two soles, and by the middle of the two large toes; and likewise should be drawn the lines by the wise (sculptor) touching the belly and the forepart of the nose.

40. The distance from that (central plumb) line to the crest jewel should be twelve parts (aṅgulas).

41. The distance from that line to the root of the crown should be six parts.

42. The distance from that line to the middle of the forehead should be two parts.

43. The distance from that line to the middle of the glottis should be six parts.

44. The distance from that line to the end of the heart should be half a part.

45. The distance from that line to the limit of the navel should be one part.

46. The distance from that line to the root of the sex-organ should be three parts.

47-48. Here will be stated the distance of that line from the two lines drawn by the (two) sides of the body in the erect or the sitting posture, specially in the erect posture.

49. The distance from that line to the root of the thigh should be two parts.

50. The distance from that line to the middle of the knee should be four and a half parts.

51. The distance from that line to the middle of the two legs should be six parts.

52. The distance from that line to the end of the tubular vessel (calf) should be seven and a half parts.

53. The uniform legs should be made in the erect posture, and the body should be straightly lengthened.

54. The distance between the two largest toes should be eight parts.

55. The distance between the middle of the two soles should be six parts.

56. The distance between the middle of the two heels should be four parts.

57. The distance between the two tubular vessels should be six parts.

58. The distance between the middle of the two legs should be five parts.

59. The distance between the middle of the two knees should be four parts.

60. The distance between the middle of the two thighs should be two parts.

61. The distance between the root of the two thighs should be one part.

62. The two hands should be kept hanging (straight downwards); their distance (from the body) is stated here.

63. The distance of the buttocks by the side of the elbows should be six parts.

64-65. The distance from the forearms by the hips should be three parts, or it may be two parts, and by the wrist ton parts.

66. The distance between the middle fingers by the side (pārśva) should be ten parts.

67. Thus should be the measurement of gods and goddesses in the erect or the sitting posture.

68. The upper body should be made uniform when it (the idol) is placed on a broad lotus seat.

69. From the (two) knees upwards to the hair (on the head) it should be an equilateral triangle.

70. The outer side of the arm should be uniform (lit., measured equal) to the outer side of the knee.

71. Both the two arms and the two knees should be measured left and right.

72. The distance from the sex-organ to the eye of the ankle should be six parts.

73. The distance between the buttocks and the side of the elbows should be six parts.

74. The five (fingers) on the forepart of the palm rising with the forearm should be placed on the shoulders.

75. If it (the idol) be in a half-sitting posture, one leg should be kept hanging.

76. On the side of that (hanging) knee its distance should be two or three aṅgulas less.

77. The distance from that (central plumb) line to the forepart of the hanging leg should be twelve parts.

78. Thus is described that (half) sitting posture of all gods and goddesses,

79. The (plumb) lines should be drawn by the front, the middle, and the back.

80. They should be (also drawn) by the middle of the forepart and root of the crown.

81. They should be drawn by the middle of the hump and the middle of the backbone.

82. (They should be drawn) by the middle of the two buttocks and the two thighs.

83. They should be drawn also by the middle of the back of two knees, and by the middle of the two heels.

84. These are the principal lines; the side lines will be stated here.

85. (They should be drawn) by the middle of the hole of the two ears, and by the middle of the side of the body

86. The side lines should be also drawn by the middle of the ankle.

87-88. They should be drawn by the outer side of the sex-organ, by the middle of the nipple of the breasts, and by the middle of the thighs, the knees, and the forefingers,

89. (The distance) from the line of the arm-pit to the side of the hip should be eight parts.

90. They (those) lines should be drawn by the side of the hip of the female deities to the little toes.

91. They should be drawn by the outside or the middle of the hip[?], and the side of the nostril.

92. These are the working (practical) lines which should be drawn by the beat artist.

93. The lines by the sides of the two hands should be drawn by the side of the knees.

94-95. The whole body should be made vertically erect, and this disposition should be maintained on the front, the back (and the sides); the erect attitude (of the body) should be common (to all the limbs).

96. The measurement according to the poses of all gods and goddesses will be stated here.

97. The ābhaṅga (a little bent), the samabhaṅga (equipoised), and the atibhaṅga (greatly bent): these are the three poses.^[4]

98. Three, four and five parts: these should be the (three) respective heights (of idols in the aforesaid poses).

99-102. The (plumb) lines should be drawn by the middle of the crown, and by the middle of the forehead, by the middle of the tip of the nose, and by the middle of the Bide of the glottis, by the middle of the nipple and the side of the navel, as aforesaid, and by the middle of the side of the thigh and of the ankle as said before.

103. These should be the plumb lines in the ābhaṅga pose; the plumb lines of the samabhaṅga pose will be stated below.

104-107. The plumb lines should be drawn by (the middle of) the side of the crown and the side of the forehead; by the side of the nostril and the middle of the nipple of the breasts; by the (middle of the) side of the navel, the thigh, the leg, and the ankle as said before: thus should be drawn the plumb lines; this is known to be in the samabhaṅga pose.

108-109. The (plumb) lines should be drawn in the atibhaṅga pose by the front aide of the crown, the middle of the eye, the side of the breast, the middle of the thighs, the knees and the legs.

110. The distance between the two eyes of the ankles in that (ābhaṅga) pose should be three parts.

111. The distance between the two knees should be discreetly made eight parts.

112. The distance between the root of the two thighs should be two and a half parts.

113. The distance between the tip of the two largest toes should be twelve parts.

114. The measures of the interspace in the ābhaṅga pose are thus described; those of the samabhaṅga pose will be stated here (below).

115. The distance between the two largest toes should be sixteen parts.

116. The distance between the two heels should be lour parts, and between the two kuees ten parts.

117. The distance between the two thighs at the root should be one part.

118. Those are the measures in the samabhaṅga pose; the measures in the atibhaṅga pose will be stated here (below).

119-120. The distance between the two heels should be five parts, and the distance at the lip of the two largest toes, that is, between the middle of those two, should be twenty parts.

121. The distance between the two knees should be twelve parts.

122. The distance between the two thighs at the root should be two and a half parts.

123. These are the measures in the atibhaṅga pose; all these should be discreetly made.

124. The measurement of the distance from the plumb line in the tribhaṅga (three bent) pose is likewise stated.

125. The distance from that (plumb) line to the forehead should be two parts.

126. The distance from that line to the knee should be six parts.

127. The distance from that line to the heart should be one part.

128. The distance from that line to the limit of the navel should be one and a half parts.

129. The distance from that line to the limit of the sex-organ should be three parts.

130. The distance from that line to the middle of the thigh should be two parts.

131. The distance from that line to the end of the knee should be six parts.

132-133. The distance of that line from the end of the tubular vessel should be eight parts; the sculptor (vardhaki) should make this between the two lying feet.

134. The plumb line should touch the tip of the nose and the (middle) part of the belly.

135. As an alternative the distance at the belly part of the female deities may be one part.

136-137. The distance of the right hand of the female deities up to the breast, the edge of the hip (zone), and ending at the largest toe should be four parts.

188. The distance between the buttocks and the elbows in that (tribhaṅga) pose should be six parts.

139. The distance between the hand when kept hanging from the shoulders should be as said before.

140. They should be furnished with their special marks, complexions, and ornaments.

141-142. For all the architectural objects (buildings), images and idols, etc., should be made as prescribed; this would bring forth all prosperity, fruition, success (lit., salvation), and other fruits.

143. It is dangerous to do the reverse through ignorance, with regard to anything concerning the architectural and the sculptural objects.

144. The learned artist should, therefore, be careful to avoid (any mistake), and to do all things as said before.

145-148. All the architectural and the sculptural objects, such as temples (edifice, harmya), courts (prakāra), pavilions (maṇḍapa), mansions (śālā), royal palaces, phalli (of Śiva) and idols of gods and others should be made as said before for the sake of prosperity.

Thus in the Mānasāra, the science of architecture, the sixty-seventh chapter, in the sculptural section, entitled: “The description of measures along the plumb lines.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

That is, the breadth should be equal to, three-fourths or one-half of the length.

[2]:

One of the equal parts into which the whole length of the idol or the master is divided, see Chapter LXIV, 52-55, p. 603.

[3]:

Compare Rao, Hindu Iconography, Vol. I. Appendix B, pages 29-32, where the substance of the details from one or more unspecified Āgamas are given without any attempt at translating the technical terms referring to the plumb lines which seem to be seven in number.

See also Coomnraswamy, Mediaeval Sinhalese Art, pages 151-152, 156 where, in referring be a recent text, Sāriputra, the author himself confesses “I do not give the text and translation of the Sāriputra in fall...... The parts of the translation omitted are...... some of the more minute measurements, and some of the verses of which the exact meaning is not clear.” Herein also reference seems to have been made only to seven plumb lines.

In the present text, it should be noticed, minute details and measurements are given in regard to as many as eleven plumb lines in each of the four poses, namely, samabhaṅga, ābhaṅga, atibhaṅga, and tribhaṅga, each being again in the three postures, namely, sthānaka (erect), āsana (seated), and sayana [śayana?] (recumbent).

[4]:

Cf. The Tribhaṅga (bent in three places) pose which is mentioned later (line 124); for fuller details see the writer’s Dictionary, pages 446-447.