(v,11) Vāstu in the Śilpa-texts

Lastly though never least in importance, let us take up the architectural-proper treatises on the subject—the Vāstuśāstras and Śilpaśāstras. Why have I reserved them in the last is not very difficult to understand. So far we have been dealing with that class of literature which is only indirectly related to architectural subjects. They, therefore, as it were, formed the Pūrvapakṣa. The Śilpaśāstras, the systematised manuals of the science are the canonical books of art. Moreover, it is to inter-link this chapter to the subsequent one ‘Principal texts of Hindu science of Architecture’ that some notice of this class of literature is being taken here forming the highest peak of the edifice of the evolution and development of the history of Hindu Science of Architecture.

We have already said something of the Vāstu-ācāryas, They had their works, most of which are lost to us. Nevertheless, there is a formidable list of this class of literature also which is our proudest possession and a scientific study of some of them was a long dessideratum. The present writer accordingly started his study of Vāstu śāstra with ‘A study of Bhoja’s Samarāṅgaṇa-Sūtradhāra’ the results of which were presented in his Ph.D. Thesis, acclaimed as a poineering attempt—vide the introduction to this work. In this extended study I have tried to study some of the most representative text books belonging to both the schools of Hindu Science of Architecture—vide the subsquent chapter ‘Representative or Principal texts of the Hindu Science of Architecture’. They are, besides the Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra, the Viśvakarma-Vāstuśāstra (recently published from Tanjore), the Aparājitapṛcchā, the Mānasāra, the Mayamata and the Śilparatna. In the compilation of the Vāstu-lakṣaṇas—a systematic presentation of the original material under scientific heading of art drawn from some leading and more popular texts however, I have tried to study practically all the easily available texts. Thus a kind of presentation of all these texts, is already there. A casual review of all these texts however, is called for, for more informative an analysis.

Let us first tabulate the more popular and important works of Vāstu or Śilpa Śāstra. Let us take those belonging to the Viśvakarmā or Nāgara school of Hindu architecture:

1. Viśvakarma-Śilpa
2. Viśvakarma-Prakāśa
3. Viśvakarma-Vāstuśāstra.
4. Sanat-Kumāra-Vāstuśāstra
5. Samarāṅgaṇa-sūtradhāra
6. Yukti-kalpataru
7. Aparājita-pṛcchā
8. Vāsturāja-vallabha
9. Prāsāda-maṇḍana
10. Rūpa-maṇḍana
11. Rajasiṃha-Vāstuśāstra
12. Bhuvana-pradīpa
13. Bṛhacchilpa-śāstra
14. Mānasollāsa
15. Manuṣyālaya-candrikā
16. Vāstu-Vidyā
17. Vāstu-ratnāvalī
18. Paurāṇika-Vāstuśāntiprayoga
19. Vāstu-muktāvalī
20. Vāstusaṃgraha
21. Vāstusāra (in Prākṛta)

N.B.—The following 14 books are also attributed to Viśvakarmā in the catalogus catalogorum of Dr. T. Aufrecht:

1. Aparājita-pṛcchā by Bhuvanadeva
2. Kṣīrārṇava-śilpa of Viśvakarman
3. Jaya-pṛcchā
4. Vāstuśāstra
5. Viśvakarma-mata
6. Aparājita-prabhā or Viśvakarma-saṃhitā
7. Āyatattva
8. Jñānaratna-koṣa
9. Vāstu-prakāśa
10. Vāstu-vidhi
11. Vāstuśāstra
12. Vāstusaṃgraha
13. Vāstu-samuccaya
14. Viśvakarmīya

N.B.—Dr. Acharya has, however, presented a Catalogue of about 150 Vāstu-texts in his Encyclopaedia, most of which are partial treatises dealing with one or two subjects of architecture or sculpture and hence they may be left out.

As regards the Maya school or Dravida school these are the principal Śilpa-texts:

1. Mānasāra
2. Mayamata
3. Nagnajit-Citralakṣaṇa
4. Kāśyapa Śilpa
5. Agastya-Sakalādhikāra
6. Vāstu-puruṣa-vidhāna (Nārada)
7. Prayoga-mañjarī
8. Prayoga-pārijāta
9. Śilparatna
10. Śilpa-saṅgraha
11. Śukranītisāra
12. Tantra-samuccaya

It is not desirable to review all these works. A few remarks, however, are necessary. Some of these texts are very important for the mention of early authorities. In this respect Vāsturatnāvalī though a later work, is very informative. At first sight the names of 18 preceptors mentioned in the Matsya-purāṇa seem mythical; but the truth is otherwise While the Viśvakarma-prakāśa and Mayamata only refer to Śambhu as a great authority, the Vāsturatnāvalī actually quotes a passage from Śambhu’s works. A book named Brāhma-śilpa is quoted in Śilpasaṅgraha. Bhattotpala quotes a verse from the work of Śukra and Nagnajit. Vāsturatnāvalī again quotes verses from the writings of so many Ācāryas enumerated in the Matsya-purāṇa—Bhṛgu, Vaśiṣṭha [Vasiṣṭha?] etc. Garga’s work was available to Varāhāmihira. Similarly so many other examples can be multiplied.

Secondly some of these books are mainly copies of the more standard books. For example, Śilparatna freely takes from Mayamata and Maṇḍana’s works are repetitions of the Aparājita-pṛcchā at many places.