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Chapter 1

Classical Canons & Sanskrit Treatises

The Vāstu reference reads texts from the south (the Mayamata, the Mānasāra, the Kerala Manuṣyālaya Candrikā) and from the north and centre of the subcontinent (the Bṛhat Saṃhitā, the Viśvakarma Prakāśa, the Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra). Where they agree the pages say so, and where they disagree they say that too. Below is each treatise with the edition and translator a citation on these pages was checked against, because a verse number means nothing without the edition it counts in.

Bṛhat SaṃhitāCh. 52 (Kern's numbering; 53 in Sastri–Bhat), v. 49
A · Canonical text

आपस् तथापवत्सः पर्जन्यो ऽग्निर् दितिश् च वर्गो ऽयम् । एवं कोणे कोणे पदिकाः स्युः पञ्च पञ्च सुराः ॥

āpas tathāpavatsaḥ parjanyo 'gnir ditiś ca vargo 'yam | evaṃ koṇe koṇe padikāḥ syuḥ pañca pañca surāḥ ||

Translation:Āpa, Āpavatsa, Parjanya, Agni and Diti make this group. So in each corner there are five deities, each holding one pada.
Note: A plain rendering. It is the corner group of the 81-pada grid: with Brahmā's nine padas, the cardinals' three each, twenty padika deities and forty of two padas, the count is 9 + 12 + 20 + 40 = 81 (Kern's 52.46–50; Sastri–Bhat 53.49–50).

The treatises

  • Bṛhat Saṃhitā

    Credited to Varāhamihira · c. 6th Century CE · Astronomical & Spatial Canon

    Comprehensive Sanskrit encyclopedia covering celestial mechanics, planetary transits, architecture (Vāstuvidyā Ch. 53), arboriculture (Vṛkṣāyurveda Ch. 54), iconography, and hydrology.

    Editions the citations were checked against

    • Sanskrit e-text after Yano and Sugita, chapter 52 (sanskritdocuments.org)
    • Translation by N. Chidambaram Iyer, 1884, chapter 53 (wisdomlib.org)
    • Translation by V. Subrahmanya Sastri and M. Ramakrishna Bhat, 1946 (archive.org)

    The house chapter is 52 in Kern's edition and the Yano–Sugita e-text, and 53 in Iyer (1884) and Sastri–Bhat (1946). Verse numbers on these pages are Kern's; Sastri–Bhat's are given beside them.

    Chapters the catalogue lists (numbering not checked against an edition)
    • 53. Vāstuvidyā (Architecture & Urban Planning) — Mandala 64/81 Pada, Soil testing, Doorway padas, Timber selection
    • 54. Udakārgala (Groundwater Exploration & Springs) — Termite mound indicators, Plant hydrological signatures, Borewell divination
    • 55. Vṛkṣāyurveda (Horticulture & Arboriculture) — Directional tree plantation, Grafting, Plant disease remedies

  • Mayamata

    Credited to Maya (Attributed to Sage Mayāsura) · c. 9th–11th Century CE · Dravidian Sthāpatya Veda

    The authoritative architectural manual of southern Indian tradition detailing site selection, Ayadi formulas, town planning, multi-storey palaces (Gopuras, Vimānas), and domestic residences.

    Editions the citations were checked against

    • Sanskrit with a Hindi commentary, edited by Shailaja Pandey (archive.org)
    • Translation into French by Bruno Dagens (archive.org)
    Chapters the catalogue lists (numbering not checked against an edition)
    • 3. Bhūmi-parīkṣā (Site Examination) — Soil grades, Gomukha gradients, Slope drainage
    • 9. Āyādi-lakṣaṇa (Mathematical Proportions) — Aaya, Vyaya, Yoni, Ayu formulas, Hasta measurements
    • 26. Dvāra-vinyāsa (Doorway & Gateway Placement) — 32 perimeter padas, Benefic and malefic doorways

  • Mānasāra Vāstu Śāstra

    Credited to Sage Mānasāra · c. 5th–7th Century CE · Classical Sthāpatya Veda

    The most exhaustive treatise on ancient Indian architecture and sculpture, comprising 70 adhyāyas (chapters) from foundational geometry to temple construction.

    Editions the citations were checked against

    • Translation by P.K. Acharya, chapters 2, 7 and 9 (wisdomlib.org)
    • P.K. Acharya, Dictionary of Hindu Architecture, for the entries on the aṅgula and the ṣaḍvarga (archive.org)
    Chapters the catalogue lists (numbering not checked against an edition)
    • 7. Vāstupuruṣa-maṇḍala (Cosmic Grid Layout) — Paramasāyika 81-grid, Manduka 64-grid, Brahmasthan
    • 12. Grāma-nagara-vinyāsa (City & Village Planning) — Dandaka, Sarvatobhadra, Nandyavarta grid patterns
    • 35. Harmya-vinyāsa (Multi-Storey Mansions) — 1 to 12 storey vertical proportions, Wall load distributions

  • Viśvakarma Prakāśa

    Credited to Viśvakarmā (The Divine Architect) · c. 10th Century CE · Nāgara & Domestic Vāstu

    Primary handbook for residential home construction, auspicious muhurtas, Griha Pravesh rituals, room-by-room directional allocations, and elemental dosha remedies.

    Editions the citations were checked against

    • Hindi edition with the Sanskrit (archive.org)
    Chapters the catalogue lists (numbering not checked against an edition)
    • 1. Vāstu-lakṣaṇa & Bhūmi-grahaṇa — Land acquisition, Soil testing, Sankalpa
    • 2. Śilā-nyāsa (Foundation Stone Laying) — Muhurta selection, Gemstone foundation placement
    • 5. Gṛha-koṇa-vinyāsa (Room Allocations) — Kitchen in SE, Pooja in NE, Master Bed in SW, Sanitation in SSW

  • Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra

    Credited to King Bhoja of Dhārā · c. 11th Century CE (1010–1055 CE) · Royal Architecture & Mechanical Engineering (Yantra-vidyā)

    Masterwork comprising 83 chapters detailing royal palaces, town planning, structural mechanics, acoustic mandapas, and mechanical automata.

    Editions the citations were checked against

    • Sanskrit text in the Gaekwad's Oriental Series (archive.org)
    • Translation by S.K. Sharma, 2012 (archive.org)
    Chapters the catalogue lists (numbering not checked against an edition)
    • 31. Yantra-vidhāna (Mechanical Automata & Robotics) — Hydraulic lifts, Astronomical clocks, Kinetic devices
    • 38. Brahmasthāna-rakṣaṇa & Marma-sthānāni — The marma-sthānas: points of the site plan kept free of walls and columns, Load avoidance
    • 42. Harmya-bhūṣaṇa (Interior Decoration & Aesthetics) — Color harmony, Wall paintings, Ventilation

Other texts the citations use

Beyond the catalogue, the room-placement statements cite two more texts.

  • Matsya Purāṇa

    • Chapters 253 and 256, translated by a 'Taluqdar of Oudh', Sacred Books of the Hindus, 1917 (archive.org)

  • Manuṣyālaya Candrikā

    • Sanskrit with a Hindi commentary (archive.org)
    • Kannada translation and commentary, 2001 (archive.org)

The canon in detail

5 chapters

Every classical statement on these pages carries its verse, and a remark about outcomes is reported as what the text says — traditionally read as — and never as a prediction.