वास्तुमण्डलम्The maṇḍala of Vāstu
Verse 47
वेद्यां वा समदेशे वा शस्ताद्भिरुपलेपिते । वाय्वीशकोणयोर्मध्ये हस्तमात्रप्रमाणतः ॥ ४७ ॥
vēdyāṁ vā samadēśē vā śastādbhirupalēpitē | vāyvīśakōṇayōrmadhyē hastamātrapramāṇataḥ || 47 ||
Translation
On an altar or on level ground smeared with clean water, between the north-west and the north-east corners, a cubit in length,
Word by word
- vēdyāṁ
- on an altar
- vā
- or
- sama
- level
- dēśē
- on ground
- śasta
- clean
- adbhiḥ
- (adbhiḥ) with water
- upalēpitē
- smeared
- vāyu
- (vāyu) the north-west
- īśa
- and north-east
- kōṇayōḥ
- (koṇayoḥ) of the corners
- madhyē
- between
- hasta
- a cubit
- mātra
- only
- pramāṇataḥ
- (pramāṇataḥ) in length
Meaning
The square is laid out by the corners of the compass, each named after its guardian: vāyu (north-west), īśa (north-east), agni (south-east), nairṛta (south-west). The commentary takes verses 47-49 together: four lines, each a cubit long, from north-west to north-east, north-east to south-east, south-east to south-west and south-west back to north-west, make one square.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
For the worship of Vāstu he tells the maṇḍala itself, with "vedyām vā" and the rest. On an altar, or on level ground smeared with excellent (śasta, approved) water, between the north-west and north-east corners (vāyu and īśa), by the method of laying down a cord (sūtrapāta), he should make one line a cubit long. In the same way, beginning from the north-east (īśāna) corner, he should draw another line as far as the south-east (agni) corner. In the same way, beginning from the south-east corner as far as the south-west (nairṛta) corner, and beginning from the south-west corner as far as the north-west (vāyu) corner, drawing two lines in turn, by this method he should draw one four-cornered maṇḍala.