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INTRODUCTION.
VASTU SĀSTRA'THE SCIENCE OF HABITATIONS.
Vistu' is derived from the verb 777 (Vas) to dwell. There is another definition of Vüstı, from · Vastu' which means also the place of residence. It is extended from resi. dential quarters to conveyances and furniture. Vastu is therefore divided into four kinds, namely, the ground, the mansion, the vehicle and the bed-stead. The principal 'vastu' or 'vūstu' is of course the ground. The others have been included as they rest upon the ground and are also used for resting upon. The Science is also called Silpa Süstra or “The Science of artistic creation. Silpa is derived from Sill= to concentrate (Sila samudhau). It includes all artistic creations first conceived by the mind and then executed by the hand. The name' Vastu Săstra' emphasises the idea of utility and Silpa the idea of artistic creation. Viswakarma and Maya who are respectively the Sthapatis (Architects. Engineers - Sculptors - Painters of Divas and Asuras deal with the science of Vastu on parallel lines and their treatises contain all the branches of the subject with slight differences in the arrangement of the topics. But whereas Mava's trea. tise is intact in a single book named Maya matam; Viswa. karma's treatise has come down to us in a number of manuals each laying special emphasis on particular topics. We have thus a bout a dozen books each named after Viswakarma, each differing from the other in its contents. The text that we have taken up for publication is the biggest manual of all and it lays special emphasis on Architecture or planning cities, towns and villages, houses, mansions, palaces and temples, mentioning the other topics by the way.
THE AUSPICIOUS TIME Our text begins with the selection of the auspicious time while the Mayamata begins with the selection of the Bite.