Chapter 51 - The Triad (trimūrti: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa/Śiva)

1. The characteristic features of (the images of) Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa (i.e., Śiva) will be described now.

2-4. Gold, silver, copper, atone, wood, stucco (sudhā), grit (śarkara, sugar, gravel soil abounding in stony fragments), glass (ābhāsa), and terra-cotta (lit., earth): with these nine kinds of materials, consisting of three in each of the three varieties, namely, the best, etc., (i.e., the intermediate, and the inferior)^[1] should be made the images.

6-7. Both the movable and the stationary images should be made with these nine materials: (of these) the metallic substances (i.e., gold, silver and copper), as well as stucco, grit, glass, and terra-cotta are stated to be the materials for the movable images; and the rest (i.e., stone and wood) are known to be for the immovable images.

8-12. The citrāṅga, the ardhacitrāṅga and the ābhāsāṅga: these are said to be the three kinds (of images): that of which all the limbs are (made) visible is called the citra (high relief); that of which half the limbs are visible is called the ardhacitra (middle relief); and that of which one-quarter limbs are visible is called the ābhāsa (low relief or bas-relief); but the ābhāsa may be otherwise made (painted) on a tablet or a wall with five colours^[2].

13-14. What is (called) the citra (high relief) is stated to be the best, the ardhacitra (middle relief) is fair, and the ābhāsa (bas-relief) inferior: thus should be always made (the images).

16-16. It has been said by God himself that the high relief is meant for all successes (i.e., spiritual benefit, worldly gain, enjoyment, and salvation), the middle relief for enjoyment and salvation, and the low relief for success in enjoyment (only).

17. The stationary and the movable: these are stated to be the various (two) kinds of idols.

18. The movable idols should be used on some festive occasion; (while) the stationary ones may be used for all purposes if so desired^[3].

19. It is good to use for idols the metallic substances (i.e., gold silver, and copper) and for the pedestal (seat, pīṭha) glass (ābhāsa).

20-21. These are said to be the usual (lit., perpetual) materials for all idols of the Vaiṣṇava and the other system (i e., Śaiva, etc.) in the erect, sitting, recumbent, and dancing postures.

22. Of those (nine) materials the idols and their (respective) pedestals should be made of different materials.

23. When the idols are made in the erect, sitting, or recumbent posture their pedestals should be separable and made of stone.

24. (But) when) made of stucco, terra-cotta and. flanked grit all (the idols and their pedestals) should be made inseparable.

25. The materials of the idols (and pedestals) are thus described. The description (dhyāna) of the images (mūrti) will be stated (now).

26. It (the image of Brahmā) should have four arms, four faces, two legs, and eight eyes.

27. It should be furnished with eight ears, and the body should be of one (symmetrical) form.

28. The limbs should be measured in the largest type of the daśatāla system^[4].

29. It should be (made) in the erect or sitting posture, and clothed in bark.

30. The hands should be in the boon-giving and the refuge-offering poses, and it (the image) should be adorned with matted hair and the diadem.

31-32. The water pot (kuṇḍikā) and the rosary should be held in his two left hands; and the two right hands should either hold sacrificial ladles (sruk-sruva), or be in the refuge-offering and the boon-giving poses.

33. The flower or the ear-rings marked with the crocodile (makara) should be put on the two ears.

34. There should be put on the sacred thread, the upper garment etc., and a belt all round the belly.

35. It should be adorned with the chain put over the upper neck, and with garlands round the arms.

36-37. It should also be adorned with the armlets, keyūra, and kaṭaka, etc., and the wristlets (maṇibandha); and there should be three armlets (kaṭaka) including the one round the arm (nalaka).

38. There should be the chain, etc., and the plates for the hip, and the loin-cloth connected with the thighs (calana, lit., leg).

39. The jewel rings should be on the (fingers of the) two hands, and the net ornament of precious stone on the feet.

40. The tilaka (point) mark of circular shape should be on the forehead made with the sandal and the agaru fragrance.

41. The whole body should be of gold colour, and the bark strip should be put cm up to the arm (nalaka).

42-43. The Śaktis (energy personified, consorts) should be on the two sides, Sarasvatī being on the right and Sāvitrī on the left, and it should be adorned with all ornaments

44. Thus is described the image of Brahmā (lit., the Grandfather): the wise (architect) conversant with the science (of sculpture) should make (the image, accordingly).

45. It (the image of Viṣṇu) should be furnished with four arms, two eyes, and the crowns known as the kirīṭa and the makuṭa^[5].

46. It should put on yellow clothes, and the whole body should be given the bright blue complexion.

47. Some marks should be made all over the chest and above those should be made the Śrīvatsa mark.

48. The limbs should be measured in the largest type of the daśatāla system^[6].

49. It should hold a martial weapon (kaṭaka), or the club optionally touching the ground.

50-52. The upper one of the two left hands should be optionally in the boon-giving pose, and the upper one of the two right hands in the refuge-offering pose, and the other right hand should hold the disc (cakra), and the other left hand should hold the conch-shell (pāñcajanya).

53. The ear-leaf (karṇapatra) should fully cover the ear, and the crocodile-shaped ear-rings should be also put on the ears.

54. It should be adorned with a smiling face, a straight nose, and elongated eyes.

55. It should put on a chain over the neck, and also the sacred thread and the upper garment.

56. There should be a jewel belt round the belly, and the arms should be adorned with garlands.

57. It should put on lower armlets, belt round the waist, upper armlets, and the ear-ornaments (pūrita) made of precious stones.

58. The fingers should be adorned with rings of precious stones, and the net-ornaments should be put on the feet.

69. The suspending yellow clothes should reach the thigh or the knee.

60. The nimbus (śiraścakra, lit., head-disc) should be put at the back of the head, and all the limbs should be gracefully ornamented.

61. The beautiful wild flower garland should extend down to the two legs.

62-64. Thus should be made the image of Viṣṇu (proper); it should be accompanied by the consorts (Śaktis) on the two sides; (the images of) Lakṣmī (Śrī) and the Earth goddess (Bhūmi) should be optionally on the right or left when they are made in the stationary or the moving pose; they may be carved in the erect or sitting posture (also).

65. It (the image of Śiva) should be furnished with four arms, three eyes, and be adorned with the matted hair and the makuṭa crown.

66. It should be decorated with the tiger’s skin cloth above the knee and thigh.

67. It should be decorated with a piece of suspending cloth round the waist, and the body should be beautifully red in complexion.

68. It should put on a chain over the neck hanging down to the chest, and there should be a suspending garland round the forehead.

69-70. There should be a jewel belt of the elephant’s cheek pattern (karaṭa), or a very tight (rudra, terrible) belt (? around the waist); and a leaf ornament, or plain belt, or jewel belt round the belly.

71. It should be decorated with the lower armlet, a hip-chain, the upper armlet (keyūra), and the ear-ornaments (pūrima).

72. The root of the arms should be decorated with garlands and with all (other) ornaments.

73. The long leaf-ornament should be on the left ear and the crocodile ear-ring on the other (i.e., right) ear.

74-75. The upper right hand should be in the ref age-offering pose, and the upper left hand in the boon-giving pose; the other left and right bands should hold the antelope (hariṇa) and the hand-drum (draṅka) respectively.

76 -77. The left side of the makuṭa crown should be furnished with the (crescent) moon-mark and the right side with the sun flower; the (figures of) serpents and the Ganges should be between the matted hairs.

78. In the interspaces of the crown should be the (mark of) grass (dūrvā), gold vermilion, and the lotus (puṣkara).

79. The face should be furnished with one eye in the middle of the forehead.

80. The kālakūṭa (poison) should be shown on the left side of the neck.

81. There should be the sacred thread and the upper garment, and the fingers should be adorned with rings of precious stones.

82. It (the image) should be in the erect or the sitting posture, and the feet should be adorned with anklets.

83. Thus should be the image of Rudra which should be accompanied by (the image of) Pārvatī on the left side.

84. The limbs should be measured in the. largest type of the daśatāla system.

85. The limbs of all the goddesses (of those gods) should be measured in the intermediate type of the daśatāla system.

86-87. The lotus seat (padmapīṭha) and the Mahāpīṭha type of pedestals^[7] should be made for the (three images of the) Triad; they (the pedestals) should be furnished with ornamental sheds or arches, and with the ornamental (kalpa) tree^[8].

88. Thus should be made the pedestals for the images of Rudra and Viṣṇu according to rules.

89. The three gods should be carved (lit. meditated on) as adorned with all ornaments.

90. Whatever of all those (gods) are not mentioned here should be made according to the rules of the science (śāstra) of sculpture.

91-94. As has been said by great sages, the artists should make the stationary or movable images of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Siva together with all the limbs in the largest type of the daśatāla measurement.

Thus in the Mānasāra, the science of architecture, the fifty-first chapter, entitled: “The description of the Triad.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A critic (Dr. Coomaraswamy) whatever might be bis other accomplishments cannot obviously claim much knowledge of Sanskrit language and an intelligent study of the architectural texts when he challenges (J. A. O. S. 48, no. 3, page 251) that ābhāsa is not used here as a material. In support of his contention be cites Śrī Kumāra Śilparatna (LXIV, 2-6, Ashutosh Mookerjee Memorial volume) and Rao’s interpretation (Elements of Hindu Iconography 1, 52) of the Suprabhedāgama’s use of ābhāsa as a method. It is needless to add that those who know Sanskrit will agree that in the present context ābhāsa cannot mean any thing but one of the nine material so distinctly mentioned elsewhere also (compare LII.15-16). Ābhāsa must not be confused with citrābhāsa which latter implies painting as in line 12 (and chapter LVI.15) as also in Śilparatna, chapter LXIV. 4-5 (see note under lines 8-12), (For details of sculptural materials referred to in a dozen early authorities, see the writer’s Dictionary, pages 63-67)

[2]:

Compare Śilparatna (LXIV 3-4) where the reliefs are defined, but this work which is a summary of the Mānasāra has altogether omitted the alternative use of ābhāsa as low relief and elaborated the details of painting only.

[3]:

With an amended reading this line may mean that the best kinds of materials should be used for the movable idols and all kinds for the stationary ones (for different meanings of utsava see the writer’s Dictionary, pages 80-81.)

[4]:

In this system the whole length of an image should be ten times the length of its head including the face; the total length is divided into 124, 120, or 116 equal parts in the large, intermediate, and small sizes, which are proportionately distributed over the different parts of the body, (for details see chapter LXV, and the writer’s Dictionary, pages 221-222, 228-240).

[5]:

For details see chapter XLIX.

[6]:

See note under line 28.

[7]:

For details see chapter XIII.

[8]:

For details see chapter (XXXIV, XLVI), XLVIII.