Chapter 59 - The images of Devotees (bhakta-lakṣaṇa)

1. The characteristic features of all the devotees [viz., bhakta-lakṣaṇa] will now be described in order.

2. They are divided into four classes, and should be accordingly measured.

3-4. The first class (of devotees) are called the Sālokya (who reside in the same place as God), the second the Sāmīpya (who reside in the neighbourhood of God), the third the Sārūpya (who are in close resemblance or identity with God), and the fourth the Sāyujya (who are in intimate union with God).

5. The sālokya state is said to be attained by a combination of devotion (attachment), knowledge, and renunciation (i.e., absence of worldly desire).

6. The sāmīpya state is said to be attained through the combi nation of knowledge and renunciation.

7. The sārūpya state can be attained only through the meditation (on God).

8. And the sāyujya state which is the chief object of life is based on the true knowledge (about God).

9. The limbs of the Sālokya class of devotees should be measured in the largest type of the nine tāla system.

10. The limbs of the Sāmīpya class of devotees should be measured in the smallest type of the ten tāla system.

11. The wise (sculptor) should measure the Sārūpya class of devotees in the intermediate type of the ten tāla system.

12. The Sāyujya class of devotees are said by the wise to be measured in the largest type of the ten tāla system.

18. The tāla measurement of the devotees will be described in this order.

14. The whole length from the crown to the foot should be divided into one hundred and twelve (bhāva) parts^[1].

15. The crown (head proper) should be four mātras (parts) and the distance down to the eye four aṅgulas (parts).

16. The distance down to the nose (puṭa, nostril) should be four mātras (parts) and equal to that the distance therefrom down to the chin.

17-19. The height of the neck should be four mātras (parts). The distances from the neck (bhadra) to the heart, from the heart to the navel, and from the navel to the sex organ should be twelve parts each. The length of the thigh should be twice the face (i.e. twenty-four parts).

20. The knee-cap should be made equal to the neck (i.e., four parts), and the lag equal to the thigh (i.e., twenty-four parts).

21. The foot should be equal to the knee-cap (i.e., four parts) in height (length): thus should be measured the height (in the large type of the nine tāla system).

22. The sole from the largest toe to the heel should be of sixteen mātras (parts).

23. The length of the arm should be preferably twenty-four mātras (parts).

24. The elbow should be two mātras (parts) and the forearm eighteen aṅgulas (parts).

25. Thence the palm up to the tip of the middle finger should be twelve mātras (parts).

26. The breadth of the face should be eleven parts (aṃśa), and the width of the neck eight parts.

27. Equal to that (i.e., eight parts) should be the width round the root of the arm, and the width of the knee-cap equal to that.

28. The breadth (width) up to (i.e., round) the arm should be thirty-six aṅgulas (parts).

29. The breadth (of the chest) from one armpit to the other should be preferably twenty parts.

30. The breadth at the middle belly should be fifteen parts.

31. The width round the buttocks should be seventeen parts.

32. The width round the loins should be nineteen parts.

33. The width at the root of the thigh should be twelve and a half parts.

34. The width at the root of the leg should be seven and a half parts.

35. The middle of the leg should be six parts, and the width four parts.

36. The width of the ankle at the root of the knee tube should be one and three-fourths times the foot.

37. The breadth of the heel is stated to be four and a half parts.

38. The breadth of the toes (lit., extended foot, prapada) should be five-sixths part.

39. The breadth of the palm should be five aṅgulas (parts), and the length of the thumb four parts.

40. The width thereof (of the thumb) should be two parts, and a half of that width should be the breadth of the nail.

41. The length of the fore-finger should be equal to the thumb in length, and the width thereof should be one part.

42-43. Three parts, two parts and a half, and two parts should be the preferable length of the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger respectively.

44. Their respective width is said to be seven, six, and five yavas (i.e., seven-eighths, six-eighths and five-eighths parts).

45. The breadth of the nails is said to be a half of the breadth of the respective fingers.

46. The width of the arm at the middle should be seven parts, and the elbow should be the same.

47. The (width of the) forearm should be four parts and of the wrist-joint three parts.

48. The breadth of the palm should be six parts at the root, and four parts at the top.

49. The length of the palm should be six parts, and the remainder the middle finger.

50. Five and a half parts should be the length of the two fingers, the forefinger and the ring-finger.

51. The length of the little finger and the thumb should be three and a half parts.

52-53. Oue part (i.e., eight yavas), six, seven, six, and four yavas: these are said to be the width of the five fingers from the thumb to the little fiuger respectively.

54. They (the fingers) should be measured as aforesaid, tapering from the broad root to the thin tip.

56-57. The breadth of the nails at the tip should be preferably three parts each; the length of the nails is said to be three-fourths part more (than the breadth), or the wise sculptor should make the tip of the nail one, two, or three yavas,

58. The thumb should have two parts (digits) and the other fingers three (digits).

59. The lines of knowledge, etc., should be marked on the surface of the palm.

60. The brows should be situated extending from the eye-line to the end of the hair.

61. The length of the eye should be two parts, and a half of that its breadth.

62-63. The length of the ear should be four parts, and the tubular vessel of the ear equal to that, and the breadth (? of the ear) is said to be two parts; the rest should be made as prescribed by the wise sculptor.

64. Thus is described the largest type of the nine tāla, the rest (of which) should be like those of the ten tāla.

65-66. For the second type (i.e., the Sāmīpya class of devotees)^[2] the whole height should be divided into one hundred and sixteen parts from the foot to the top of the limit of the crown (as) in the smallest type of the ten tāla system.

67. The height from the crown to the hair should be four par a.

68. Thence the distance down to the eye-line should be four parts and a half.

69. Therefrom the distance down to the end of the nose should be preferably four parts.

70. The distance from the tip of the nose to the chin should be three parts and a half.

71. Thence the distance to the neck should be one and a-half parts, and the height of the neck four parts.

72-73. The distances from the neck to the heart, from the heart to the navel, and from the navel to the sex organ should be all equal, being twelve parts each.

74. The length of the thigh from the sex organ (to the knee-joint) should be twenty-five parts.

75. The leg should be equal to the thigh, and the (height of) the foot from the sole and the knee-cap four parts each.

76. The (length of the) foot from the heel to the largest toe should be sixteen parts and a half.

77. The length of the arm from the line of the larynx should be twenty-five parts.

78. The elbow should be two parts, and the forearm nineteen parts.

79. The palm up to the tip of the middle finger should be twelve parts and a half.

80. The breadth of the face is said to be eleven parts and a half.

81. The width of the neck should be eight parts and a half, and that of the arm and the knee equal to that.

82. The breadth (of the shoulder) up to the arm should be thirty-seven and a half parts.

83. The distance between the armpits is stated to be twenty and a half parts.

84. The width at the middle belly should be fifteen and a half parts.

86. The width round the buttocks should be eighteen and a half parts.

86. The width round the hips is desired to be nineteen parts.

87. The width at the root of the thigh should be twelve and a half parts.

88. The width at the middle of the leg should be eight and a half parts.

89. The width of the knee should be four parts, and the width of the ankle five parts.

90. The toes (prapada, lit., the extended point of the foot) should be six parts, and the length of the thumb four parts.

91-92. The length of the forefinger should be equal to that, and the length of the other fingers should be less than that by half a part, but the breadth (thereof) is said to be equal.

93. The width of the elbow should be eight and a half parts.

94. The width of the forearm should be five parts, and that of the wrist-joint four parts.

95. The breadth of the palm should be five parts, and the length of the palm seven parts.

96. The preferable length of the middle finger should be five and a half parts.

97. The length of the forefinger should be made of five parts.

98. The length of the smallest finger and the thumb should be four and a half parts each.

99. The length of the ear should be four parts, and the extension of the tubular vessel equal to that.

100. All other limbs, which are not mentioned here, should be measured as in the largest type of the ten tāla system.^[3]

101. When that is made under the supervision of the sculptors, there would be no defect in it.^[4]

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

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Two kinds of bhāvas are generally enumerated, namely, sthāyin and vyabhicārin, the former numbers 8 or 9 corresponding to 8 or 9 rasas, and the latter numbers 33 or 34; but here the figure required is 12 as is assured by the details given in the following lines, This is stated (in line 9) to be the largest type of the nine tāla system, the other two types being of 110, 108 parts. According to the general rule the smallest type will be the nine tāla proper, being nine times the face of 12 parts.

[2]:

Compare line 10.

[3]:

See chapter LXV, and the writer’s Dictionary, pages 233-240.

[4]:

In this account no description of the images proper is given.