Chapter 1 - The Advent of Earth (Mahāsamāgamana)

[Note: This chapter corresponds to Chapter 1 of the original Samarāṅgaṇa-Sūtradhāra]

After salutation (a benedictory verse) to the Architect of all the three worlds—the Lord Śiva, the Author hints at the scope of Architecture—countries, towns, dwellings, Sabhā, the assembly halls, the temples and the furniture as well as the mechanical wooden implements together with the images etc., as some of the broad divisions of the subject matter or the scope of Architecture and hence the necessity of the triad—the Universal Planner, the great heavenly Architect Viśvakarmā, the Universal monarch, Pṛthu, the patron of the Planning and the Earth itself on which the planning to be performed. These three are brought before the Universal Creator, Brahmā and respective duties assigned to each of them;

The chapter is named after the Earth, who had gone to Brahmā trembling with fear as the first king Pṛthu was disturbing her. No sooner did Earth reach the Lord, the king Pṛthu also arrived and he too narrated his lot. The Lord pacifies both of them and assigns the planning to the heavenly architect Viśvakarmā. The chapter closes with the advent of Viśvakarmā in the Himālaya. This is indicative of the Uttarāpatha and its style, the Northern or the Nāgara or the Aryan and it is from here that he shall commence his mission.

N. B. The story of the advent of the Earth to Brahmā also suggests that Brahmā is the founder of the North Indian Architecture according to the Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra