Chapter 48 - The Machines (Yantra-adhyāya)

[Note: This chapter corresponds to Chapter 31 of the original Samarāṅgaṇa-Sūtradhāra]

This chapter is of unique importance as no other extent manual of Śilpa-śāstra, describes machines, though the construction of the machines is not beyond the scope of Architecture as we understood it (see Part I ‘Scope’). The study of this chapter has formed a separate part of this Study, therefore, here only a brief notice may be taken. Yantra is defined—‘the device by which the Māhābhūtas like earth, water, fire, air and ether are controlled viz. when the free and natural activities of these Bhūtas, the primary elements made to act in a particular manner by means of some device, it is Yantra. Its fundamental Bījas are the four Bhūtas, earth, water, fire and air and the ether being the substratum of all these, naturally becomes Bīja itself also. After this, the author describes in detail the manifold varieties of all these principal Bijas, then follow the qualities and the actions of Yantra.

Yantras consist firstly of the recreational type, such as Śayyā-prasarpaṇa from the first floor to upper floors;dolls’ Nāḍīprabodhana, the display of the wonders—such as fire in water etc; microscope-likc Golakabhramaṇa machine, showing the movements of the heavenly bodies; wooden-man going a distance of as many as eight miles (one yojana); the dancing doll pouring oil in the lamps; wooden elephant drinking water in profusion; the wooden parrots, singing dancing etc.; Jalayantras bringing water from the vāpis, wells, etc. and depositing the same, so on and so forth; secondly those service-machines like wooden bird machine travelling in the sky, wooden vimāna-machine, i.e. the aeroplane, door-keeper machine, soldier machine, servant machines and maid servant machines; thirdly the machines of warfare like Śataghnī (100 killer) and Cāpayantras are also described, Fourthly, the most characteristic of the medieval yantras, the water machines are described. The Vāriyantras have four varieties (see Study). Another variety of water machines is the five-fold Dhārāgṛha. Lastly the five Rathadolās, the swinging machines (see ibid) are also enumerated.

With this brief notice of the chapter, it may be noted that in the construction of some of the aeroplane machine, the application of Parada (the quick-silver) and the fire in them are some of the modern equipments of the aeroplanes and hence it is indicative of the fact (though disputed) of the existence of aeroplanes in ancient India. A more careful examination of this question and other details of the chapter have been attempted in the Study Proper.