समराङ्गणसूत्रधार (महाराज भोज - वास्तु, स्थापत्य एवं यंत्र शास्त्र)

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
(First Volume of Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra)
Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra is a work on architecture. It means, literally, an
architect of human dwellings and deals with the planning of towns and villages,
building of houses, halls and palaces as well as machines of various kinds.
The edition is based on the following three manuscripts :—
(1) The manuscript marked क, belonging to the Central Library, Baroda,
which runs up to a certain portion in the 82nd adhyāya but is
wanting in 19 folios, and which was copied, as mentioned in the
colophon, in Saṁvat 1594.
(2) The manuscript marked ख, belonging to the same library, which runs
up to a portion in the 55th adhyāya.
(3) The manuscript marked ग, obtained on loan from the Bhandar at
Pattan, which runs up to a portion of the 49th adhyāya but is want-
ing in 10 folios and which appears to be of the same age as the first.
These manuscripts are full of errors and not very legible. To examine
them for the press was a very difficult task. The first 54 adhyāyas are now
issued as the first volume while the remaining adhyāyas are in the press and will
be published before long as the second volume.
An exhaustive table of contents is prefixed to this volume a perusal of
which will give an idea of all the subjects imbedded in it.
The work treats of the construction of cities, palaces, and mansions with
greater clearness of expression and wealth of details than any other available
work of Śilpa Śāstra. The 31st chapter contains descriptions of various kinds of
machines that are not found in other Śilpa works, such as the elephant machine
(गजयन्त्र), wooden bird-machine travelling in the sky (व्योमचारिविहङ्गयन्त्र),
wooden vimāna machine flying in the air (आकाशगामिदारुमयविमानयन्त्र), door-
keeper machine (द्वारपालयन्त्र), soldier machine (योधयन्त्र) etc.
“ यन्त्रेण कल्पितो हस्ती न तद् गच्छन् प्रतीयते ।
शुकाद्याः पक्षिणः क्लृप्तास्तांस्तस्यानुगमान्मुहुः ॥
जनस्य विस्मयकृतो नृत्यन्ति च पठन्ति च ।
पुत्रिका वा गजेन्द्रो वा तुरगो मर्कटोऽपि वा ॥
चलनेर्वर्तनैर्नृत्यैस्तालेन हरने मनः । ”