With sacred mantras—‘varuṇasya’, ‘haṃsaḥ śuciṣat’, and the revered Śrīsūkta—the stones and vessels are carefully established, each placed with proper ritual and intention. Within the eastern pavilion, on a bed set in the mandala, Hari is worshipped; the fire is kindled, and, on the twelfth day, sacred sticks are offered into the flames. Two portions are prepared: the support and clarified butter, both sanctified with the Praṇava. Then, with the eight Vyāhṛtis, eight oblations of ghee are offered in sequence. Vyāhṛtis are then offered to the Lords of the Worlds, to Agni, to Soma within the vessels, and to Puruṣottama, honoring each with devotion. As expiation, the vessels are filled separately with a complete mixture—form, flesh, ghee, and sesame—ending with the twelfth Veda mantra. The teacher, facing east, anoints the eight directions and places one stone and one vessel in the center, invoking the deities in their proper order. Symbols are established: a lotus, a great lotus, a makara, a tortoise, a kumuda, Nanda, another lotus, a conch, and Padminī—each holding its place in the sacred arrangement. The vessels are not to be moved; within them, eight bricks are placed in order, beginning with the easternmost brick at the direction of Īśāna. The energies, starting with Vimala, and the deities of the bricks are established as appropriate, with the grace-bringing one placed in the center. On an unblemished, unbroken, full brick, an offering is made to the son of sage Aṅgiras: “I establish the foundation.” With this mantra, the teacher places the brick and, with focused concentration, performs the garbhādhāna—the foundation-laying—in the central spot. Above the vessel, the deity Padminī is established, along with clay, flowers, metals, and a jewel. In an iron vessel, the weapon of the guardian of the directions is worshipped for the womb-holder, measured twelve fingers across and four fingers high. In a lotus-shaped copper vessel, the earth is worshipped, in a secluded place, with the Lord of all beings, adorned with a mountain seat. “O goddess, surrounded by the ocean, take up the womb; rejoice, O Nandā, with the Vāsiṣṭhas, Vasus, and their offspring. O victorious one, descendant of Bhṛgu, bring victory to the people; O full descendant of Aṅgiras, fulfill all my desires. O Auspicious One, descendant of Kaśyapa, grant me a blessed mind—filled with all seeds, adorned with every gem and medicinal herb. May victory, splendor, and delight abide here in the noble, beautiful, and pleasing abode of Vasiṣṭha, O goddess, daughter of Prajāpati, in this great and four-sided place. O fortunate, radiant, and auspicious one, may you dwell happily in the house of Kaśyapa, honored and wondrous, adorned with fragrant garlands. O goddess, bringer of prosperity, may you, descendant of Bhṛgu, dwell happily in the house, in the domain of the lord of the land, the city, and the household. Become the cause of satisfaction for humans and others, and bring increase of cattle.” Having spoken thus, the pit is sprinkled with cow urine. The embryo, the foundation deposit, is then placed, and the implantation takes place at night. Gifts—cow cloth, food, and more—are given to the teacher and others. The embryo is placed, the bricks are laid, and the foundation filled. Afterwards, the platform is constructed according to the prescribed method, with a modestly sized building. The best platform rises to half the width of the building; the medium is less by a quarter, and the lowest is half of the best. Once the platform is complete, worship is performed again. The one who establishes the foundation with his own feet, free from sin, rejoices in heaven. Whoever, with focused mind, thinks, “I will build a temple for the gods,” all the sins attached to his body are destroyed that very day. What then, when he actually builds the temple according to the rules, using eight bricks—such a temple for the gods? No one can describe the abundance of merit that accrues to him; the result is to be inferred from the very extent of the temple. In the middle of the village and also in the east, an eastern-facing door is arranged; in all directions, the temple in the village should face west. Then, Iyagrīva speaks: “I will now explain the general rule for building a temple—listen. The wise should divide a square plot into sixteen parts. In the center, with four divisions, a structure with iron should be made; for the walls, twelve divisions are arranged. The height of the lower wall should be one-fourth the length; the height of the platform should be twice that of the lower wall. The circumambulation path is made with one-fourth the length of the platform; the passage for movement is equal on both sides. The extension in front should match the width of the threshold, or may be made twice as large, according to what is most fitting and beautiful. In front of the pavilion, let there be two garbha-threads extending its width, and let the length exceed by a foot, adorned with central pillars. Alternatively, one may construct a mukha-maṇḍapa according to the inner chamber’s measurement, or build the pavilion with eighty-one feet, beginning the maṇḍapa at the rear. In the eastern doorway arrangement, offerings are made to the gods at the ends of the feet, and likewise, in the arrangement of the enclosure, offerings are made to the thirty-two deities at the ends. This is the general characteristic of a temple; now hear of another temple, measured by the image or by its own measure. A proper pedestal is made according to the measurement of the image; the inner chamber is half the pedestal, and the walls match the chamber’s measure. The height is determined by the wall’s measurement, and the wise make the tower twice the shadow cast by the wall.” Thus, the sacred process of establishing and constructing a temple is revealed, each step infused with mantra, ritual, and reverence, ensuring the abode for the divine is both beautiful and auspicious, a source of merit and joy for all.