Vayu Purana

श्रोतसीसह तद्द्वारं निखातं पुनरेव च। हस्ताष्टौ च दश श्रेष्ठा नवाष्टौ वाऽपरे मताः

Its gate, along with a water channel, is again set below; eight or ten hands are considered best, while others think nine or eight.

खेटानां नगराणाञ्च ग्रामाणाञ्चैव सर्व्वशः। त्रिविधानाञ्च दुर्गाणां पर्व्व तोदकबन्धनम्

For forts, cities, and villages in every way, and for the three kinds of forts, the boundary is made by water or mountains.

त्रिविधानाञ्च दुर्गाणां विष्कम्भायाममेव च। योजनानाञ्च विष्कम्भमष्टभागार्द्धमायतम्

For the three kinds of forts, the breadth and length are as follows: the breadth is half of one-eighth of a yojana.

परमार्द्धार्द्धमायामं प्रगुदक्‌प्रवरं पुरम्। छिन्नकर्णं विकर्णन्तु व्यञ्जनं कृशसंस्थितम्

The city should have a length of half of the greatest half, with the best water to the east; it should not be with cut or deformed corners, nor irregular or slender in shape.

वृत्तं हीनञ्च दीर्घञ्च नगरं न प्रशस्यते। चतुरस्रार्जवं दिक्स्थं प्रशस्तंवै पुरं परम्

A city that is round, deficient, or elongated is not praised; a city that is square, straight, and aligned with the directions is considered excellent.

चतुर्विंशतिराद्यन्तु हस्तानष्टशतं परम्। अत्र मध्यं प्रशंसन्ति ह्रस्वोत्कृष्टविवर्ज्जितम्

The foremost measure is twenty-four, and the highest is eight hundred hands; among these, the middle is commended, avoiding what is too short or too long.

अथ किष्कुशतान्यष्टौ प्राहुर्मुख्यनिवेशनम्। नगरादर्धविष्कम्भं खेटं ग्रामं ततो बहिः

Eight hundred kiṣkus are said to be the chief settlement; half the city's breadth is the suburb, and the village is outside that.

नगराद्योजनं खेटं शेटाद्ग्रामोऽर्द्धयोजनम्। द्विक्रोशं परमा सीमा क्षेत्रसीमा चतुर्द्धनुः

From the city, the suburb is one yojana; from the suburb, the village is half a yojana; the utmost boundary is two krośas, and the field boundary is four bows.

विंशद्धनूंषि विस्तीर्णो दिशां मार्गस्तु तैः कृतः। विंशद्धनुर्ग्राममार्गः सीमामार्गो दशैव तु

The road in each direction is made twenty bows wide; the village road is twenty bows, and the boundary road is ten.

धनूंषि दश विस्तीर्णः श्रीमान् राजपथः स्मृतः। नृवाजिरथनागानामसम्बाधः सुसञ्चरः

The royal road is said to be ten bows wide, unobstructed and easy for the passage of men, horses, chariots, and elephants.

धनूंषि चैव चत्वारि शाखारथ्यास्तु तैः कृताः। गृहरथ्योपरथ्याश्च द्विकाश्चाप्युपरथ्यकाः

The branch lanes are made four bows wide; the house lanes and sub-lanes are two, and the smaller sub-lanes are also two.

घण्टापथश्चतुष्पादस्त्रिपदञ्च गृहान्तरम्। वृत्तिमार्गास्त्वर्द्धपदं प्राग्वंशः पदिकः स्मृतः

The bell road is four feet, the three-foot way is between houses; the circular roads are half a foot, and the eastern row is called a footpath.

अवस्करं परीवाहं पदमात्रंसमन्ततः। कृतेषु तेषु स्थानेषु पुनस्वक्रुर्गृहाणि वै

A drainage channel surrounds the area, measuring one foot all around; when these places are established, the householder should then build his houses.

यथा ते पूर्वमासन्वै वृक्षास्तु गृहसंस्थिताः। तथा कर्तुं समारब्धाश्चिन्तयित्वा पुनः पुनः

Just as the trees were formerly established in houses, so they began to arrange them again, reflecting repeatedly.

वृक्षाश्चैवगताः शाखा न ताश्चैव परागताः। अत ऊर्द्ध्वंगता श्चान्या एवं तिर्य्यग्गताः पुरा

And the trees had branches that extended, but those did not go elsewhere; from there, some went upward, and others went sideways as before.

बुद्ध्वाऽन्विष्यस्तथा न्यायो वृक्षशाखा यथा गताः। तथा कृतास्तु तैः शाखास्तस्माच्छालास्तु ताः स्मृताः

Understanding and investigating in this way the manner in which the branches of trees spread, they made similar branches, and therefore those are called halls.

एवं प्रसिद्धाः शाखाभ्यः शालाश्चैव गृहाणि च। तस्मात्ता वैस्मृताः शालाः शालात्वं चैव तासु तत्

Thus, from the branches, halls and houses became well known; therefore, those are remembered as halls, and their nature as halls is established in them.

प्रसीदति मनस्तासु मनः प्रसादयन्ति ताः। तस्माद्गृहाणि शालाश्च प्रासादाश्चैव संज्ञिताः

The mind delights in them, and they bring joy to the mind; therefore, houses, halls, and palaces are so designated.

कृत्वा द्वन्द्वोपघातांस्तान् वार्त्तोपायमचिन्तयन्। नष्टेषु मधुना सार्द्धं कल्पवृक्षेषु वै तदा। विषादव्याकुलास्तावै प्रजास्तृष्णाक्षुधात्मिकाः

Having caused those mutual conflicts and considering means of livelihood, when the wish-fulfilling trees along with honey were lost, the people then became distressed with sorrow, thirst, and hunger.

ततः प्रादुर्बभौ तासां सिद्धिस्त्रेतायुगे पुनः। वार्तार्थसाधिकाप्यन्या वृत्तिस्तासां हि कामतः

Then, in the Treta Yuga, success appeared again for them; another means of livelihood arose for them, fulfilling their desires.

तासां वृष्ट्युदकानीह यानि निम्नैर्गतानि तु। वृष्ट्या तदभावत्स्रोतः खातानि निम्नगाः स्मृताः

The waters from the rains that flowed into the lowlands became streams through the rainfall, and those excavated channels are known as rivers.

एवं नद्यः प्रवृत्तास्तु द्वितीये वृष्टिसर्ज्जने। ये परस्तादपां स्तोका आपन्नाः पॄथिवीतले

Thus, rivers began to flow in the second creation of rain; those small quantities of water that had reached the earth earlier.

अपाम्भूमेश्च संयोगादोषध्यस्तासु चाभवन्। पुष्पमूलफलिन्यस्तु ओषध्यस्ताः प्रजज्ञिरे

From the union of water and earth, plants arose there; and among them, those herbs bearing flowers, roots, and fruits were produced.

अफालकृष्टाश्चानुप्ता ग्राम्याऽरण्याश्चतुर्दश। ऋतुपुष्पफलाश्चैव वृक्षा गुल्माश्च जज्ञिरे

Unploughed and unsown, both domestic and wild—fourteen kinds—trees and shrubs bearing flowers and fruits in season were born.

प्रादुर्भावश्च त्रेतायां वार्त्तायामौषधस्य तु। तैनौषधेन वर्त्तन्ते प्रजास्त्रेतायुगे तदा

And in the Treta Yuga, the appearance of herbs for livelihood occurred; with those herbs, people then sustained themselves in the Treta Yuga.

ततः पुनरभूत्तासां रागो लोभश्च सर्वशः। अवश्यम्भाविनार्थेन त्रेतायुगवशेन तु

Then again, passion and greed arose among them entirely, due to the inevitable circumstances of the Treta Yuga.

ततस्ताः पर्यगृह्णन्त नदीक्षेत्राणि पर्वतान्। वृक्षान् गुलर्मौषधीश्चैव प्रसह्य तु यथाबलम्

Then they seized rivers, fields, mountains, trees, shrubs, and herbs by force, each according to their strength.

सिद्धात्मानस्तु ये पूर्वं व्याख्याताः प्राकृते मया। ब्रह्मणा मानवास्ते वै उत्पन्ना योजनादिह

Those perfected beings who were previously described by me as natural, they were born here through the arrangement of Brahma.

शान्ताश्च सुष्मिणश्चैव कर्मिणो दुःखिनस्तदा। ततः प्रवर्त्तमानास्ते त्रेतायां जर्ज्ञिरे पुनः

Peaceful, gentle, and active, yet afflicted with suffering, they began to manifest again in the Treta Yuga.