SHAILESH SHINDE
Deccan College, Pune\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 shailesh.shinde@dcpune.ac.in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SPATIAL DESIGN AND SACRED GEOMETRY: TRACING V\u0100STU TRADITIONS WITHIN THE MAH\u0100BH\u0100RATA<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/em> is often read as a grand narrative of yuddha<\/em>, dharma<\/em>, and r\u0101jan\u012bti<\/em>, yet it also preserves a subtle and sophisticated sense of space and spatial organization. Descriptions of movement, encampment, and strategic arrangement are not incidental; they reflect an underlying logic that resonates with ideas later systematized in V\u0101stu\u015b\u0101stra<\/em>. These narrative spaces suggest how direction (dik<\/em>), proportion, and order were understood in relation to both practical needs and cosmological frameworks. This study explores the extent to which such spatial thinking in the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/em> aligns with v\u0101stu<\/em> traditions. It asks: which elements of V\u0101stu\u015b\u0101stra<\/em> can be identified in the epic, and how many of these principles are meaningfully reflected in its descriptions? Through close textual reading, the paper maps key concepts\u2014such as orientation (dik<\/em>), geometric planning, proportionality, and hierarchical zoning\u2014onto the spatial logic embedded in the narrative, revealing recurring patterns that point to a shared cultural understanding of space. At the same time, these correspondences are approached critically. Rather than assuming direct borrowing from codified v\u0101stu<\/em> texts, the study situates the epic within a broader intellectual milieu in which such spatial principles were already in circulation. The Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/em> thus emerges not as a technical treatise, but as a text that reflects lived and practiced knowledge of spatial design. In doing so, the paper demonstrates that sacred geometry was not confined to permanent architecture, but informed wider conceptions of space in early Indian thought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SHAILESH SHINDEDeccan College, Pune\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 shailesh.shinde@dcpune.ac.in SPATIAL DESIGN AND SACRED GEOMETRY: TRACING V\u0100STU TRADITIONS WITHIN THE MAH\u0100BH\u0100RATA The Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata is often read as a grand narrative of yuddha, dharma, and r\u0101jan\u012bti, yet it also preserves a subtle and sophisticated sense of space and spatial organization. Descriptions of movement, encampment, and strategic arrangement are not incidental; they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2282","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2282"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2287,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2282\/revisions\/2287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}