शिबिकावक्रवंशलक्षणम् ॥ (Śibikāvakravaṃśalakṣaṇam)

K.V. Sharma may be celebrated for his monumental work on early Indian mathematics and astronomy (Prof. K.V. Felicitation Volume, e.d N. Gangadharan, S.A.S. Sharma & S.S.R. Sharma, Sree Sarada Education Society Research Series No. 1, Chennai 2000, pp. xxix–lxxxvii, lists his publications in 549 separate entries). But I am also grateful to him for publishing an edition in 44 verses of one of the most recondite Sanskrit works I have yet read: the Śibikāvakravaṃśalakṣaṇam, “A Method to Grow Crooked Bamboos for Palanquin Beams”.

Published in: Prof. M. Hiriyanna Birth Centenary Volume (1871-1971), Univ. of Mysore 1972, pp. 161–66.

[अाक्षेपः] But why, you may well be wondering, should this be of interest to, say, a specialist of sophisticated theoretical systems such as Nyāya / Mīmāṃśā / Pramāṇa etc.?

[समाधानम्] Because your sophisticated authors of Nyāya / Mīmāṃśā / Pramāṇa may well have read such stuff. Even if they did not, they lived in a culture where such things were commonplace. Consider at least this, what does संस्कृतम् actually mean?

Here is the text...

śibikāvakravaṃśalakṣaṇam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_01ab: abhivādya gaṇādhīśam & ābhīṣṭaphaladāyinam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_01cd: śibikāvakravaṃśasya & pramāṇam kiñcid ucyate
ŚiVaVaṃLa_02ab: veṇoḥ śubhāṅkuraṃ dṛṣṭvā & yatnena paripālayet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_02cd: varāhaśalalīkīṭa&bhṛṅgadaṃśādyupadravāt
ŚiVaVaṃLa_03ab: dṛḍhayā parivṛttyā ca & vacācūrṇādibhiḥ punaḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_03cd: hastonnatāt pūrvam asya & sumuhūrte vināyakam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_04ab: sampūjya jalagandhādyaiḥ & sūpalāj<ā>dibhis tathā
ŚiVaVaṃLa_04cd: vaṃśasya pārśvayoḥ khātvā & yantrastambhau vinikṣipet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_05ab: yatra randhrapathā gatvā & vakraveṇur bhaviṣyati
ŚiVaVaṃLa_05cd: yantramānam iti proktaṃ & daśahastasamāyatam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_06ab: munisaṅkhyāṅgulaṃ vīthyā & tadardhaṃ ghanam eva ca
ŚiVaVaṃLa_06cd: evaṃ stambhadvaye sūtraṃ & siddhe pañcadaśaṃ tu vā
ŚiVaVaṃLa_07ab: trayodaśaṃ vā h[r]asvākhya&paṭṭikāstambhavīthivat
ŚiVaVaṃLa_07cd: ekāṅgulaṃ dvyaṅgulaṃ vā & ghanaṃ tāsām ud<ī>ritam %\var{dvyaṅgulaṃ] \emV (vipulā); dvayāṅgulaṃ \ed \hypermetrical typo?}
ŚiVaVaṃLa_08ab: sārdhaikahastaṃ vā dīrghaṃ & sapādaṃ vātra kalpayet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_08cd: stambhayor mūlatas tyaktvā & viṃśatyaṅgulamātrakam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_09ab: ekaikahastam āyātāṃ & caturaḥ paṭṭikāṃ kriyāt
ŚiVaVaṃLa_09cd: padādhikadvihastena & tasmāt tu kuṭilāyatam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_10ab: kuṭile paṭṭikāḥ sapta & pañcakam vā samāṃśake
ŚiVaVaṃLa_10cd: stambhayoḥ kalpayed asmān & mūlavac caturo 'grake
ŚiVaVaṃLa_11ab: tadadhirohiṇīvedaṃ & yantramantrau bhaviṣyati
ŚiVaVaṃLa_11cd: mūlāgrapaṭṭikāṣṭānāṃ & randhrāṇāṃ vidhim ucyate
ŚiVaVaṃLa_12ab: stambhayoḥ paṭṭikāyogāt & prathame tryaṅgulaṃ tyajet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_12cd: dvitīye ca tṛtīye ca & dvyaṅgulaṃ tu caturthake
ŚiVaVaṃLa_13ab: tryaṅgulaṃ kuṭilāgrāt tu & caturthaṃ pūrvavat tathā
ŚiVaVaṃLa_13cd: tyaktāṅgulāntare rekhāṃ & kārayed atisūkṣmatah
ŚiVaVaṃLa_14ab: rekhām āśritya pṛṣṭhe tu & randhrān vaṃśagatopamān
ŚiVaVaṃLa_14cd: triyavādhikamānena & suvṛttān vakragamyakaiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_15ab: kuṭilāntahsthite kharva&paṭṭikāsaptake kramāt
ŚiVaVaṃLa_15cd: ghane dvyaṅgulamāne ca & randhrān kartum ihocyate
ŚiVaVaṃLa_16ab: aśāṅkāt paṭṭikānāṃ ca & kuryāt pūrvāparaṃ ghanaṃ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_16cd: tāsām adhaś copari ca & vakragamyāyataṃ dvidhā
ŚiVaVaṃLa_17ab: ūnādhikatripādārdh<air?> & aṅgulaiḥ kuṭilakramam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_17cd: sapādanavakaṃ caiva & pādādhikadivākaraḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_18ab: ardhonaṣoḍaśam caiva & ṣoḍaśaṃ ca tataḥ param
ŚiVaVaṃLa_18cd: aṣṭādaśatripādona&sārdhaṣoḍaśaṣoḍaśau
ŚiVaVaṃLa_19ab: ardhādhikamanus tena & sapādaṃ tu trayodaśa
ŚiVaVaṃLa_19cd: sapādanidhiśailau ca & satripādārṇavānalau
ŚiVaVaṃLa_20ab: pakṣāntaram ihaivoktaṃ & caturthaśarayoḥ kramāt
ŚiVaVaṃLa_20cd: kalā pañcadaśā sārdhā & tatsampādatrayodaśam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_21ab: sapādamihireṇāpi & kuryān mānaṃ dvayor iti
ŚiVaVaṃLa_21cd: paṭṭikāpañcake pakṣe & rudrādityau tu ṣoḍaśau
ŚiVaVaṃLa_22ab: tathaiva ca punaḥ kuryāt & tattrayodaśabhāskarau
ŚiVaVaṃLa_22cd: rasabāṇau tṛtīyāt tu & pakṣāntaram athocyate
ŚiVaVaṃLa_23ab: manutrayodaśau sūrya&diśau rasaśarāv iti
ŚiVaVaṃLa_23cd: vinā pakṣāntareṇaikaṃ & vakrakramam athocyate
ŚiVaVaṃLa_24ab: daśārkaśoḍaśāḥ sapta&daśaṃ cāṣṭādaśadvayam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_24cd: ardhonāṣṭadaśaṃ caiva & ṣoḍaśaṃ ca tithir manuḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_25ab: ekādaśaṃ daśam sapta & rasam etaiś ca saptake
ŚiVaVaṃLa_25cd: pūrvakrameṇa tadvakraṃ & nṝṇāṃ netrapriyāvaham
ŚiVaVaṃLa_26ab: uktasaṅkhyāṅgulair evaṃ & kṛtvā rekhāṃ tataḥ param
ŚiVaVaṃLa_26cd: vakragamyaiḥ surandhrāṇi & veṇoḥ puṣṭyaiva pūrvavat
ŚiVaVaṃLa_27ab: randhraiś ca vaṃśayāty evaṃ & vakrakṣemakarāya ca
ŚiVaVaṃLa_27cd: nityaṃ vaṃśādikaṃ dṛṣṭvā & rajjukīlādibhiḥ sudhīḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_28ab: kuryāt tatrocitaṃ karma & tathāpy adhikasūkṣmataḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_28cd: pipīlikādaṃśakīṭa&bhṛṅgebhyaḥ paripālayet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_29ab: sārdhe māsyanalāṅkhordhvān & kaṇṭakān dinapaṇcakaiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_29cd: śarāṅgulordhvam ekaikaṃ & sabahiścarmakaṃ tyajet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_30ab: tri<māsena va>cācūrṇa&tailaṃ māsena lepayet %MS seems to read trimāsānidva?
ŚiVaVaṃLa_30cd: abdānte lūnayed agraṃ & rudrahastāt paraṃ tataḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_31ab: dinavatsaramāsānāṃ & caturthaṃ vā tṛtīyakam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_31cd: nītvātha sumuhūrte tu & dīpavighneśvarādibhiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_32ab: veṇoś ca lūnayen mūlaṃ & tato tithidināt param
ŚiVaVaṃLa_32cd: yantraṃ cotpādya tenaiva & saha bhūmau vinikṣipet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_33ab: paṭṭikābhyastataḥ stambhau & vimucyāsya tu kaṇṭakān
ŚiVaVaṃLa_33cd: āmūlam eva vicchidya & vaṃśān mucyeta paṭṭikāḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_34ab: paritaḥ kaṇṭakasthānaṃ & suśilpam kārayen mṛdu
ŚiVaVaṃLa_34cd: kiñcit tu tilajaṃ liptvā & tataḥsaptadināt param
ŚiVaVaṃLa_35ab: satripādadvihastaṃ vā & sapādaṃ mūlam apy ataḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_35cd: savitastyāyanenaiva & mūlāgre kārayet tataḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_36ab: ayugāṅgulayuktair vā & hīnair aṣṭāyataṃ dvayoḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_36cd: svarṇena rajatenāpi & sūkarasya gajasya ca
ŚiVaVaṃLa_37ab: śīrṣamūlāgrayoh kṛtvā & hemarūpyārakūṭakaiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_37cd: baddhvā tribāṇamunibhir & aṅgulair āyataiḥ dvayoḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_38ab: kalpayec chibikāyogya&vakraveṇuṃ mahāmatiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_38cd: uktaṃ vakronnataṃ tv asya & śubhaṃ pañcadaśāṅgulaiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_39ab: vakrasyāntaḥsthitānāṃ tu & paṭṭikānāṃ tṛtīyakāt
ŚiVaVaṃLa_39cd: paṭṭikāpañcake pakṣe & dvitīyād eva ca kramāt
ŚiVaVaṃLa_40ab: trayodaśaṃ ca rudraś ca & nidhiś ca śubhadonnatam
ŚiVaVaṃLa_40cd: ābhyāṃ tu kuṭilordhvābhyāṃ & nipuṇair dṛṣṭalakṣaṇaiḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_41ab: kecid vakroccam ity āhus & tathā vaṃśaś ca dṛśyate
ŚiVaVaṃLa_41cd: stambhayor antare dve vā & trayaṃ vāṅkuram ati cet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_42ab: pūrvarandhrāparān netrā&ṅgulaṃ vārdhonam eva vā
ŚiVaVaṃLa_42cd: tyaktvāto vaṃśapuṣṭyātra & kuryād randhrāṇi pūrvavat
ŚiVaVaṃLa_43ab: punar apy evam ekaikāṃ & suṣirāliṃ ca kalpayet
ŚiVaVaṃLa_43cd: tayaiva gatvā svāviddhā & sambhaviṣyanti veṇavaḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_44ab: vakrāś cāyatamūlāgrai&kyāṅgulaiṣṭābhir hṛtāḥ
ŚiVaVaṃLa_44cd: dhvajādyayugayonyādyāṃ & dvijādikramataḥ śubhāḥ

||vaṃśavakraprakaraṇam||