वास्तु मण्डन (मण्डन सूत्रधार - गृह, राजप्रासाद, दुर्ग एवं नगर-वास्तु सटीक)

Ch. I – Miśrakādhyāyaḥ 23 If the eastern wick glows brightly, then that land is auspicious for Brahmins and so on. In the centre of the land, dig a pit up to the depth of one hand and then replace the soil. If the (filled up) soil is less than the depth of the pit, the result (compactness) is to be treated as poor; if equal, it is medium and if the soil is in excess, it is regarded as auspicious. 69-70. One can fill a pit with water, and walk a hundred steps away from it. On return, if one sees the remaining water filling one-fourth part of the pit the land is to be considered as medium, if less than one- fourth it is bad, and if the pit is half-filled it is regarded as the best. That house, where rats and cats or cats and dogs or mongooses and snakes live peacefully, gives happiness. 71-72. That land, which has a slope for water towards the East, and which is favoured by cows and Brahmins is regarded as the best. 73-74. That land is praiseworthy which has slopes on all sides and which has a beautiful appearance. If any land is full of ant-hills or is barren, low, covered with darts (full of Śalyas), faded and rough coloured, giving off a bad odour, is full of stone-chips, or is fre- quented by worms, serpents, asses, camels, and goats, it would give extreme sorrow to the owner of the land. Thus ends the method of soil-testing.