Shiva is one of the Hindu gods. Indeed, Shiva is one of the most important Hindu gods. In the trinity of Hindu gods, there is Brahman, Shiva, and Vishnu. Typically, Brahman represents the creation of the universe, Vishnu represents the preservation of the universe, and Shiva represents the destruction of the universe. As the BBC puts it, "Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it."[footnoteRef:1] Shiva is therefore the "source of both good and evil."[footnoteRef:2] However, these distinctions are not absolute in Hinduism. As the Metropolitan Museum of Art points out in its description of the statue "Shiva Lord of Dance," Shiva is sometimes representing all three aspects of the Hindu god as "creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe."[footnoteRef:3] When the god Shiva is shown to be dancing, the image is called "Shiva Nataraj." This statue has formal and contextual elements that show how the dancing Shiva is complex, creative, and energetic. [1: BBC. "Who is Shiva?" Retrieved online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/deities/shiva.shtml] [2: BBC. "Who is Shiva?"] [3: Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shiva as Lord of Dance." Retrieved online: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006319]
There is more to the statue "Shiva Lord of Dance" than just its content, though. The formalism is symbolic too. Shiva is shown with his left foot raised in the air. The foot that is on the ground is stepping on a mythical figure. This figure is "the personification of illusion and ignorance over whom Shiva triumphs."[footnoteRef:6] In the statue, it is hard to make out the figure, but it looks dead. Yet from this dead figure rises a ring of many flames. The Metropolitan…
Indian Art In terms of iconography, it is quite obvious that the works of art known as Shiva Nataraja, which is displayed on the Smithsonian's website, and Siva as Lord of Dance, which is displayed on the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston's web site, are depictions of the Hindu god Shiva. One of the most eminent ways in which this information is conveyed, of course, is via the titles of
While I agree with all of the points that Kaimal makes, I was most interested in her examination of the way in which a single writer -- indeed, a single essay -- can have such a dramatic influence on the way in which art is seen. Coomaraswamy's writing seems to me -- admittedly many generations after he wrote it -- to be rather underwhelming, short on substance and long on
Trimurti and the Trinity Hinduism is a religion which is practiced by millions of people all over the world, particularly in India and other eastern nations. It is a religion which is unlike any other, a religion designed for the individual. Unlike most religions which demand that followers a designated set of rules and practices which require adherence, Hinduism is about individual beliefs. Most religions begin from a written interpretation of
Hindu Worship Service on Mahashivratri India, one of the world's oldest civilizations, is known for its long and rich tradition of religion dating back to the 1028 hymns of the Rig Veda (the world's oldest religious text), probably composed between B.C. 1500 and 900. In fact, modern Hinduism can trace its roots back to the Rig Vedas though Hinduism itself changed and evolved, from the earliest icons of worship of
), and the five gross elements which are said to proceed from the five subtle elements (ether or space from sound, air from touch, fire from sight, water from taste, earth from smell). (68) Nature is further divided into three essential gunas, sattva, rajas, and tamas or 'the quality of being, energy, and darkness'. These elements enumerated by the Samkhya will be considered fundamental in the later literature. 8. How does
Cross-Currents of philosophy between the Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali, Parama rthasa ra of Abhinavagupta, and Aleister Crowley's Argentum Astrum Human Civilization can pride itself over many inventions and contributions in many diverse fields. These contributions vary from the field of Art and Sciences, to Chemistry, Physics and Philosophy and have gone on to show the diversity of the human mind and the many facets of Arts and Science which for sure
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