Dear François, if we consider pictorial language under the social-historical aspects, a further reason for the multi-armed Mediaeval Hindu gods becomes evident. In this regard, you can see: Giovanni Verardi, The Gods and The Heretics, Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi 2018; Tiziana Lorenzetti, ‘Political and Social Dimension as Reflected in Medieval Indian Sculpture: Confrontations, Antagonism, Identity’. In ‘J. Hegewald (ed.) In the Shadow of the Golden Age: Art and Identity in Asia from Gandhara to the Modern Age, (SAAC), University of Bonn, 2014, pp. 287-308. Best Wishes, Tiziana Lorenzetti
> Il 18/05/2024 10:47 CEST François Voegeli via INDOLOGY > <[email protected]> ha scritto: > > > Very interesting indeed. > > Many thanks to all who have answered my query on this subject, which proves > to be, after all, not so trivial or easy. > > FV > > > On 18.05.24 07:03, Nagaraj Paturi via INDOLOGY wrote: > > > Purusha Sukta has the 1000 headed , 1000 eyed, thousand legged Purusha > > description. > > > > Bhashyas for example Saayana Bhashya to Veda mantras etc. is an example > > of traditional premodern literature where 'explanations' for such features > > can be looked for. > > > > In fact, certain Brahmanas themselves provide such explanations with the > > explanatory principle परोक्ष प्रिया वै इव हि देवाः Devtas love to be > > described indirectly being mentioned at various such explaining occasions. > > > > -------------------------------------------- > > > > There is a popular phrase नाम गुण रूप लीला संकीर्तन used while talking > > about what in Bhakti leads to the spiritual benefits to Bhakta. > > > > Many doctrinal works take the position that ultimately नाम रूप लीला > > संकीर्तन end up being गुण संकीर्तन only.and it is the repeated meditation > > on the kalyaana gunas that leads to the punya, chittashuddhi and other > > spiritual benefits accruing in the meditating mind. > > > > The reasoning in the above includes the reasoning that रूप is an > > expression of गुण. > > > > ------------------------------------------------ > > > > Sthapatis even today are trained to give rupa to gunas. > > > > Even when they are commissioned to create a sculpture of a real human > > person , generally contemporary to the time of creation or described from > > the memory of the commissioning person, Sthapatis tell me that they are > > asked not to create a photo real replica of the actual person but to > > collect the gunas of the person , meditate on them and give a visual form > > to the gunas as per the stylizational artistic aesthetics combined with > > shilpa shaastra principles of metrics. > > > > ---------------------------------------- > > > > It may be important to remember that the feature of more hands, heads, > > eyes etc., than in normal natural beings is found in the Raakshasa and > > other non Devata characters and figures also. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > . > > > > On Sat, May 18, 2024 at 3:05 AM Harry Spier via INDOLOGY > > <[email protected] mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > This feature is mentioned in brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa 3.43.70. (From GRETIL which > > > is a transcription of the Bombay edition of Venkatesa Press) > > > > > > brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa 3.43.70 > > > > > > atrinetraḥ śivaḥ sākṣād acaturbāhuracyutaḥ / > > > > > > acaturvadano brahmā śrīguruḥ parikīrtitaḥ // > > > > > > "Shri Guru is said to indeed be Shiva without three eyes, Vishnu > > > without four arms and Brahma without four faces". > > > > > > > > > Harry Spier > > > > > > On Fri, May 17, 2024 at 8:04 AM Rolf Heinrich Koch via INDOLOGY > > > <[email protected] mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > One theory resulting from my fieldwork: Remodeling. > > > > > > > > According to a Sinhalese mansucript, a handbook for artists in > > > > non-standard Sanskrit ślokas, I read e.g. Viṣṇu has to be modelled with > > > > two hands for his two attributes. The artist used the existing > > > > sculpture depicting an earlier two armed god. He added two arms for the > > > > Viṣṇu-Attributes. Now we got Viṣṇu with four arms. > > > > Later, new Viṣṇu-scuptures are modeled with four arms. > > > > > > > > Best > > > > > > > > Heiner > > > > > > > > Am 17.05.2024 um 13:20 schrieb François Voegeli via INDOLOGY: > > > > > > > > > Dear Members of the List, > > > > > > > > > > A friend recently asked me a rather disconcerting question (for me at > > > > > least): why do Indian gods have so many arms? > > > > > > > > > > My understanding was that these arms bear attributes of the god > > > > > (trident, discus, severed head, etc.) to remind the devout of some > > > > > parts of the god's gest, but I have not seen such explanation in > > > > > Indian litterature. > > > > > What is the Indian literature exactly saying about this quite > > > > > remarkable feature and where (Purāṇas, Śilpaśāstras, or elsewhere)? > > > > > > > > > > Your input will be very much appreciated. > > > > > Thanks in advance. > > > > > > > > > > François Voegeli > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > INDOLOGY mailing list > > > > > [email protected] mailto:[email protected] > > > > > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Dr. Rolf Heinrich Koch > > > > http://www.rolfheinrichkoch.wordpress.com > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > INDOLOGY mailing list > > > > [email protected] mailto:[email protected] > > > > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > INDOLOGY mailing list > > > [email protected] mailto:[email protected] > > > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology > > > > > > > > > -- > > Nagaraj Paturi > > > > Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA. > > Dean, IndicA > > BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra > > BoS Kavikulaguru Kalidasa Sanskrit University, Ramtek, Maharashtra > > BoS Veda Vijnana Gurukula, Bengaluru. > > Member, Advisory Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam, Bengaluru > > Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies, > > FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of Liberal Education, > > Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA. > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > INDOLOGY mailing list > > [email protected] mailto:[email protected] > > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology > > > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >
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