Art is the immediate manifestation of the human creative quest which, on its part, constitutes the aesthetic expression of spiritual thinking-the response of the beautiful to man’s intrinsic affinity towards the all-pervading energy of bliss whose subtle rays illuminate the universe in its every corner. It is more than a mere chance that the arts, at all times and in all parts of the world, emerged in close association with their surrounding streams of faith. Whichever the religious tradition-be it one of the great world religions or the simple, naturalistic belief of an aboriginal tribe, articulations of artistic character, of one kind or another, are certainly part of the ritual activity. In India, religion has significantly inspired a cultural tradition which today counts among the crest jewels of the millennia-old heritage of world culture. India’s music, dance, fine arts and dramatic arts are well-known and highly appreciated far beyond their native land. These gems of human creative striving took birth in the Hindu temples of ancient India, where they became the concrete revelations of the spiritual quest, the form-bearing embodiments of an abstract idea. Supported by the concepts of Indian philosophy, these arts developed into symbols of aesthetic perfection whose silent beauty provides the most eloquent evidence for the profundity of man’s ever-persistent longing for the diving. The present compilation presents a number of independent articles held together by the thematic string of art as part of ritual worship and spiritual striving in traditions of devotional religion in India. Emphasis is laid on music and fine arts in the Vaisnava temples of Vraja, with recurring reference to the art of Sanjhi wich counts among the unique and nowadays very rare treasures of the Indian cultural heritage. Sanjhi is a form of visual art rooted in the folk tradition. Here the mergence of the current of folk spirituality into the ocean of Vaisnava devotionalism resulted in one of the most delightful expressions of artistic fullness, accomplishing the confluence of fine art, poetry and music in a manner so smooth and attractive as to make obvious the extraordinary role aesthetic beauty plays in the attainment of the spiritual quest. The book, whose authors are actively involved in both the religious tradition and the practice of traditional art, is essentially inspired by the overwhelming presence of the divinity revealed through manifestations of beauty in the ancient arts of India. Those who ever had the opportunity to partake of the sublime experience of spiritual bliss evoked by an aesthetic satisfaction will know that beauty is indeed the core intent of all joy. To share this experience with the reader is one of the main objects of the present volume, along with the plea for the protection of man’s endangered cultural riches lest some of these most excellent arts slip into oblivion to be lost forever.
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