Essay name: Manasollasa (study of Arts and Sciences)
Author:
Mahadev Narayanrao Joshi
Affiliation: Karnatak University / Department of Sanskrit
This essay in English studies the Manasollasa authored by Someshvara III, representing an ancient encyclopedic work encompassing over 8,000 Sanskrit verses. The text addresses diverse topics like polity, political sciences, architecture, jurisprudence, iconography, idol-making, and various arts and sciences such as mathematics.
Chapter 4 - Fine arts in Manasollassa
48 (of 100)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
222
a good painting is that of the judicious and artistic
use of decrease and increase, or low and high etc.,
described variously in the Manasoľlasa as Kṣayavṛddhi,
98'
natonnata, nimnonnata etc.
All these traditions undoubtedly refer to the rise
of the art of painting and sculpture in relation to
religion. Drawings arose from the necessity of altar
construction and figure-sculptures assumed the form of
images of Gods. But at the same time, the traditions
also indicate that the artist had other motives too in
executing those paintings, namely to remove the sorrow
of bad dreams, to place the divinity and to beautify
the house. Hence we find that Indian art has not
99 "always been a purely religious one" as formely held by
some scholars.
We know from the Manasollāsa (3.1.146-166)
98. शिखाया� पूर्वभाग� तु किंचिन्निम्न� भक्तथा � [śikhāyā� pūrvabhāge tu kiṃcinnimna� bhaktathā || ] 3.1.247.
तु
नासामूलस्य सूत्रस्य यावद्वितरमन्तरम् �
यवमानानन्तरा गोजी निम्ना सा परिकल्प्यत� ॥। [tu
nāsāmūlasya sūtrasya yāvadvitaramantaram |
yavamānānantarā gojī nimnā sā parikalpyate ||| ] 3.1.574.
क्षयवृद्धिप्रदेशस्तु सूत्रमानात्सुनिश्चितम् �
साचिस्थानगता वृत्तिरिदानी� परिकीर्त्यत� � [kṣayavṛddhipradeśastu sūtramānātsuniścitam |
sācisthānagatā vṛttiridānī� parikīrtyate || ] 3.1.653.
Cf. विष्णुधर्मोत्त� पुरा�
-
[viṣṇudharmottara purāṇa
-
] 43.19.29.
निम्नोन्नतविभागं � यः करोत� � चित्रवित� �
सादृश्यं क्षयवृद्धि � गुणाष्टकमिदं स्मृतम� �
११. विष्णुधर्मोत्त� पुरा�
-
[nimnonnatavibhāga� ca ya� karoti sa citravit ||
sādṛśya� kṣayavṛddhi ca guṇāṣṭakamida� smṛtam ||
11. viṣṇudharmottara purāṇa
-
] 43.26.
दुःस्वप्नदर्शन� हन्त� प्रीणाति गृहदैवतम� �
� तु शून्यमिवाभात� यत्र चित्रं प्रतिष्ठितम् �
[duḥsvapnadarśana� hanti prīṇāti gṛhadaivatam |
na tu śūnyamivābhāti yatra citra� pratiṣṭhitam ||
]
