Pratapaditya Pal

This is a wonderful catalogue of an exhibition shown in the Asia House Gallery in the fall of 1975, which I was very happy to pick up for $1 at a library book sale. :) It’s got 97 pieces of Buddhist and Brahmanical bronzes and paintings, including images of the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Shiva, Vishnu, and various tantric and related deities, ranging from the 7th century to the 19th. While the watercolors didn’t resonate with me (too flat), there is such grace and compassion evident in the figures that the spirit of these religions really comes through.

I confess it’s hard to keep track of all the deities and their relations to one another, though Pratapaditya Pal does a pretty good job explaining it in an introduction and in the notes on each piece, and he does so in a way that both a scholar and a novice will get something out of it. One of the recurring themes is tolerance; there is a fusion of Nepalese, Indian, and Tibetan cultures here, with various beliefs coexisting peacefully. Another is playfulness and youth; the Gods dance and in one of the descriptions of Vishnu, “the devotee is constantly reminded of the god’s radiance, bright as the sun’s rays or a thousand moons; of his smooth complexion, like a water-laden cloud or the dark autumn cloud; or of his serene appearance, as fresh as the morning dew.” Only when facing evil to the gods become angry, and as Pal says, “in the divine drama, death overtakes only the evildoers, while the gods and goddesses, personifying good, remain ‘immortal adolescents.’” Lastly, there is also an acknowledgment of the sensual, with physical desire and spiritual grace going hand in hand on one’s quest for enlightenment. It’s quite refreshing, and beautiful.… (meer)