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(Twenty)
hands draw attention to some aspect (i.e. physically), so the eyes should do the same. For, where the eyes go there is the mind; where the mind is, there is the bhava (the feeling, the emotions); and where the bhava is, there is the rasa – the very essence of everything" (ch. 8, st. 123).
Striving to understand and re-create this rasa was (and remains) crucial for the artists who attempted to fabricate idols for worship out of mere stone, stucco, precious stones, clay or. metal. To portray the unity behind different faces; the cosmic balance in the universe; this was perhaps an aspect of 15th century religious ideals, and the attempt of Mandan, the artisan, in his " treatise on iconography called Devata-Murti-Prakarnam.
Rima Hooja
