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13. ART, ARCHITECTURE AND
AESTHETICS
0. Art and Spiritualism
India is the land of spiritual outlook and nothing that is bereft of spiritual value could satisfy the Indian mind. Philosophy, Logic, Art and Science all possible branches of thought were inspired by spiritual outlook. Thus, for Indian Philosphers, logic is nothing but an instrument for the interpretation of the spiritual intuition. To get rid of spiritual darkness and enlighten the path of self-realization is the end of all science. An art is not an art, if it does not give glimpse into the beauty of truth. The common end of all arts - music, painting, architecture, poetry etc. - is to remind us of the supreme state which is beyond this wordly existence. And that is why amongst the most renowned poets are Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas and Mira and the supreme objects of architectural beauty are the temples, (and cathedrals), the abodes of God. 1. Essence of Living
So far we have been studying the programs for simple biological homeostatic functions such as breathing, eating, mating (reproduction) etc. which we, humans, share with sub-human animals and millions of other species. In this and the succeeding chapters, we shall study the two most trully characteristic human activities, viz. Art and Religion. In doing this, we shall have special opportunities to test whether our study of the programs of the brain can really help us to understand ourselves.
Religious beliefs and aesthetic pleasure derived from art (music, painting, poetry, drama etc.) are very precious and are most important of all the functional features which distinguish human attitude and behaviour from that of animals. In fact, they are the essence of human life. And we believe that proper and adequate knowledge about the brain can enlarge our capacities for creativity, imagination and perception, for appreciation of nature's beauty, for understanding the significance of our lives, and for deepening our religious beliefs. Belief and creative art are
