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śramaņa, Vol 59, No. 4/October-December 2008
form. Art in its totality expresses creative skill of the artist and sensitizes perceivers to the core. It reflects the use of imagination and gives vent to ability and skill of the artist. It affects perceiver's ideas and feelings, incites their understanding and prompts their implicit and explicit experience. And the work of art awakens one's positivity cognitively, affectively and conatively. Its effects being non-discriminatory, unitary and positive, gives glimpse of fresh perspectives and all-inclusive identity. It is thus exciting, coolant and exegetic too. On mundane level, it helps earning, even a lot. On the spiritual level, it catches blissful experiences. In fact, it is natural and neutral. It is men who derive benefits of its pairing down in their search for pleasures in life, in life's choices and decisions, and at times for spiritual elevation and freedom too. Art's visual forms are painting, drawing, and sculpture. Its audio forms include music and musical instruments. Artistic ability can be enhanced through training and practices. For exactness, it requires its creativity and positivity at its root. Art, therefore, is an expression of aesthetic experience, an attainment of blissful vision of rneaningful life mirroring knowledge, action and culture. Jainism with its work of art and art of living manifests all these in its sixty four or even seventy two fields of arts prominent among which are Västukalā, Chaitya stūpa and gardens, Mūrtikalā, Sangitakalā in which prayers are included, Vādyakalā, Nātyakalā, Yuddhakalā, Citrakalā, Lekhanakalā and also Ganitakalā, Hastakalā and Lepakalā. One cannot miss the sight of arts presented with a view to educate people in general and its followers in particular in Jainism's religious way of life. These works of art promote personality development and more so aim at building a sound system of education that we can see as glimpse of strong, healthy and dynamic educational system prevailing in glorified ancient Indian culture and civilization of which Jainism is a co-sharer. Education
Whatever broadens our horizon, deepens our insights, refines our reactions and stimulates our right thoughts and right feelings
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