The Dance of Shiva- Fourteen Indian Essays

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About the Book The Dance of Shiva is a collection of fourteen Indian essays written by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. These essays examine the art, dance, music, philosophy, religion, and other aspects of the civilization of India. The purpose of Coomaraswamy's book is to show the power of India's soul, to show all the riches that it holds Stored up, with which to ennoble and render happy the human race. In these interesting essays, the vast and tranquil metaphysic of India is unfolded; her conception of the universe, her social organisation, perfect in its day and Still capable of adaptation to the demands of modern times; the solution which she offers for the feminist problem, for the problems of the family, of love, of marriage; and lastly, the magnificent revelation of her art. This present edition has been freshly recomposed with the main objective to provide a better printed text to the readers.

About the Author Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a pioneering art historian and philosopher of Indian art who was an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West. His publications form an important contribution to Indian art.

Foreword HERE ARE a number of us in Europe for whom European Tcivilisation no longer suffices-dissatisfied children of the spirit of the West, who feel ourselves cramped in our old abode, and who, without depreciating the subtlety, the brilliance, the heroic energy of a philosophy which conquered and ruled the world for more than two thousand years, nevertheless have had to confess its insufficiencies and its limited arrogance. We few look towards Asia!

Asia, the great land of which Europe is but a peninsula, the advance guard of the army, the prow of the heavy ship, laden with a thousand wisdoms... from her have always come to us our gods and our ideas. But, in the course of the many circuits made by our peoples who followed the track of the sun, losing contact with our native East, we have deformed, for our own ends of violent and limited action, the universality of her great thoughts.

And now the Western races find themselves trapped deep in a blind alley, and are savagely crushing each other out of existence. Let us snatch our souls from the bloody rout! Let us strive to win back to the great crossways whence flow out to the four points of the sky streams of human genius. Let us climb back to the high plains of Asia!

It is true that Europe has never scorned the roads of Asia when the business in hand was pillage or extortion, or exploitation of the material riches of her countries under the banner of Christ or of Civilisation. But what benefit has she drawn from Asia's spiritual wealth? That has lain buried in collections and in archaeological museums. A few brilliant tourists, members of Academies, have nibbled at its crumbs, but the spiritual life of Europe has derived no benefit from it.

**Contents and Sample Pages**