Nepal Where the Gods Are Young Paperback Book by Pratapaditya Pal 1975

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Nepal Where the gods are young Paperback January 1, 1975 by Pratapaditya Pal.
Published by Los Angeles County Museum of … Read more Nepal Where the gods are young Paperback January 1, 1975 by Pratapaditya Pal.
Published by Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Publication Date: 1975.
Edition: First Edition.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Asia Society (January 1, 1975).
Language ‏ : ‎ English.
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 136 pages.
This is a wonderful catalogue of an exhibition shown in the Asia House Gallery in the fall of 1975.
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.
Pratapaditya Pal does a pretty good job explaining the many different Gods and Goddess 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. See less