According to one of the Shilpa Shastras, “the Shilpan (artificer) should understand the Atharva Veda, the thirty-two Shilpa Shastras, and the Vedic mantras by which the deities are invoked, piously acquiring a knowledge of various sciences, such a one is indeed craftsman.”
Elsewhere it is said, “the painter must be a good man, no sluggard, not given to anger; holy learned, self-controlled, devout and charitable, such should be his character.” It is added that "he should work in solitude, or when another artist is present, never before a layman.”
In this connection, the artisan or artist possessed an assured status in the form of a life contract, or rather a hereditary office. He was trained from his childhood as his father’s disciple and followed his father’s calling as a matter of course.
He was a member of a guild, and guilds were recognized and protected by the king. The artificer was protected from competition and undercutting; it is said: “That any other than Shilpan should build temples, towns, seaports, tanks or wells, is comparable to the sin of murder.”
Excerpts from:
Ananda K Coomaraswamy. “The Dance of Shiva: Fourteen Essays”
Ananda K Coomaraswamy. “The Dance of Shiva: Fourteen Essays”
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
