Kalatattvakosa Vol.I: (A Lexicon of Fundamental Concepts of the Indian Arts, Pervasive Terms Vyapti)

Kalatattvakosa series of the IGNCA has endeavoured to evolve an important modern device to grasp the essential thought and knowledge system of the Indian tradition. Through an indepth investigation into the primary sources of various disciplines, the series aims at facilitating the reader to comprehend the interlocking of different disciplines. The present volume: Vyapti is the first (revised edition) in the series. It contains the pervasive terms of Indian culture and thought. In spite of their apparent abstractness, these concepts have greatly influenced the theory and practice of the arts. This volume contains eight major articles on the following concepts : brahman, purusa, atman, sarira, prana, bija, Laksana and silpa.

Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan has provided the conceptual framework to the whole project. Prof. Bettina Baumer, a renowned scholar on Kashmir Saivism and Silpasastra, has edited the volume. Besides the editor other contributors are: Late Prof. Prem Lata Sharma, Pandit H. N. Chakravarty, Prof. K. D. Tripathi and Prof. R. N. Misra.

IMPORTANT REVIEWS
"It is, in fact, a concerted efforts to change the face of Indian art history by providing an easier access to the intricacies of Sanskrit aesthetic terminology." - Michael Brand,
Australian National Gallery (South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol. 12(2), 1989)

"This is a very important reference and source book that any serious scholar would need to consult frequently." - N. Ramanathan (Sruti, 1994)

"The task undertaken is admirable and ambitious and the vast source material, carefully selected and presented in original Sanskrit, Pali or Prakrit accompanied with a standard English translation, is very impressive indeed. The interpretation of this documentation is restrained and reasonable and at the same time suggestive and imaginative." - Gyula Wojtilla
(Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Budapest, Vol. 51(3), 361-371, 1998)

"The Kalatattvakosa is an indispensable tool for the Sanskritists interested in higher textual criticism in specialized disciplines of Ayurveda, Vyakarana, Jyotisa, Ganita, Darsana, Itihasa, Purana, Vastu, Silpa, Sangita, Natya and Alankara, for it provides the necessary background in the semantic evolution of several technical terms within the holistic frame work of Indian cultural heritage in a historical perspective… the project of Kalatattvakosa is throwing open new vistas in the studies of Indian culture, with special reference to Indian artistic traditions." - M. Srimannarayana Murti
(S.V.U. Oriental Journal, Triupati, Vol. XLII, 1999)

Preface to the Second Edition:

This first Volume of Kalatattvakosa has been out of print for some years and there has been a great demand for its revised edition. Meanwhile Volume II on Concepts of Space and Time has come out in 1992, Volume III on Primal Elements - Mahabhuta in 1996 and Volume IV on Manifestation of Nature - Srsti-vistara in 1999. In these volumes the methodology and context of the articles has been improved and enlarged soa as to set a format for the entire series. But due to the specific nature of the first volume it has not been possible to revise it in complete uniformity with the following volumes.

While revising this volume our aim was mainly to eliminate factual errors and printing mistakes. The selection of terms has not been changed. However, the volume has been given the title: Pervasive Terms - Vyapti which remained a desideratum in the previous edition. Uniformity with the series has also been achieved with regard to bibliography and index which add to the usefulness of this Lexicon.

The positive response to the first four volumes of Kalatattvakosa has been a great encouragement and confirmation that this series is fulfilling a unique and necessary task. It has been stressed repeatedly by readers and reviewers that the articles do not only throw light on the connection of the Indian Arts with others fields of knowledge, but that they actually present an insight into Indian culture as a whole, based on fundamental concepts. Hence the Lexicon is useful for students and teachers as a source of textual material and for any reader interested in Indian culture, providing the basic insights of the Indian traditions and arts. The reader is referred to the Introductions to Vols II, III and IV for a more detailed description of the general approach and methodology of the Lexicon.

I thankfully acknowledge the assistance of the coordinator, Dr. R. C. Sharma, Prof. V. N. Misra, academic adviser and of the staff of the Varanasi office who have carefully revised the book: Dr. S. Chattopadhyay, Dr. N. C. Panda, Dr. Pranati Ghosal, and Sri Gautam Kumar Chatterjee has efficiently composed the text in the computer. I also thank Dr. Advaitavadini Kaul and Dr. R. Sathyanarayana for their suggestions.