Page 1 - June 2025

The Heart of All Arts

SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA

he Sanskrit word for art is kalä. In Sanskrit, every letter also
Thas a meaning. The letter ka is happiness. Kalä is that which
brings out or manifests änanda. Therefore, the very purpose of kalä
is to bring out änanda.
Purpose of Kalä
How many kinds of kaläs are there? The çästras mention 64
kaläs and 14 vidyäs – but don’t expect me to list all 64! Even
stitching and weaving are considered kaläs, and päkakalä – the art
of cooking – is a universal favorite. Who doesn’t love food?
When we speak of saìgéta, it encompasses gétam (singing,
lyrics, and so on), vädyam (instruments), and nåtyam (dance). Then
there are citrakalä (painting), çilpakalä (sculpting), and many more.
But what is the purpose of these kaläs? To evoke änanda – joy –
and sukham – happiness.

Yet, every art needs a locus – an artist. Without an artist, kaläs
cannot manifest. So, there are two aspects: kalä, the art, and
kaläkära, the artist.

Transcribed and edited version of Pujya Guruji’s address at the 14 Naada Bindu
th
Festival, February 7, 2025, at Chinmaya Vibhooti.

The highest love is when we
LALITHA CHARITABLE seek, discover, and experience
our essential oneness with the
TRUST very substance of Truth, the
Secunderabad Lord. It is called devotion.
Swami Chinmayananda

Tapovan Prasad 20 June 2025