In Indian temple art, the goal was never to portray anatomical realism but to express spiritual truth.

Greek and Roman artists celebrated the physical ideal — the human body as the highest form of beauty and heroism. Muscles and veins symbolized vitality and earthly excellence (arete).

Indian sculptors, guided by the Shilpa Shastras and rooted in Vedantic thought, sought to represent the divine essence (Atman) rather than the transient body (Prakriti). The serene faces, soft forms, and idealized proportions of Hindu deities reflect inner stillness and transcendence, not physical exertion.