Coomaraswamy and other art interpreters have read into Indian images metaphysicalmeanings extrapolated from scriptural sources. In this article it is arguedthat such meanings, with which image-making was doubtless invested, were intendedfor purposes of meditation and cannot be admitted as part of the objectiverepresentation of the images, except where they figure as iconographical features.The images were also not conceived as yantras, but as full-bodiedrepresentations conforming to objective norms. The metaphysical excursionsare largely extraneous to the aesthetic assumptions of Indian art and detractfrom its rich mythical content.