Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram-Part III

One whose heart is filled with inner beauty does not degrade himself or get attached to outer beauty. A saint was staring at a beautiful woman. Some of his devotees gently told him that it was not decent to stare at a woman. He said, "I was admiring the Lord who created such beauty.

How much more beautiful must He be!"

Another Sanskrit verse says:

Stotram Srutena na tu kundalena d
anena pani na tu kankanena
Vibhati kayah khalu sajjananam
Paropakarena na tu candanena

The ears are beautified by satsang, not by ear-rings. The hands are beautified by charity, not by bangles. The body of good people is beautified by the good deeds and not by sandal paste.

A lady was admiring the ear-rings given by her husband. She thanked him profusely. He said, "Don't just thank me. Thank the Lord who gave you the ears to hand them on". It is not only the outer decoration that beautifies the body. The purpose for which each organ and limb is given to us should be fulfilled. Then alone is there true beauty.

The ears are meant to listen to noble thoughts, to gain knowledge, which blesses others and ourselves. It is not meant for listening to gossip and trash. The hands are meant to give what you have to the needy and weak. A man was resisting the persuasion of a lady to buy a ticket for a charity show. Finally he said, I cannot come for the show as I am busy, but I support your cause in spirit." The lady was quick.

She said, "Then buy a ticket for your spirit." People, we find, generally avoid giving in charity"

It is good deeds, done without selfish motives, which are the true decorations of man .Make up, ornament and clothes are merely superficial adornments. Someone said, "Your inner beauty gets reflected in the smiles of the faces of people around you".

A young man belonging to a particular Parish never attended Sunday mass. He was labelled an atheist. The priest however, was not convinced and delved further. He found out what he did each Sunday and declared to the congregation, "This young man is the most devout believer. An old man in the far off village is abandoned by all to attend the Sunday mass. He goes there to serve the old man".

When we say that ear-rings, bangles and make-up do not adorn a person, we are not criticizing physical beauty. We only point out its limitations and praise inner beauty. The scriptures too say that a thing should not be criticized for its own sake, but in order to praise another, so that man will take to the good and leave the opposite (na hi ninda mindyam ninditum pravartate, kintu vidheyasya stutyartham).

In conclusion, let us pray to the Lord that each day of this year be filled with greater inner and outer beauty and auspiciousness, taking us closer to our true nature which is Satyam Sivam Sundaram.

About the author

Swami Tejomayananda

Swami Tejomayananda, the Chairman and spiritual head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide, is one of the foremost disciples of Swami Chinmayananda. He is an outstanding teacher of Vedanta and an accomplished poet, author, and composer.