Lt Col R K langar
Beauty in true sense which attracts and appeals does not lie that m#uch at the body or surface level of a human being. Real and lasting beauty is inside a person at a deeper level who possesses human, moral and spiritual values and exhibits these values in his conduct and behavior. A person may have a good physical look but may not be that beautiful from inside as compared to his or her outer appearance. Conversely a person may not impress you at first sight but turns out to be beautiful within when you interact with him. Real personality of a person is his character which is the sum total of inner virtues of the person which give him inner strength and originality. Of the two beauties inner and outer, real beauty is the inner beauty which is based on the virtues and values a person exhibits.
Beauty defined
Oxford dictionary defines beauty as something which is very pleasing to the senses. Beauty is that which gives satisfaction enjoyment and happiness when you come in its contact. Beauty is that which attracts you and draws your attention. It is a fact of life that your attention follows the object of your attraction. Where attention goes energy flows and if the attention is uninterrupted, it develops into a sort of infatuation and desire to get associated with the object of your attention.
We shall take an example to differentiate between outer and inner beauty of a person. Suppose you enter a hall where there are ten persons, men and women, whom you have never met before. Now you are asked to speak to only one person out of the ten who are present inside the hall. How would you select that one person. Obviously you would like to speak to that person who appeals to you with his or her outer appearance. This is quite natural on your part. Natural here means which is adopted by almost all as an easy and comfortable course. Also if you are a man you may prefer to talk to a woman and if you are a woman your choice could be to talk to a man. Ofcourse it is not mandatory but it could be a reason for selection of the person you wish to talk to. But when you interact with the person of your choice, you find that his inner disposition is not that attractive as is his outer appearance. His physical looks are beautiful but his talk does not convey that he holds beauties of higher values of life within.
Inner beauty- what does it convey
As per the Hindu philosophy all living beings are divine at the core. The soul or Atma inside all beings is a fraction of God Almighty which has three inherent divine qualities which are Truth, Knowledge or Wisdom and Bliss. Only human beings are capable of awakening the soul’s inherent qualities. These qualities are not only to be awakened or actualized with yoga but these must become an inseparable part of you to the extent that these come out in form of behaviour and conduct. It is not just knowing that you are truthful and knowledgeable but it is to experience that you are so which comes by practicing these values. It is well said that one ounce of practice is better than 1000 tons of just knowing the virtues. The sweetness of your conduct is directly linked with your inner awakened virtues and values. What is the use of black dense clouds if they do not rain and benefit the fields down below. Similarly your inner virtues must be exhibited in your conduct and benefit those who come in your contact. When we say that so and so is a beautiful person we are not only referring to his physical charm but we are also referring to his conduct and behavior with a greater weightage.
Outer beauty verses inner beauty
Good physical looks of a person does not take us very far, it is the inner beauty of a person which eventually matters. Physical beauty of a person declines proportionately with the advancing age whereas inner beauties move forward as we become more matured with the passage of time. To improve physical beauty is not totally in our hands even if we give utmost attention to it but to improve upon inner beauties of mind and intellect inside us and to understand spirituality is entirely under our control. We can enhance them to occupy total space inside us so that irrelevant, negative and waste thoughts find no vacant space to enter inside us. When you are complete from within, you acquire an elevated consciousness which does not allow you to do any thing wrong. You understand what it means to be spiritual. You give comfort to those who come into your contact and you remain ever motivated to do something good to the others.
Beauty must be appreciated
Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad Gita that who ever being is glorious, beautiful and powerful take it for guaranteed that this has come out from a fraction of my splendor. Therefore beauty being God’s splendor must be appreciated. A beautiful face and body should be appreciated. We do not have to deaden our senses on the plea that real beauty is not skin deep. However beauty in ascending order will be a beautiful face and body, a beautiful mind which is pure and produces impressive speech and good conduct, a beautiful intellect which has the power to discern with deep understanding and wisdom. The highest beauty is spiritual beauty or the beauty of Atma which has a universal outlook, sees oneness and sees unity in diversity. Spiritual beauty is the highest beauty which we keep on discovering progressively with the passage of time. On the other hand physical beauty of a person decays with the passage of time.
Conclusion
We should value a man more for his inner beauties and virtues than him who is appealing in his outer appearance and has outer possessions and status. Inward beauty gives grace, gentleness to outward form and movement. It is inward beauty which makes an ordinary face look beautiful. Unless you are beautiful from inside your external beauty can lead to artificiality. Also when you are beautiful from inside you appreciate the beauty of nature and environment. Inner beauty also inclines you towards the sound of music and goodness of art and creativity. We need not neglect our surface beauty, our gestures and our tidiness but greater emphasis needs be given to nourish our inside with truth, nonviolence, love, peace, compassion and benevolence. Inner beauty gives completeness and adequacy which is lacking in outer beauty. Inner beauty also becomes a cause of your equal mindedness, equal vision and contentment.
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