We all are naturally drawn towards beauty. But what is true beauty? Bhagawan lovingly reminds us through a beautiful example from the Ramayana.
Inner charm is the genuine beauty. Sita who was imprisoned in Ashoka Vana in Lanka, was suddenly confronted by a monkey; but, that ugly creature struck her as full of beauty, when it brought her the long-awaited message from Rama! The loveliness of the Vana (garden), the appealing scenery, the bright beautiful ware that Ravana spread before her could not win her heart; but the one word, ‘Rama’ endeared her to the strange monkey crouched on top of the tree under which she was encircled by ogresses. The beauty of Nature is but a reflection of the beauty that is God. But, like all images, it is not substantial. Flowers fade, clouds scatter into new patterns, physical charm is but a flash that disappears in a moment – but, Divine Beauty is eternal, full, and free. That Sundaram (beauty), is Satyam (Truth), unaffected by the passage of Time, and unchanging with the location; that Sundaram is the real Shivam, the only Good that is.
– Divine Discourse, Oct 25, 1972.
