ON BEAUTY
It is very difficult to define the word Beauty! Several people have described beauty according to their experiences and reactions. This depends upon their sensibilities and inner perceptions. According to John Keats, the illustrious Romantic poet “ A. Thing of beauty is a joy for ever
It's loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness”
That was his perception of beauty. Can this be the final definition of beauty? Can this thing of beauty remain constant and unchanged for ages to come? Does its loveliness increase day by day? These are debatable questions.The baby is beautiful and innocent. As the baby grows it loses its beauty as well as it's innocence. Youth brings in beauty to individuals. But as age advances beauty declnes, folds appear,and the person becomes senile. He can only reflect on his beauty and see his past beauty only in photo albums! It is physical beauty that does not last for ever as man has to pass through various stages of life from childhood to old age and final exit! “ Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bones.” according to Dorothy Parker. “ Just because something is beautiful doesn't mean it is good” says Alex Flinn. When life itself is transient how can beauty of the body be permanent? It is natural that people are attracted to the colour and complexion of the body. Black color repels while fair skin attracts but both are impermanent. They do not reveal the inner tendencies of the individual! “ That always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they are pretty. It is like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste”says John Greene. Thus physical beauty, by its very impermanence, cannot be termed as ideal beauty though it is preferred and desired by all
“ Beauty is not related to the body, it originates from character and purity” says Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba. Beauty cannot be related to the body alone. It has much to do with the character and purity in individuals of exceptional caliber. It is the beauty of steadfastness, ability to weather many storms and tempests that put them apart from other individuals. “ The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen” says Elisabeth Kubler Ross.l individuals of such beautiful traits appear rarely in society. Their beauty is in their purity and character. “ Beauty is not in the face; it is a light in the heart” says the renowned writer Kahlil Gibran.
According to Confucius everything has beauty but not everyone sees it! Marcus Aurelius says, “ Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them”. There is nothing more beautful than Nature, the grand manifestation of God! Magnificent mountains, silvery streams, gurgling rivers, brilliant colourful trees, the blue sky and the azure oceans and seas, brambles and bushes, varieties of animals and plants--what an impressive beautiful sight! William Wordsworth was so enchanted withe the beauty of Nature that he glorified it through his poetry!
“ One impulse from vernal wood
May teach you more of man
Of moral, evil, and of good
Than all the sages can.”
He concludes by advising, “ Let Nature be your teacher”. According to Edgar Allan Poe “ There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion.” This beauty we see mostly in the breathtaking scenes of the mountains, waterfalls and valleys!
Beauty is not without its dangers! “ Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold” says the Stratford bard Shakespeare! It is because of this obsession in man that rapes, abductions and other heinous crimes are committed.Man has an inborn weakness for her physical beauty! Legend and history are replete with the names of great men who met their doom by falling in love with the beauty and charm of women. The great sage, Viswamitra, who gave us the Gayatri mantra, was himself the victim of Menaka’s viles! Indra, king of Gods, fell for the most beautiful Ahalya, wife of sage Gautama. Ravana, king of Lanka was down to dust by aspiring for the wife of Sri Rama! Mark Antony was ravished with the beauty of Queen Cleopatra when he exclaimed, “ Age cannot wither, nor custom steal her infinite variety”. Wherever there is beauty there is the possibility of danger! “ But he who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose” says Anne Bronte. The sandalwood tree by its fragrance invites the serpent to its presence!
Spiritual beauty is to be preferred to physical beauty! “ No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful” remarks Eleaner Roosevelt These qualities of heart, love, compassion, simplicity, forbearance, and above all sacrifice are far more beautiful than the transitory and glamorous shades of physical beauty! The human body is considered as the best work of God. Emerson says that as we grow old, the beauty steals inward. According to him love of beauty is taste while the creation of beauty is art. “ Beauty is the shadow of God on earth. We should never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful as a writer qpoints out that beauty is God’s hand writing --a wayside sacrament. As Keats says in his Ode on the Grecian Urn, “ Beauty is truth, truth beauty-- that is all
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