The great empire of Kalinga was spread from the Ganges to the Godavari. In such a large empire in ancient India, there was a small & obscure village named Parnia. In this unimportant village there lived a master stone carver who was very proficient in his craft producing life like statues out of stone. Kalinga was at its height of fine arts, then. This arts man had a daughter whose name was Devasee. Devasee was famous for her dazzling beauty, far & wide.
Like ego of wealth, position & power the ego of good looks turns a person cranky & useless. How can a young girl escape this dangerous human weakness? Parnia & the surrounding villages were blessed with many young artists & carvers, men who were cool & fairly handsome but none could win her heart. Her inflated ego could see none of them as a real suitor.
With time Devasee became so beautiful that her name was enough to make the princess of Kalinga wince & shudder! And what a coincidence, with beauty her ego also flared!
One day a young man neared the village. A spiritual seeker, Dhananjay was roaming in search of a spiritual master. The truth of life has become so important to him, that he left his lucrative job of statue making. The night was fast approaching & he decided to stay in the village. In those day there were no hotels or resorts. Travelers who want to spend the night use to reach the village temple where they could shelter themselves. By chance, the worried father of Devasee met this youth. He thought, “this young man must be a suitor for my daughter & that is why he has come to our village”. Without even asking the purpose of his visit, he started giving his & his daughter’s introduction to the youth. When the proud Devasee saw this young man in front of their art studio she rejected him in her mind due to his short height, blunt features & dark complexion. Even she was heard commenting to her beautiful companions, “Look at the audacity of the black Beetle who is so keen to ask the most beautiful flower, to tie knots!”, at which all of them laughed.
The old statue maker wanted to make him impressed. With this in his mind he was showing him around in their studio. He showed him the prettiest statue of a girl, which he himself had carved & the guest smiled politely. ” Sir, Dhananjay said,”Please look at the stainless artistry of the Supreme Being, who has created this world out of fire, water, air,earth & ether. Can we find such quality of art in a human creator’s work?”
The old man was astonished. He recollected,”So many of them came to get Devasee’s hand & vanished like mushroom-colonies in sun, but this young man is different.” He could not restrain himself from being influenced by the young man’s character! He still wanted to impress the youth with the statues made by him & Devasee, the rewards, the laurels they have won from people at high places. At last he wanted the man to meet Devasee & so took him to his house by the side of the studio. Introducing Devasee to the young man he didn’t forget to mention that as far as beauty is concerned she stands tall even amongst princess.
Ah! said the young character, smiling & glancing at Devasee,”So you are Devasee, who has crushed the hopes of many young men to dust. I have heard about you young lady! But don’t you think, the beauty which you assume to be your property is in fact a fever of few years at the most? It is transient, cant last for ever!
Then murmuring to himself that this is no place for him to stay, lifted his baggage & started moving out. The father daughter duo stared at such a person astonished! Devasee wanted to call the youth back, but by the time she got back her voice, Dhananjay was gone in to the dark night.
Friends beauty is OK but not everything. character is the most important possession for any conscientious person!