Once there was a man who had a beautiful wife and two very loving children. Being a rich trader, his family had all the luxuries one could afford. Still this person was unhappy and restless from within. He always tried to search true epitomic beauty.
One day without telling anyone he left his house to find a solution to his query. After wandering a several miles he came across a Saint who was in deep meditation. After the Saint’s ritual was over, the man fell down to his feet and put forth his dilemma. He asked, ” Sir! Where can I find eternal beauty?” The Saint replied, “My dear son, beauty is nothing but devotion and faith. Faith only can turn a piece of stone into worshipable deity. Without faith none of us can survive.” The Saint’s answer could not satisfy the man’s quandry. Hence, a little confused he moved further. In the evening he found a disciple who was busy worshipping and offering prayers to his deity. The trader asked him his question to which the disciple said, ” Friend! Beauty is synonymous to true and selfless love. Where there is love all the faults of a person get camouflaged and one can experience divine bliss.” The man, still not convinced, moved ahead. Lastly he spotted a tired and a wounded soldier who had just returned from a battlefield. He asked the soldier, ” Friend! What is beauty?” The soldier was returning home after several months of fighting in a war. He replied, ” Even a few moments of peace are beautiful for me.”
The man now dejected, thought it best to return home. Next morning he started towards his house. On reaching home, he saw that all the members of his family were very scared and anxious about his well being. He was warmly welcomed and tightly embraced by all. His son started crying with pleasure. He experienced devotion, faith, love, peace and beauty in his own family. The reunion provided a strange but pleasant environment in the house. The person by now had clearly understood and identified the most beautiful creation of the Supreme Being- the inner beauty of Self which makes good natured human beings.
Pragya Puran-3,
Pg.-18