We're surrounded by beauty

“My heart leaps up when I behold the rainbow in the sky”, said William Wordsworth. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” said John Keats. How true! All things beautiful from the resplendent rainbow to the lovely thoughts and deeds of humans and even other living creatures make our hearts to explode in ecstasy. Beauty goes down into our very heart, that has many strings attached to our senses. The senses decide what beauty means to man. Beauty, Alankara, Lakshana and Alaha are common terms used by literary men.

From the beginning of time, beauty has been with man. Ancient carvings, inscriptions, writings, paintings, sculptures and music and the frescoes of Sigiriya have taversed with time making us and the future generations to see beautiful works of man. Above all they are everlasting creations of beauty”. The sublime statue at Aukana the Samadhi and all other statues of great religious leaders are beautiful to look at.

The last supper and Mona Lisa are beautiful works of art. Our heart leaps out when gazing at the Diyaluma, St. Clair, Laxapana, Niagara and Victoria water falls. Some say beauty is skin deep. It's a fallacy. Beauty means much more to the mothers of the ugly quadruped reptile. Our geta kimbula, the poisonous centipede, the Tasmanian monster and the one horned rhinoceros and the offspring are the most beautiful creatures on earth. Innocent Desdemona flies into the arms of the dark and sooty Moor, Othello because she sees his visage in his mind. It's fascinating!.

Beauty surrounds man. It lingers on. Beautiful eyes make one's heart to glow. Beauty has been immortalised by way of songs and in books. Helen's beauty could launch a thousand ships,”

We see beauty all around us. But life is never strewn with beauty. Despair, sorrow make beauty to take a step back. It is then and only then that we look up at the beautiful faces of our teachers with honour and faith. As much as they give us comfort even others too could use the beautiful gifts given to us as the most consummate of beings to make the world we live an abode of beauty.

Beautiful eyes can see the world around us. The beautiful hands of the angels of healing, the hands of the physiotherapist. The hands lighting the lamp at the altar, hands helping the infirm, hands give a beautiful glimpse of man's humaneness. Then again, beautiful hands made the Taj Mahal, the pyramids, great reservoirs, canals and the dagobas.

Then we have our beautiful feet. They tread on the paths of beauty. Great teachers walked on the beautiful earth, preaching their words on love and compassion. Our beautiful feet take us to Sripada, Mihintale and the Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura. Some use their feet in simulating the agonising track of Jesus Christ up Calvary. Then come our shoulders. Mothers bear the unfathomable burden of carrying the family on her shoulders, padded with love and caring with a beautiful smiling face.

Beauty will lose its meaning if our little gem of an island is not mentioned. Or invaders named her the pearl of the Indian Ocean'. It is indeed a beautiful nation with a lovely set of people whose smile alluring hospitality and tradition. It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, blessed by all those in whom we believe.

Finally, man has to leave this world after seeing the beautiful, ugly and the bad sides of humans life. Still we strive to live beautiful lives, preparing for the final journey.

‘Beauty’ comes as a noun, adjective, adverb, and is the most often used word in making human to understand the reason for our existence of this beautiful planet.

-SJ