Page 1 - March 2026

The Beauty of Bhagavan

eauty, as it is commonly understood, pleases the senses.
BHowever, Shri Rama’s image purifies the mind and elevates the
heart. Goswami Tulsidasji's immortal stuti – çré rämacandra kåpälu
bhaju mana – while praising Bhagavan’s physical attributes, extols
His compassion, grace, generosity, and courage. As Pujya Guruji
points out, Bhagavan’s “beauty is because of which everything else
in the world is called beautiful.” 1
The Ramayana illustrates how such beauty affected even
Shri Rama’s enemies. Khara and Dushan approached Him with
hatred and aggression, yet were momentarily mesmerized by
the Lord’s serene presence. Their rage subsided, and for a brief
moment, they forgot to fight. Maricha’s story reveals this most
poignantly. As the golden deer, he chose death by Rama’s arrow
over death at Ravana’s hands, and as he fled, he kept looking back
to soak in the magnificent vision of Bhagavan running after him!
This same beauty moved the Sages and women ascetics to long
for union with the Lord as his wives. Even the animals of the
2
forest – elephants, deer, and birds – were drawn by His luminous
presence.

Fortunately for us, beauty is not confined to divine incarnations
alone. Shri Rama’s magnetism illustrates that wherever deep love,
compassion, selflessness, inner discipline, and righteousness
prevail – beauty radiates naturally. The outer form simply reflects
the inner state. A mother, her face marked by age and sacrifice,
may not meet conventional standards of attractiveness, yet to
her child, she is the most beautiful person in the world!

May the celebration of Ramanavami inspire us to cultivate
Shri Rama’s virtues in our own lives. We wish all our
readers a blessed and beautiful Ramanavami.
Editorial
1 Hymn to Rama, Swami Tejomayananda
2 He honoured their purity and fulfilled their longing in His
future incarnation as Krishna.

Tapovan Prasad 7 March 2025