Ahalya is not a character but a symbol. When a symbol is analyzed then it becomes a character. A character unfolds to reveal its hidden reality. One of the best examples of this is the story of Ahalya. In the story of Ahalya, every character represents a symbol. Ahalya is the symbol of beauty. Indra is the symbol of indulgence. Gautama is the symbol of ego and Rama is the symbol of renunciation and spirit. ` Beauty is not only visual but also a realization. It could be superficial but also has a finer and deeper meaning. When the essence of beauty is not realized, both beauty and its observation are incomplete. Beauty creates as well as destroys delusion. Indra created delusion in Ahalya while Rama destroyed it. In the rise and fall of …show more content…
But stigma remained. The mere touch of Indra led Ahalya’s downfall and her emancipation was instantly realized by the touch of Rama. Was it so easy and simple? Ahalya, the daughter of Brahma, grew up with the sound of Om and was not an ordinary woman. She was well versed in the Vedas thanks to her father. As the wife of Gautama, she was a respected Vedic woman due to his high status. However, with the touch of lustful Indra, she slid on the path of sin. As it is not easy for a woman like Ahalya to commit sin, it is essential to analyze the downfall and also the transcendence of Ahalya from psychological and sociological perspectives. Many complicated, psychological, sociological and economic reasons drive a person towards committing a sin. Hence Ahalya’s carnal desire cannot be the cause of her downfall. Many years of penance is needed for salvation. Likewise, to commit a sin, long-lasting deprivation, pain, psychological trauma, revolt, depression and the resulting conflict play major roles. Committing a sin needs no less diligence than obtaining salvation. So, why is there contempt for sin? Many Vedic scholars have analyzed the symbolism of Ahalya, Indra, and Gautama. Sometimes Ahalya is assumed to be the dawn and Indra is the cloud. By smearing the dark cloud on the forehead of dawn, Indra has become the illicit lover of Ahalya. But many scholars have depicted Ahalya as the virgin soil which is yet to be toiled. By bestowing rain
In the work of literature “The Siren Song,” we notice a variety of archetypes, despite the lack of characters. An archetype is a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology.
Dr.Kesiraju Ramprasad said that “Beauty isn't about having a pretty face. It is having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and most importantly a beautiful soul”. However, truthful the Doctors quote may be, it is often not what is viewed as important in real life situations. In society, beauty
She immediately notices “the dark, shining stream of water” running at the “foot” of the mountain. The use of the word “dark” gives “water” a negative connotation that depicts a negative change in the life of Fiela and Selling in which they are no longer allowed to be together, which further enhances the fear of loss felt by Fiela. Finally, Fiela finds Selling chained to another convict “working with his feet in the water”. Water is a biblically symbolic representation of rebirth and change. The fact that only Selling’s feet are in the water and he is not engulfed in water may foreshadow a short term change rather than the “lifetime” changes that Fiela
Beauty’s innate commentary to Society Concepts of beauty can be portrayed in everyday life. Jane Martin’s play entitled Beauty is the perfect example of how society perceives beauty and the subsequent benefits of possessing these unrealistic attributes. ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, this is a phrase that many may relate to and Jane’s play is a representation of this, making it a commentary to society’s unrealistic views of beauty. An in depth look, at how society’s perceptions of beauty affects not only those who measure themselves up to these standards but also those who fit into the mold themselves and this will be the aim of this essay.
"Beauty. Impossible to define it psychologically, because of the fullness of the aesthetic contemplation. (Panichas, p. 421, 422)
Humanity’s primary problem, according to Hinduism, is that we are ignorant of our divine nature. We have forgotten that we are extended from Brahman and have mistakenly attached ourselves to the desires of our separate selves, or egos, and thereby to the consequences of the resultant actions. Because of the ego’s attachment to its desires and individualistic existence, we have become subject to the law of karma. (Halverson)
Thesis: Many may find that the essence of beauty is primarily focused on what you look like, rather than what is deep within. It is an evil first instinct we all possess. Ugliness; however, is more than just what a person looks like. A person could be visually appealing, yet have evil intentions deep within. Likewise, a person could be deemed as ugly purely based on what they look like, but within they could have the most beautiful heart.
indu wisdom, which inspires humans to live the ideals of compassion and nonviolence, is captured in one word, ahimsa. In Sanskrit, himsa is doing harm or causing injury. The “a” placed before the word negates it. Very simply, ahimsa is abstaining from causing harm or injury. It is gentleness and noninjury, whether physical, mental or emotional. It is good to know that nonviolence speaks only to the most extreme forms of forceful wrongdoing, while ahimsa goes much deeper to prohibit even the subtle abuse and the simple hurt. Devout Hindus oppose killing for
Just what is beauty? We all have our own definition of beauty because everyone has there own distinctive style and attractiveness. Therefore, we must respect why some people find beauty in things while others would not simply because beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Now we all are attracted to all sorts of things, but have you ever asked yourself why? Is it simply because it is beautiful or does the meaning go beyond that? I tend to believe the latter is true so lets take love for example. It is the most beautiful thing in the world because you get a sense of being, are likely attracted to the person you are in love with, it stimulates you and you probably feel complete. However, beauty
Another belief is that though Hindu mythology mentions a class of evil beings, opposed to the celestial spirits, essential Hindu philosophy does not believe in any concept of a central Devil or Satan. This does not mean that all the evil in the world is attributed to God, but that the evil deed is ascribed to human ignorance (Fisher, M. P., 2005). These actions determine the course of life and the life cycle for the soul in its subsequent life. Virtuous actions take the soul closer to the Supreme Divine, and lead to a birth with higher consciousness. Evil actions hinder this recognition of the Supreme Divine, and the soul takes lower forms of worldly life. All existence, according to Hinduism, from vegetation to mankind, is subjects to the eternal Dharma, which is the natural law
know the feeling one can have when one hears a beautiful song that brings joy to ones heart, stand in a field of flowers that excites ones eyes, or admire a face that is visually pleasing. The controversial issue that surrounds beauty is that some believe that true beauty is defined by someone’s outer appearance, while others believe it is something that is experiences through a person’s character. Beauty is defined as the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the sense or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. The secret of beauty has been a quest of humans for centuries. It has been determined that women and some men spend up to one third of their income on products and procedures that enhance their looks. People spend way too much time looking in the mirror, scrutinizing, worrying, fretting, and wishing people could change something about themselves. People dream of looking like the girl at work because she has great hair, or the girl people meet at a party because she is skinny, with the perfect nose. This happens because people are constantly on social media. A pretty face is not a complete definition of beauty, nor is the quality of one being kind and compassionate. To contain beauty, someone or something does not have to be physically beautiful. Beauty is everywhere. Take a simple flower.
Mahasweta Devi’s short story, “Giribala,” is about the life of Giribala, a girl of Talsana village located in India. Born into a caste in a time when it was still customary to pay a bride-price, Giri is sold to Aulchand by her father. From this point on, we see a series of unfortunate, tragic events that take place in Giri’s life as a result of the circumstances surrounding Giri’s life. There are many issues in Giri’s life in India that Devi highlights to readers. First, the economic instability of the village leads to an extremely poor quality of life for the lower, working classes. Next, the cruel role of women determined by men in society is to either satisfy the sexual desires of men or to reproduce offspring who can work or be sold off to marriages. There are also other social norms and beliefs which discriminate against women that will be discussed.
The definition of beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty has negative and positive influences on mostly people. Beauty is described by the inside and outside of us. Due to beauty, our self-esteem has been hurt dramatically, especially towards girls. Beauty is not always about our outside looks but it’s about our inside personality also.
A commonly mistaken perception of beauty is its need to be aesthetically perfect, but this is not one of its true qualities. As stated
What is beauty? How do we decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of information telling us what is beautiful, but what fact is that information based on? The topic of beauty has been studied, analyzed and controversial for centuries. We all know the feeling you can have when you hear a beautiful song that brings joy to your heart, stand in a field of flowers that excites your eyes, or admire a face that is visually pleasing. As human beings, we are all drawn to beauty, but what is it that makes something beautiful? The controversial issue that surrounds beauty is that some believe that true beauty is defined by someone’s outer appearance, while others believe it is something that is experienced through a person’s