Rupa-lavanya-bala-vajra-samhananatvani kaya-sampat.
Rupa = beauty; Lavanya = fine complexion; Bala =
strength; Vajra-samhananatvani = very hard - like diamond; kaya
= body; Sampat = treasure, perfection.
Beauty, fine complexion, strength and extra-ordinary hardness constitute the treasure of a perfect body. III-47.
"As you think, so you become" says the great thinker emerson. Our thoughts shape our body. Negative emotions like anger, jealousy, greed etc distort the appearance of the face. People with innocent tendencies
e.g. artists, devotees etc who are full of Sattva have a typical soft face which is the natural beauty of the body achieved at the time of birth. Many people, like yogis of high order (Krsna etc), retain that innocence of childhood. (That does not mean they diamond as well as weapon of great god
Indira).
Michael Angelo, when asked about his ability to create beautiful statues, exclaims, "I don't create anything. In each and every stone a statues is already there. I only chisel off unnecessary parts."
Similarly our body has its natural beauty, complexion as well as inner stamina. Due to stresses,
tens mind percolates down at physical level, all the impurities of the body are dropped and the perfection of the body shines forth in all its glory as such. Added to that if one knows the art of mastery over Pancha Bhutas (which constitute the physical body as well), all that constitutes the treasure of the body (mentioned above) is achieved.
Community Comments:
Patanjali Yoga Sutra III-47 Rupa-lavanya-bala-vajra-samhananatvani kaya-sampat The way you feed your thoughts, the same you grow. Our thought process is very much responsible for the way we are today. Our attitude in negative circumstances decides the suppleness of our face and strength of our body. Our thoughts are the primary food for our appearance. People indulge in Sattva, especially artists, have bright glow within them.Poised people find beauty everywhere. They relate with the goodness of surroundings. But sometimes stress and other distractions can contaminate the innocence of face and physical strength of body. To attain all that again one needs to practice control over Panch Bhutas as mentioned by Patanjali.
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