621. Sensory Judgment and Intellectual Judgment!!!!!!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/sensory-judgment-and-intellectual-judgment

Judging a subject with the help of external senses and valuating it is sensory judgment. It involves appreciation of colour, smell, taste, touch, and sound, it other words it looks for the overall outward beauty. It only looks for the beauty aspects in the subject irrespective of its use and applications. The subject so valued is more often to please others and elevate the feel good factor by doing so.

While intellectual judgment evaluates the subject using only the intellect and avoids the interference of the external senses and the mind. It involves appreciation of its inner beauty and gives importance to the use and application of the subject rather than its beauty and overall outlook. It goes in for the valuation of its worth irrespective of its looks.

Yes, in this society which gives more importance to make believe outer beauty than inner beauty. We have seen that a good looking person is always the choice for the job, and there is no need to look for inner beauty at that juncture. These are the things that make us believe that outer beauty is very important mainly physical attractiveness. But it is well known that it is inner beauty that is more valued. The craze for the outer beauty has made younger generation to look to plastic surgery and make up the defaults to look more beautiful. This has made the plastic surgery more and more demanding.

So, what is real beauty??

The real beauty is the inner beauty because if someone has beauty in his soul, he looks like a really beautiful person. The beauty that is appreciated by our eye doesn't last forever. Instead of concentrating on outer beauty, we should concentrate on inner beauty. If efforts are made to make our minds beautiful, we'll be at bliss.

I remember a story of Sage Ashtavakra (whose Ashtavakragita is considered to be a profound scripture.) who acquired his name when he was in his mother’s womb and overheard his father reciting the Vedas which was wrongly pronounced and could not resist the temptation to correct his father, Sage Kahoda. Enraged, his father cursed him to be born bent in eight places (ashta vakra).

Nevertheless, he grew into a wise and enlightened being. When he was 12 years old, King Janaka of Mitila hosted a huge debating conference which Ashtavakra decided to attend. Because of his deformed body, Ashtavakra attracted ridicule everywhere. It was no different at the court of King Janaka, filled to the brim with learned scholars and revered sages.

As soon as he entered the court’s portals, he was greeted with a loud peal of mocking laughter. The scholars and sages could not help laughing at the sight of this young boy, so twisted and malformed. Ashtavakra joined in the merriment and laughed along. King Janaka was astonished. Beckoning him, he said, “I can understand why the others are laughing, but why are you?”

With a look of immeasurable composure, Ashtavakra said, “I laugh because I expected to see enlightened souls in your court, but I see that they are nothing more than Chamars (Cobblers). They are not able to see beyond the skin. All they see is my bent body and the skin covering it. In the curve of this temple the Consciousness is not curved? When a pot is destroyed, is the clay also destroyed? The Consciousness is beyond change. My body is twisted, but Consciousness that lighten this curved body is not.”

Silent with respect, King Janaka prostrated before Ashtavakra and took him as his Guru.