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THE BEACON
पूर्णता या परोपाधेः सा याचितकमण्डनम् । या तु स्वाभाविकी सैव जात्यरत्नविभानिभा॥
This ancient Sanskrit couplet points out that the man who feels he has attained perfection and deludes others into believing so, because he possesses the externals of material wealth, is like a man who decks himself out in borrowed garments. On a festive occasion, such as a wedding, many people make an outer show of pomp and splendour through borrowed clothes and jewellery and ornaments. And among the guests are seated the real owners of these clothes and jewellery and ornaments and surely they look upon the pomp with a mocking eye and say to themselves: “Look at this fool, he is trying to cut a fine figure in front of his guests in borrowed silks and all the homage and adoration he receives from his guests gives him a sense of completeness, of perfection; but how well we know that it is only a 'borrowed perfection'!”
As for the borrower, is he really satisfied and happy? Does he not suffer from a constant anxiety
