# Truth and Beauty



## beat_tramp (Feb 27, 2015)

Śrīla Prabhupāda first published this essay in India, in the old tabloid version of his then-fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead (November 20, 1958). It contains the unforgettable story of “liquid beauty,” in which Śrīla Prabhupāda dramatically exposes the underlying principle of human sexuality. This illuminating exposition on the nature of truth and beauty is timeless and startlingly relevant for those in search of the “inner self.”

There may sometimes be arguments about whether “truth” and “beauty” are compatible terms. One would willingly agree to express the truth, one might say, but since truth is not always beautiful—indeed, it is frequently rather startling and unpleasant—how is one to express truth and beauty at the same time?

In reply, we may inform all concerned that “truth” and “beauty” are compatible terms. Indeed, we may emphatically assert that the actual truth, which is absolute, is always beautiful. The truth is so beautiful that it attracts everyone, including the truth itself. Truth is so beautiful that many sages, saints, and devotees have left everything for the sake of truth. Mahatma Gandhi, an idol of the modern world, dedicated his life to experimenting with truth, and all his activities were aimed toward truth only.

Why only Mahatma Gandhi? Every one of us has the urge to search for truth alone, for the truth is not only beautiful but also all-powerful, all-resourceful, all-famous, all-renounced, and all-knowledgeable.

Unfortunately, people have no information of the actual truth. Indeed, 99.9 percent of men in all walks of life are pursuing untruth only, in the name of truth. We are actually attracted by the beauty of truth, but since time immemorial we have been habituated to love of untruth appearing like truth. Therefore, to the mundaner “truth” and “beauty” are incompatible terms. The mundane truth and beauty may be explained as follows.

Once a man who was very powerful and strongly built but whose character was very doubtful fell in love with a beautiful girl. The girl was not only beautiful in appearance but also saintly in character, and as such she did not like the man’s advances. The man, however, was insistent because of his lustful desires, and therefore the girl requested him to wait only seven days, and she set a time after that when he could meet her. The man agreed, and with high expectations he began waiting for the appointed time.

The saintly girl, however, in order to manifest the real beauty of absolute truth, adopted a method very instructive. She took very strong doses of laxatives and purgatives, and for seven days she continually passed loose stool and vomited all that she ate. Moreover, she stored all the loose stool and vomit in suitable pots. As a result of the purgatives, the so-called beautiful girl became lean and thin like a skeleton, her complexion turned blackish, and her beautiful eyes sank into the sockets of her skull. Thus at the appointed hour she waited anxiously to receive the eager man.

The man appeared on the scene well dressed and well behaved and asked the ugly girl he found waiting there about the beautiful girl he was to meet. The man could not recognize the girl he saw as the same beautiful girl for whom he was asking; indeed, although she repeatedly asserted her identity, because of her pitiable condition he was unable to recognize her.

At last the girl told the powerful man that she had separated the ingredients of her beauty and stored them in pots. She also told him that he could enjoy those juices of beauty. When the mundane poetic man asked to see these juices of beauty, he was directed to the store of loose stool and liquid vomit, which were emanating an unbearably bad smell. Thus the whole story of the beauty-liquid was disclosed to him. Finally, by the grace of the saintly girl, this man of low character was able to distinguish between the shadow and the substance, and thus he came to his senses.

This man’s position was similar to the position of every one of us who is attracted by false, material beauty. The girl mentioned above had a beautifully developed material body in accordance with the desires of her mind, but in fact she was apart from that temporary material body and mind. She was in fact a spiritual spark, and so also was the lover who was attracted by her false skin.

Mundane intellectuals and aesthetics, however, are deluded by the outward beauty and attraction of the relative truth and are unaware of the spiritual spark, which is both truth and beauty at the same time. The spiritual spark is so beautiful that when it leaves the so-called beautiful body, which in fact is full of stool and vomit, no one wants to touch that body, even if it is decorated with a costly costume.

We are all pursuing a false, relative truth, which is incompatible with real beauty. The actual truth, however, is permanently beautiful, retaining the same standard of beauty for innumerable years. That spiritual spark is indestructible. The beauty of the outer skin can be destroyed in only a few hours merely by a dose of a strong purgative, but the beauty of truth is indestructible and always the same. Unfortunately, mundane artists and intellectuals are ignorant of this beautiful spark of spirit. They are also ignorant of the whole fire which is the source of these spiritual sparks, and they are ignorant of the relationships between the sparks and the fire, which take the form of transcendental pastimes. When those pastimes are displayed here by the grace of the Almighty, foolish people who cannot see beyond their senses confuse those pastimes of truth and beauty with the manifestations of loose stool and vomit described above. Thus in despair they ask how truth and beauty can be accommodated at the same time.

Mundaners do not know that the whole spiritual entity is the beautiful person who attracts everything. They are unaware that He is the prime substance, the prime source and fountainhead of everything that be. The infinitesimal spiritual sparks, being parts and parcels of that whole spirit, are qualitatively the same in beauty and eternity. The only difference is that the whole is eternally the whole and the parts are eternally the parts. Both of them, however, are the ultimate truth, ultimate beauty, ultimate knowledge, ultimate energy, ultimate renunciation, and ultimate opulence.

Although written by the greatest mundane poet or intellectual, any literature which does not describe the ultimate truth and beauty is but a store of loose stool and vomit of the relative truth. Real literature is that which describes the ultimate truth and beauty of the Absolute.

- His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


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## drewski (Feb 27, 2015)

Vote for new rating: Unreadable.


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## scrutable (Feb 28, 2015)

'The Orthodox book mentioned above ( of wich Im not fully saying the title of all in one piece in case of copyright bullshit)...', I'd be amazed if you could breach copyright laws anywhere in the world merely by writing the title of a book out.


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## Tude (Feb 28, 2015)

@beat_tramp - hey ya got a link for this? Interesting stuff, long time read (and me getting a kindle soon no less), but a link would be good, thanks!


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## Deleted member 2626 (Feb 28, 2015)

Not to de-rail, but I had an outer body dream, have them quite often, after a whole day of cocaine use-starting around 9 that morning. Simply put and to describe just one image from there, one of your edited Orthodox pictures(beat_tramp) some how flashed in my chemical-ed mind and it was like a green and UV colored Orthodox religious painting and I was witness to it for a second or so, vividly and then the roll changed and I went to another planet or something other. . .
But let me say the thought of God or Jesus mind struck true. Not saying I believe it so much but it crossed my mind, while dreaming or coming in and out of the dream world, that may be all this dwelling on subjects of non reality and death and the big sleep do become what most everyone thinks. Or maybe the picture was a clue to something I've thought on a lot. .


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## beat_tramp (Feb 28, 2015)

scrutable said:


> 'The Orthodox book mentioned above ( of wich Im not fully saying the title of all in one piece in case of copyright bullshit)...', I'd be amazed if you could breach copyright laws anywhere in the world merely by writing the title of a book out.



I originally wrote this for my friends zine but you surely are clever.



Tude said:


> @beat_tramp - hey ya got a link for this? Interesting stuff, long time read (and me getting a kindle soon no less), but a link would be good, thanks!



Hey Tude despite that I have this huge pet peeve of ppl seeking approval from peers on STP and boost their low self esteem by trying to point out other peoples faults the fact of the matter is is that I AM kind of an ignoramous and could you clarify exactly what you were trying to communicate there?Thankyou sweetheart.(Whats a kindle?)



Tatanka said:


> Not to de-rail, but I had an outer body dream, have them quite often, after a whole day of cocaine use-starting around 9 that morning. Simply put and to describe just one image from there, one of your edited Orthodox pictures(beat_tramp) some how flashed in my chemical-ed mind and it was like a green and UV colored Orthodox religious painting and I was witness to it for a second or so, vividly and then the roll changed and I went to another planet or something other. . .
> But let me say the thought of God or Jesus mind struck true. Not saying I believe it so much but it crossed my mind, while dreaming or coming in and out of the dream world, that may be all this dwelling on subjects of non reality and death and the big sleep do become what most everyone thinks. Or maybe the picture was a clue to something I've thought on a lot. .



Thats really fucking interesting Tatanka.The first time I ever got attacked by a ghost in my sleep was when I was on cocaine when I was 15.It seems all kinds of various metaphysical stuff goes on with drugs including of course out of body experiences...Wether Jesus was/is who Christians believe him to be or not praying to him definently has proven effective as well as other higher beings in various religions,spiritual paths ,etc.I believe him to be a shyaktavesa avatar of some sort.Maybe even similiar to the god Shiva. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktyavesha_Avatar 

So to sum this reply up : ANYONE WHO EXPRESSES CRITICISM TO MY WRITINGS CAN GO TO HELL AND BURN FOR ETERNITY AND ANYONE WHO GIVES ME NOTHING BUT COMPLIMENTS IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL..Nah just kidding.Critics are often the writers' best friend.My shit is pretty unreadable in various ways and I am mostly self-educated and not extremely hip with alot of common knowledge on how things work in the normal world.But I still know that counterculture scenes online or in real life are full of the most despicabely insecure,know-it-all little hypocrit brats that thrive off of criticizing others in order to selfishly one-up themselves - worse-so than with mainstream people actually.But now Im inviting more of it and I should go ahead and just accept it as a given especially on STP - I always generater haters on this site ever since 2007!(Ill stop pising and moaning now.)


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## scrutable (Feb 28, 2015)

You're being a bit hypersensitive aren't you?


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## Deleted member 2626 (Feb 28, 2015)

Am I've had quite a many outter body dreams. Few times from whiskey and weed or just a weird mind and cocaine. I can't remember any LSD dreams or any other substances. I've had some of my most bizarre dreams where I am so fucking convinced I'm awake, then sure I'm not and see myself laying there, or I awake where I'm sleeping but its only a dream. I tell ya every time it reminds me of the big sleep


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## Beegod Santana (Mar 1, 2015)

Hmmmm, good luck with whatever you're chasing man. Maybe try for a trip to India? Maybe stop stealing gear from fellow musicians? Maybe, like, lay off the drugs for a week or 50? Cause it kinda sounds like you've had enough.


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## beat_tramp (Mar 1, 2015)

scrutable said:


> You're being a bit hypersensitive aren't you?



Yes mixed with the fact that when you publicly speak honestly and of God you naturally stir up envious natured people.I really should just accept nature shouldnt I.More than anything I erk at myself for accidently "casting pearls before swine lest they trample underfoot rend and attack."



Beegod Santana said:


> Hmmmm, good luck with whatever you're chasing man. Maybe try for a trip to India? Maybe stop stealing gear from fellow musicians? Maybe, like, lay off the drugs for a week or 50? Cause it kinda sounds like you've had enough.



Beegod some people are seeking something,others have found what they are seeking..No thanks on the trip to India Ive got everything I want and need where Im at...Thanks for the self righteous arrogant remark of wich I do agree with.I rarely use drugs but when I do they do throw me for a loop but aparently your ignorant of the concept of entheogens..It seems as if you think writing an essay is some sort of mistake by your arrogant comment..I dont know what to say for you man I guess direct your remark of tons of other writers who write about their drug/life experiences.Im surely no Burroughs or Ginsberg or Kerouac but yeah I guess your comment is just a personal attack of wich .. again - the one and only reason why a person such as yourself gets onto internet message boards and randomly talks shit is because you most definently have a low self-esteem that needs some sort of reassertion.



Tatanka said:


> Am I've had quite a many outter body dreams. Few times from whiskey and weed or just a weird mind and cocaine. I can't remember any LSD dreams or any other substances. I've had some of my most bizarre dreams where I am so fucking convinced I'm awake, then sure I'm not and see myself laying there, or I awake where I'm sleeping but its only a dream. I tell ya every time it reminds me of the big sleep



I know what you mean Tatanka!


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## beat_tramp (Mar 1, 2015)

People who try to share God really should be on their best behaviour in order not to give the haters(there are LOTS of haters and hypocritical fault-finders for God-believers) fuel for their personal attacks wich is exactly what they need to do in order for them to convince themselves of whatever they like to believe of wich your God-talk adjitates(woops I misspelled a word - this must be proof that Im wrong/ there is no God!See!)...A sight like STP is truely a cool thing and a needed hub for alternatives to mainstream life in its various forms and it being extremely hip it also is of the egotherical realm of ,in ways -more advanced sense gratification and just a different kind of materialism than mainstream materialism wich by nature makes it not the place where it is often wise to publicly discuss things in rigorous honesty as if to expect non-judgementalism and empathy.In other words mixing confessions of personal wrongs,taboo subjects like drugs/entheogens and God is a great way to be all-around scandalous and invite haters....My main concern is that mixed with my non-sense is spiritual truth wich is actually ,largely to be kept confidential and not just thrown out to anyone and everyone.Many people are simply in a spiritual state of being envy-natured and no amount of preaching or arguing with them does anyone any good...That being said - Im probably gonna take this post down pretty soon.Hypocrasy runs rampant in all realms outside of pure spirituality wether your of corporate America or counterculture.My essay was an attempt at "dovetailing" where I was at in life - an honestly confessing imperfect and silly human being yet striving for the Most High while having a sense of humor about myself.Dovetailing is sometimes the only way to make the best out of a bad situation .. and then come the haters.Ah well...Such is life.


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## Beegod Santana (Mar 1, 2015)

I'm a masshole and therefore naturally prone to talking shit. Sorry if I come off as an asshole, been working on it my whole life, still suck at it. Seriously though, I'm well aware of what entheogens are and have found myself lost in their haze at multiple times in my life, I've also risked more than any sane man would to promote them. You assume a lot about me, which is fine, but if you can't read your own writing and not see how its just a little scrambled and drug heavy, well, I don't know what to tell you. I mean it when I say good luck, the world needs spiritual seekers. Watch out for the false prophets though, Hare Krishna has been a mixed blessing for lots of folks and it doesn't seem to be providing you with a very direct path. I'm also serious about checking out India, you sound ready for it. Hate me all you want, I've been puddled enough times to still love you brother.


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## drewski (Mar 1, 2015)




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