Acharya Prashant: A king once asked his favorite painter, the royal painter to paint him the face of the most beautiful individual in the kingdom. So, the painter set out looking for the most innocent face in the kingdom. And he chanced upon a little girl, he chanced upon a little girl. And the little girl had the innocence of a fresh flower. She might have been four or six years old.
So, he brought that girl with him and painted her face. And he displayed the painting to the king. And the king was pleased. He had never seen a more blemishless and innocent face. Around twenty years later, the king had another wave, another thought. He called the same painter again, and the painter was a little old now. Why don’t you go and look for the most vile face, most cruel, conditioned, and evil face in the kingdom? The painter said “Yes sir” and he again commenced his search.
And he again found a woman. The sight of her face was enough to give jitters to even the most saintly, or the most courageous person. She was Maya, she was evil personified. And she would not come with the painter. The painter had to both threaten her and lure her. It was such a gross painting, terrible and terrifying. When the painting was completed, he found the woman, that hard-hearted, cruel woman had a tear in her eye. The painter was a little surprised, he said this one can cry! He asked what’s the matter, want more money or something? She said,” No, around twenty years back you had made another painting, right?” The painter said, “Yes.” The woman said, “I was that girl.”
Such is our cleanliness; it can get very quickly corrupted with time. That’s why you need fresh clothes, to keep yourself clean. Knowledge can be both a stain on the body and also an armor that prevents the body from getting stained(smiles). Knowledge can be both, are you getting it? To the person who is not blessed by the scriptures, by the teachers, knowledge is merely a burden, a blemish, it stains. But to the one who has been cleaned by the blessing and contact of scriptures, and teachers, knowledge can now act as an armor. Knowledge can now act as the clothes that prevent your body from getting dirty.
