Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/135

 firmness of the will. To give you another example. There was an ancient rishi who was performing 'tapas' (penance) in a certain forest. It was said the heat of the 'tapas' disturbed the very Kingdom of Devendra. So the gods above met in conclave and sent down an 'apsarasa' to distract the attention of the rishi. The fair tempter presents herself before the rishi and parades her celestial charms. What does the saint say? 'Blessed is the son born of such a lovely mother!' So, it is not the carnal gaze of a vulgar man, not the sentimental look of the man who admires beauty, but it is the pure sight of the man who reveres beauty that is our goal. No doubt it takes a long time to attain that blessed state. It has been said that Rome was not built in a single day. Likewise, character is not built in a single day. It is, indeed, of slower growth than the so-called 'Eternal City;' and you have to pass through a prolonged, sustained process of growth—of strength, refinement and elevation. Look at the growth of the