Beauty Lies in the Eye of Śāstra

सर्वाङ्गैः सर्वरम्यो हि कश्चिल्लक्षे प्रजायते ।​

शास्त्रमानेन यो रम्यः स रम्यो नान्य एव हि ॥​

शास्त्रमानविहीनं यदरम्यं तद्विपश्चिताम् ।​

एकेषामेव तद्रम्यं लग्नं यत्र च यस्य हृत् ॥​

​​

sarvāṅgaiḥ sarva-ramyo hi​

kaścil lakṣe prajāyate​

śāstra-mānena yo ramyaḥ​

sa ramyo nānya eva hi​

śāstra-māna-vihīnaṁ yad​

aramyaṁ tad vipaścitām​

ekeṣām eva tad ramyaṁ​

lagnaṁ yatra ca yasya hṛt​

​​

Translation: Among lakhs of deities, only one may be found to exude complete, all-attractive beauty through all its limbs. Truly speaking, "beautiful" is defined according to the standards of śāstra. Nothing else is considered as all-beautiful. Whatever is devoid of śāstric beauty standards is considered as unattractive by the learned. Such entities devoid of śāstric beauty standards are usually pleasing only to select people, because only their specific hearts get attracted to it. — (Śukra-nītiḥ, 4.107 - 108)