Bhartrihari’s Nitisatakam states this:
केयूराणि न भूषयन्ति पुरुषं हारा न चन्द्रोज्ज्वलाः
न स्नानं न विलेपनं न कुसुमं नालङ्कृता मूर्धजाः ।
वाण्येका समलङ्करोति पुरुषं या संस्कृता धार्यते
क्षीयन्ते खलु भूषणानि सततं वाग्भूषणं भूषणम् ॥
Keyūrāṇi na bhūṣayanti puruṣaṁ hārā na candrojjvalāḥ Na snānaṁ na vilepanaṁ na kusumaṁ nālaṅkr̥tā mūrdhajāḥ |
Vāṇyekā samalaṅkaroti puruṣaṁ yā saṁskr̥tā dhāryate Kṣīyante khalu bhūṣaṇāni satataṁ vāgbhūṣaṇaṁ bhūṣaṇam ||
This means that ‘Bracelets do not adorn a person, nor do necklaces radiant as the moon. Neither clean baths, nor perfumed ointments, nor flowers, nor beautifully decorated hair define one's splendor. The only true adornment that elevates a human being is speech that is refined (by wisdom and cultured experience). Indeed, all material ornaments decay and fade away with time, but the ornament of one's inner character and expression remains an eternal ornament.’
When we look back at the chapters of our lives, the moments that truly define us are never the objects we accumulated, but the experiences we collect. Objects can only be displayed, but our stories, the deep connections we forge, and the wisdom we gather, become a part of who we are.
Fill the years with adventures, lessons, and memories, not just a gallery of things to show.
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