Why is it a sign of ignorance to judge people on the basis of their form or appearance? Bhagawan cautions us by giving a classic example today.

Consider this example: Here is a person whose form can be described in terms of various physical features. But, does this description in terms of height and weight reveal anything about his internal qualities like forbearance, peacefulness, compassion, love, and sacrifice? Are these qualities not very real and significant? He is prized mainly for these qualities, not for his physical features. To judge him only in physical terms is meaningless. His formless virtues are more important. When one is judged on the basis of his qualities, the form is irrelevant. The utter ridiculousness of judging a person solely on the basis of his physical form was demonstrated by Sage Ashtavakra to the learned pundits in Emperor Janaka’s court. When all of them laughed on seeing the crooked figure of Ashtavakra, the sage laughed even louder at all of them. When they asked him for an explanation, he told them that the scholars who laughed at his deformed figure were no better than cobblers who judged things by the nature of the skin. Ashtavakra told them, punditah samadarshinah (the truly wise person sees the Divine in all beings). “I laughed at all of you because I wondered how the Emperor happened to esteem you all as scholars.” This means that those who judge anything on the basis of the external form are utterly foolish.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 7, 1997