Hindu Religion & Culture – 6

Hindu Religion & Culture – 6

Cleanliness means, absence of diseases. Cleanliness helps us staying   hygienic and fresh. It lessens the chances of any viruses or bacteria to harm us. When you stay clean and keep the environment clean, you are less likely to fall ill.
According to ancient sanatna dharma literature, there are two types of cleanship.
1. The one when body and costumes are required to be kept clean.
2. When attitude and souls are required to be kept cleaned.
The first kind of cleanship is related to civilization.
Every Hindu is aware that  after waking up in the morning, food has to be taken after taking bath & after brushing his teeth. Our sages had stressed on the need of cleanliness of both body and soul. They had set up rules while eating
Along with physical cleanliness, rules eating food, such as to not to eat others’ food, serving food in separate utensils etc, etc.
Advantage of these cleanliness rules,  no disease took a shape of an epidemic in our country.  Almost all epidemics till date have take birth  in foreign lands & communicated to various parts of the world. As per some alien religious beliefs, spitting on food, before serving others, is considered auspicious. Understand that this kind of tradition has world wide approval & there is a provision of some form of certification for such food iems.
We can compare this tradition & awareness level on this subject with that of the rules set up by our ancient sages.
Of-course ancient rules of sanatana Dharma were made for the good of the society, but unfortunately they were spoiled by some selfish people in the course of time.
For example, some rules on cleanship,  took a dreadful form of untouchability, later on.
From time to time, the sages had improved these rules, so as to eradicate the untouchability evil in Hindu society, but as the texts were written in Sanskrit, & could not reach common masses.
It is written in Markandeya Purana that food cooked by people of so-called lower class, should not be prohibited. “Food cooked by them following various other cleanship rules, should be acceptable to everyone respectfully.
As far as internal cleanliness, is concerned, it is written in Narada Purana, that:-

‘Even after purifying the external body with millions of tons of water, if the inner self is polluted, then that person is like a Chandal & such cases, even the holy river waters cannot purify it.

In the same way, one whose mind is not pure, can never become pure even after doing pilgrimage.
The seeds sanatna culture, starts with one’s education. Manu says, desiring to become educated and cultured, children should learn the art of purifying their mind, through their words and deeds.
In the Gurukul system, the children of the king and poor men, used to gather in the same ashram, for education and work.
“Our religious texts written in Sanskrit language are our invaluable treasure. The series of sanskrit language written in brahmi script, on this subject, have been admired in many countries of the world.