Vedanta Class Recap: Cleanliness & Respect for the Guru
Today we shall look into the universal values (Dharma) of: (1) Cleanliness & (2) Respect for the Guru. These are mentioned in Chapter 13 verse 7/8 of the Bhagavad Gita.
- Cleanliness (Saucam)
Shastra (Vedic teachings) describe cleanliness as 2 fold: (a) External (bahya-saucam) & (b) Internal (Antara saucam).
a) External cleanliness is a value for keeping your physical body clean (i.e. daily bathing, etc), as well as keeping your clothing, possessions, home and wider environment clean. So cleaning the house, wearing washed clothes & bathing everyday is very much considered a positive value to hold. Why ? A few reasons – health benefits of good hygiene are obvious – less sickness, etc. Also such cleanliness has a psychologically calming effect. The mind feels naturally more rested and settled in a clean environment. See this for yourself – after bathing and wearing a fresh set of clothes in the morning, sit down in a nice clean room with your eyes closed for just 5 mins, doing nothing. How do you feel? The mind feels fresh and settled – physical cleanliness is conducive for a calm and meditative mind. There is also 'ritual cleanliness' required when doing puja, which makes the fruit of the puja more effective. But becoming obsessive (OCD) about cleanliness is not advocated by Gita – therefore a sensible balance is required.
b) Internal Cleanliness is a value for keeping one's mind clean. The mind is nothing but thoughts. Therefore this is a value for cultivating 'clean' thoughts, metaphorically speaking. So which thoughts make the mind 'unclean' ? 6 are spoken of in Shastra:
1) Kama – Binding Desire. Desire is not a problem. Shastra never says 'Desire is wrong'. Is a desire to help others wrong? Is a desire to live a Dharmic life wrong? Is a desire to enjoy myself and be happy wrong ? No, of course not! Shastra only wants us to be happy of course. Therefore Shastra encourages us to fulfil our desires, BUT with 1 condition: The desire must be fulfilled in keeping with Dharma. The desire should be 'Dharmic' and this 'Dharma' is very thoroughly taught in the Hindu Shastra. Adharmic (non-dharmic) desires should be avoided. Dharmic desires do not cause any harm to myself or beings around me. They do not involve lying, deception, manipulation or hate. In fact Dharmic desires benefit all. Even over-indulgence can cause harm, remember. So obsession with any one desire is not healthy. Desires require intelligent interpretation in a situation in keeping with Dharma as taught by the Vedas/Shastra. Ahmisa = Dharma. And Dharma is the means to Moksha.
2) Krodha – Anger – This is born when (1) is obstructed. i.e. I cannot get what I want, then l angry. Anger disturbs the mind & can make us commit harm (Himsa), thus violating our value for Ahimsa (non-harm).
3) Lobha – Greed – taking more than you need
4) Moha – Confusion – Confusion about what is Dharma and Adharma. About what is Moksha.
5) Mada – Pride/Arrogance – Seen this before, called 'Manitvam'.
6) Matsarya – Jealousy – When I see another person’s success, I feel pain (Shankara: Para-utkarsham drstva, santapah jayamanah). I should try to feel happy for other people when they do well.
So when our body/possessions accrue dust & dirt, we clean them using soap & Persil. But how to 'clean' my thoughts? There are a few methods advised in Shastra. But the most obvious one is simple: Try your best to follow Dharma! What is Dharma? All the values we have been learning about – non-violence, truthfulness, charity, humility, cleanliness. another method is simply to become more conscious of your thoughts, and when such thoughts arise make an effort to wilfully do the opposite (pratipaksha bhavana) – e.g. I feel jealous of someone, so then see the futility of feeling jealous and go and congratulate that person on their success (genuinely). Any effort towards following Dharma, is good effort, even if it is only a little! Prayer and meditation is also very effective. Therefore maintain cleanliness inside and out.
- Respect for the Guru (Acharya-Upasanam)
This is a value for respecting your teacher. This respect or trust is an attitude of the mind. Attitudes naturally manifest as behaviour – therefore serving a teacher was a common expression of this – many disciples serve their teachers in some way e.g. contributing their effort/time/skills/money to what their teachers advocate. This is not some kind of blind following of a Guru – any proper teacher should encourage free thought & questioning. There is nothing blind. A student must also pick his teachers carefully – else you leave yourself open to being taken advantage of. This is why Veda says a teacher must 'practice what they preach' & then they are a true teacher/Acharya/Guru. So trust, love, respect is key. Respectfully asking a teacher questions and listening is a value to hold if a student wishes to gain knowledge of the Self. Because it is the qualified teacher who uses the words of the Veda along with a specific method of conveying these words (prakriyas) to convey knowledge to the student. And this knowledge of Self leads you to happiness/Moksha.
