Hygiene

Hygiene or saucham is given primary importance in Srimad Bhagvat Geetha. Cleanliness is important not only for making advancement in spiritual life but also everyday life. There are two kinds of cleanliness .One is external wherein its scope includes social, physical and mental cleanliness. The other is internal cleanliness.

  Hygiene refers to a set of practices associated with the preservation of health and healthy living.

The term Hygiene is derived from ‘’Hygeneia’’, the Greek Goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. Hygiene is given great importance in Islam too. Other than ritual cleanliness for the five times daily prayers, there is other large number of related rules in Islam.

In Europe until shortly after Renaissance, bathing did not loose its importance. After that bathing was replaced with perfumes as there was a misconception that water could carry diseases in the body through the skin. Contrary to Hindu belief that water washes away all the sins and that is why bathing in Ganges is considered an ambulation

According to Bhagvat Geetha external .saucham includes our interaction with other people. If in our peer group a person has negative thoughts all the time then it affects our mental hygiene. After talking to   persons who are vein with contempt for other’s view one may feel exhausted or depressed. So it is advised to keep away from such company. If external hygiene affects our internal hygiene then we must guard ourselves from it. One would have observed that in the presence of a spiritual teacher, one can easily be emotionally mentally and spiritually uplifted if one is receptive.

Bhagavt Geetha also mentions saucham to be observed in food. Food should be handled by persons in good health, mental and physical. The good or bad energies get transmitted to food,

 What is internal hygiene? It means keeping our mind pure by carrying positive thoughts. Negative thoughts cause great damage to our body. Harboring negative feeling for a long period may manifest as ailment like hyperthyroid, sinusitis, epilepsy, hypertension, kidney problem, skin ailment, rheumatoid arthritis etc.

Proper diet, exercise, emotions, thoughts, relationship, livelihood, lifestyle and law of karma is explained in

Bhagvat Geetha specially in chapter 13 for attaining Saucham.[cleanliness].

We all know that emotions affect our inner hygiene but do not know how to cleanse it. A fly went and sat on honey to lap it up. After lapping it up, it wanted to fly off. But its wing got stuck in the honey. We are also like the fly hankering after acquiring. Avarice is the root cause of all evils. How to stop avarice? This is where the great epic by Sri Krishna comes to our rescue.  Chanting of lord’s name washes off our past karma. Therefore a reading of Bhagvat Getha with purport is a must for all.

Contentment enters only a pure, clean and upright mind. In the absence of internal hygiene all other hygiene   are futile.

As milk kept in a dirty pot gets contaminated, so a person with wrong beliefs, worldly attachment, malice, ill will   and greed is sure to get into problems.

 Human mind is the supreme power that governs our entire action .only calm and contented mind will lead us to a life of bliss.

The great English poet Oliver Goldsmith after traveling the European countries in search of peace said,

          

       ‘’ Vain, very vain! My weary search to find that bliss which centers in the mind.’’

This verse emphasizes the point that internal purity

is of  primary importance for a good life.