The Real Cleansing To Absolute Purity

We have often heard the words, Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Most of us have kept our bodies clean, our houses clean, our vehicles clean and many other physical objects with which we are in contact. We smugly congratulate ourselves on our cleanliness and sneer at the dirt in many third world countries or in poor neighborhoods. But, let us reflect back on the so called cleanliness that we feel is the end of our quest for cleanliness.

Are we free of mass murders, gang rapes, jealous colleagues, angry spouses etc? If we are honest, our answer is a resounding NO. I am not speaking rhetorically here, nor am I am trying to become a preacher and tell people how to live. I will, as the article progresses, try to draw attention to the real dirt we should be cleaning, the impact of not cleaning and techniques for cleaning. When we talk of a despot doing mass murders, what should we look to clean? For a person jealous of his colleague and plotting some political game for his downfall, what should we clean? Surely not the physical body ! No amount of soap, shampoo or detergent can cleanse this.

Before deciding on cleaning, should we not look at the source causing the dirt in the first place? We can spend millions cleaning up a dirty pond. But if the factory nearby continues to pour its waste into the pond, how can we ever clean the pond? The solution is to either cut off the inflow of dirt from the factory or to clean the factory process to eliminate dirt. Either way, the solution is not where the dirt is seen, but in the source causing the dirt. This is obvious, one may yawn and say. But then, for the type of human dirt, I mentioned above, what is the source?

To understand this, we have to understand basics of any action. Action does not happen in a vacuum. Action is preceded by a desire and desire is preceded by a thought. So, for a dictator, there has to be a desire to kill and before that a thought of killing should arise. This process of thoughts and desires happen in our subtle body and is controlled by the Mind. The mind is relentlessly active with tens of hundreds of thoughts, some of which translate into desires, which the mind then commands the action organs to fulfill.

In addition to creating havoc on the outside world, an impure mind has a more deleterious  effect on the individual. As stated earlier, each of us is nothing but the Supreme consciousness. It is the mind that creates an illusion of separation and causes all the problems we face. As the mind becomes cleaner, it is able to reflect the pure consciousness better and be able to direct all action towards realizing the oneness of the individual with Supreme. An impure mind cannot do this. As human beings, we are the only species which can think and analyze and take steps to achieve the ultimate purpose of human life, which is to realize the Oneness with the Supreme. Without this, we are doomed to multiple lives of sorrow and suffering.  

So, if dark or bad thoughts arise in the mind, some of them get converted to burning desires which then get converted to dark actions. So, just as we had to cut off the flow of waste into a pond or clean the factory waste  so as to keep the pond clean, the only way to clean the dirt of violence, rape, anger etc is to cut off such thoughts in the mind or to fill the mind with good thoughts. It is not possible to have a mind that is empty of thoughts just as it is impossible to have an ocean without waves. The only way a mind can be cleaned of bad thoughts is to gradually replace it with good thoughts. But how can this be done? There are a variety of techniques to ensure that the mind is occupied with something good and prevent the rising of bad thoughts.

1. Visit to holy places

A visit to a holy place like a temple, church or whatever place depending on the individual belief will potentially reduce the flow of bad thoughts and encourage the flow of good thoughts. It could also include places of pilgrimage. The sheer exposure to so many people in a worshiping mode can potentially replace bad thoughts with good thoughts.

2. Attending lectures on spirituality

Any action that will ensure that the mind does not think of bad thoughts is a positive to reduce negative action. While it  is fine to even attend a lecture on physics, maths or on any worldly topic, it is better to attend lectures on spirituality, philosophy so that the mind at least gets exposure to higher aspects of life.

3. Doing social work

Whether a social work is done with a pure intention to serve or not, the very act of doing service to others, will create flow of thoughts that are positive and curb the negative thoughts.

4. Reading uplifting books

Again, so long as a good book is read, be it physics, history or whatever, anything that takes the mind away from negative thoughts is a big plus. However the  most benefit can come by reading books about morality, spirituality, biographies/autobiographies of great people.


The level of effort needed to clean the mind depends on the personality of the individual. Assume we have a mirror with a thin coating of dust. To make it reflect properly, all that is needed is a gentle wipe with a cloth. Similarly for people who are at a significantly high level of positive thinking, a simple prayer daily may help remove lingering negativity. These are technically called as Satviks or those who have a predominance of Sattva or goodness. Then, there are the next set of people who are not so evolved on the good thought scale and probably have a significant proportion of bad thoughts. These people are like a reflecting mirror which has been disused for a long time and has cobwebs and dust covering it up. So a gentle wipe with a cloth may not be enough. The glass may need to be cleaned with a jet of water and then wiped so as to reflect well. Similarly, for such people, a simple prayer may not be enough. They may have to follow a couple of methods from the list above, like reading a book daily and attending lectures daily. Such people are called Rajasik. Finally we come to another class of people who are totally steeped in ignorance. They do not care for anything or anyone's advise. They are like a mirror which not only has been disused, but has been exposed to so much dirt, that it has a thick coating of grime on it. For such a mirror, even a jet of water may not be enough. It may need chemicals to melt the grime and then water to clean and then a polish to restore the surface. Similarly for the absolute Tamasik people, it is unlikely that any of the above methods could work. They may need all of it. However, since they are so deeply ignorant, they may need to be forced into doing those activities. Just as a animal is trained using the carrot and stick approach, such people may need a mixture of pressure and gentle persuasion to get them on the path and once on the path, all of the above to make their minds clean.

This article broadly covered the necessity of cleaning the mind, the ways to clean the mind and the type of methods to be used depending on personality types. Readers are encouraged to mull over the article and after reflection, select the best method for cleaning their minds.



As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.

I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.


1. My Humble Understanding  Of Spirituality


My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality

2. Attain Infinite Bliss

Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide

3. The Spirit Of Spirituality

The Spirit Of Spirituality

The Masking Of The Intellect

When I ask anyone, what do you want in life, the answer is happiness. When I ask, happiness for how long, the answer is infinite happiness for ever. What is this state of infinite happiness? When we try to define happiness, one way could be a state where the mind is absolutely peaceful without any worries for an extended period of time. During our waking state, we enjoy the world, but at the same time are worried over something or other. Even as I enjoy the lovely Switzerland, there is a worry in my mind about the work I have to do when I get back. How about in my dream state? Sure, I am happy when I dream of dating the lovely Miss Universe. But how long is the happiness? As soon as her well built 220 lb boyfriend comes, my joy is gone! Now, let us look at deep sleep. Do I care what happens when I am in deep sleep? Someone may call me a donkey and I wont even know. Do I have worries of work? Absolutely not! So, here is a state where I am peaceful and without any worries. What if the same state of peace and lack of worries exists in waking state? Would that not be bliss?

All of us who have been students of spirituality are aware that this state of bliss is not somewhere far off. We ourselves are that Infinite state of happiness referred to as Brahman. If we are Brahman or that infinite happiness, why do we experience worries or distress? It is the innate Ignorance that is a characteristic of Brahman that creates the illusion of being separate from Brahman and creates all these worries and distress. Now, how can we remove this ignorance? Can we go to the market and buy some ignoricide to kill ignorance? Obviously not!.  The only way to remove ignorance is by using our intellect. I can almost sense most people telling themselves, this is something we have and patting their back! Well, intellect is not same as intelligence acquired by reading a book or going to college. Intellect is that ability to discriminate between what is real which is the Brahman or state of bliss and the unreal world full of illusory happiness and worries. This sounds rather woolly. Let me give an illustration.

A man parachuted from an airplane and landed in a dense forest. As he tried to figure out the terrain, wild animals started chasing him. He started running fast and to his dismay saw a witch with wide open mouth waiting for him. Dismayed at this, he ran in another direction, stepped over some leaves which unfortunately were covering a pit and fell down. head downwards and legs up. As he was falling, his legs got entangled in some creepers and he did not fall. As his eyes adjusted to the pit, he looked down and saw a huge cobra at the bottom of the pit. As he looked up, he saw two rats gnawing away at the creepers holding his legs and preventing his fall to the cobra. As he was falling, he had disturbed a beehive and now the bees were stinging his body. However, there was a smile on the man's face. From the beehive, honey was dripping and falling on his lips. As he savored the sweetness of the honey, he was smiling.

You may wonder at the absolute foolishness of the man. But let us ask ourselves. Are we not like that man? We get parachuted into the jungle of life when we are born. As we try to make our way in this world, we are pursued by various diseases. As we continue in life, the evil witch of old age is waiting for us. The cobra of death is waiting for us and we are held on to life. The 2 rats of day and night rapidly eat into our lives and with each passing day, we are nearer to death. We are stung every moment of our lives by desires, worries, failures etc. But we forget all this and smilingly enjoy that honey of some happiness. Is this not absolute lack of intellect?

In most of our cases, unfortunately the intellect is clouded which is sad because that is the only instrument we have in our search for bliss. It is like being given a knife to cut a fruit, but unfortunately the knife has lost all its sharpness. What is it that clouds our intellect and makes it practically useless? It is the various desires that we have that clouds the intellect. The degree of masking of the intellect depends on the level or type of desires.

The following are the broad categories of desires and related masking of the intellect:

1. Tamasic desires: These are the hardest set of desires which are difficult to give up, almost impossible. These consist of addictions like drinking, gambling to name  a few. For those inflicted with tamasic desires, the search for infinite bliss through the intellect is almost impossible. Their belief is that their addiction itself is their source of bliss. It is not just a belief, but a firm conviction that they are right in pursuing their desires to get happiness. Several lifetimes may have to be spent before these desires are exhausted and the individual even has a chance to realize that an instrument called the intellect exists and it can be used to pursue true bliss.

2. Rajasic desires : These are also intense desires, but not an addiction like in the earlier case. There is an intense desire to acquire wealth, power. For individuals with these intense desires, there is a glimmer of hope. It is like seeing smoke. You know fire is somewhere around and once the smoke settles, one can see the fire. Similarly in these individuals, with the right type of practice, the intellect can be awakened and sharpened to search for the infinite bliss.

3. Satvic desires : These are the desires to serve humanity, do good etc. For such individuals, the intellect is almost available to pursue the infinite bliss. It is like dust covering a mirror. It is easy to wipe the dust off the mirror  and be able to see oneself in the mirror. Similarly satvic desires clouding the intellect can be wiped out relatively easily and enable the intellect to pursue the shining Self.

In conclusion, all of us are basically immortal and blissful. It is only the intellect that has the capability to pursue the path to realize this immense bliss. The clouding of the intellect can be removed through sustained practice. The paths are many to cleanse the intellect. One can pursue the path of selfless action also called as Karma yoga or follow the path of absolute devotion with an attitude of gratitude, called as Bhakti yoga or pursue the path of understanding the difference between the real and unreal through the path of Jnana yoga. There is no single guaranteed path for success. Each individual has to find a correct mix of the above three in their individual exercise of cleansing the intellect and acquiring the state of infinite bliss.



As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.

I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.


1. My Humble Understanding  Of Spirituality


My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality

2. Attain Infinite Bliss

Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide

3. The Spirit Of Spirituality

The Spirit Of Spirituality