Mind Also Generates Dirt
Why do we have to take bath every day, or brush teeth?
Otherwise, dirt will accumulate on the body. If dirt is not removed, then you can end up catching some disease. Hygiene is very important for proper maintenance of the body. Frequent removal of dirt is a necessity of the body.
But we are only looking at the physical body. That is the problem. Man has three bodies: shareeratma, antaratma, and vishuddhatma.
The atma that Geeta talks about — nainam chhindati shastrani — is ever pure. Nothing affects this vishuddhatma, which is inside everyone at the core. You don't need to do anything for this vishuddhatma. In fact, you cannot do anything for this vishuddhatma.
What is antaratma? Your mind, your intelligence, your thoughts, your emotions, your policies, your perception. This can gather dirt, just as the outer body gathers dirt.
If you look at the outer body — not just external dirt, even sweat that it secretes — if not removed from time to time, can cause problems. Also, the excretions, which need to be removed from the body from time to time.
You know, if a person is not able to pass urine for some time, say a few hours, it will start poisoning the body. So, these are self-generated by the body but dangerous if not removed from time to time.
Same with antaratma also. Your mind generates dirt which can become harmful for yourself — negative thoughts and the commonly known unwanted desires, anger, greed, false ideas, arrogance, tendency to compete. These are not coming from outside. They are generated by us, which can be detrimental to ourselves. It is more harmful to us than others.
Then, the dirt coming to the mind from outside. Somebody gets addicted to social media. Obsessed with social media messages. This is a kind of dirt that comes from outside.
Unless you purify your body, you can't apply anything good on it. Before you apply make-up, you clean the skin first, right? Wash your face or clean with cotton. If you apply make-up on an unclean face, you know what happens. So, before adding anything good to yourself, cleaning is a prerequisite. This applies in the case of the antaratma also — the mind also.
Our scriptures talk about five kinds of dirt that you need to be aware of and need to act upon:
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Excretions of the body
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Your clothes, bed, dwelling place, vessels that you use
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Impurity that transmits among relatives on account of birth or death
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Papa generated out of wrongdoings, particularly offences causing harm or grief to others
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Impurity generated on account of excess of rajoguna or tamoguna. Say you want to snatch the neighbour's property — you are not actually doing it, it is only in the mind. It is a manasika papa. This is coming out of rajoguna within you. This thought itself is an impurity which can harm you. Every time you see a dog you want to throw a stone at it. You won't do it. This cruelty is because of the excess of tamoguna in you.
Who is it harming? You yourself. As long as you don't actually do it, it is not harming the dog. It will only harm you. Like how the unreleased urine can poison and damage your body, these thoughts can poison and damage your mind.
These are the five kinds of impurities that you have to be aware of.
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