Thus Spake the Divine - Purity of Mind (Chitha Shuddhi)

Thus Spake the Divine

Purity of Mind (Chitha Shuddhi)

Poojyasri Maha Periyava says serving the poor cleanses one’s mind. He brings out the bitter reality of how modern lifestyle is harming one’s outlook.

Purity of mind (Chitha Shuddhi) is the basis on which Sanatana Dharma rests. There are several Codes of Dharma that help purify one’s mind, which have been faithfully followed by our ancestors and elderly people. Happiness and contentment prevailed in their lives as a result. We should choose them as our model and follow their example, so that we too can lead a happy and content life.

Our ancestors maintained excellent conduct not only in spiritual matters, but also in social issues and those relating to conduct of family routines. For example, treatment of relatives and friends was at its best during those times. When a wedding or funeral had to be conducted, all people joined together and helped each other by way of physical and financial assistance. Is this not a great tradition to follow?

In those days, there was no external flamboyance as seen today. Service to the needy was innate for people. There was no discrimination in terms of rich and poor among relatives. The rich came forward to help relatives in need of financial help. All these were part of their Dharma then. Helping people in times of their need purifies the mind of the giver, apart from benefiting the receiver.

But today, everything has changed. There is no bonding or relationship between the rich and poor of the same family. Annadanam (offering food to the poor), which was practised in the earlier days alone can be considered as real Annadanam. In today’s modern world, rich hold parties and feasts only for those who are equally rich. Lots of money is wasted in such activities in today’s world. There is no element of Dharma in these activities. The person who hosts the party has some hidden agenda. And, the person who has come for dining knows very well that the party is not out of any personal affection or kindness, but with some expectation in return. So, both the guest and the host cheat each other inwardly.

Only when somebody helps the needy with either food or money, there is real feeling of happiness between both the parties, whereas in today’s party culture, not only are there no genuine relationships between parties, there is even feeling of hatred and animosity between them. People who are relatively poor economically feel jealous of people who are rich.

You may think, “People who are rich can help the poorer using their money. But I don’t have any riches. What can I do? How can I help others?” In that case, you can help people with your physical effort. That will definitely act as a purifier of your mind. You can join a group and extend physical help like digging a well or pond in a village for the benefit of people living there. This is the greatest help which will enable you to purify your mind.

If I need the benevolence of God, how can I get it without doing anything that benefits others? You need to do good deeds, which benefit your society; do deeds of kindness and compassion towards other living beings. This helps you mature mentally and attain clarity of mind. In that clarity, you can visualise the image of God. If the water is contaminated, one cannot see any image. Likewise, if we keep our mind polluted, we will be unable to see the image of God. If we engage ourselves in good deeds with feeling of Bhakti towards God, we will definitely be blessed with grace and benevolence of God.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.