Purity

Purity

by Swami Krishnananda

Purity is achieved by freedom from desire, and desire should be distinguished from necessity. When one is hungry, one should eat, when one is thirsty one should drink, when one is fatigued, one should sleep. These absolute necessities cannot be called desires because without these necessities one cannot even survive.

Desire is a destructive form of longing which innervates the whole system, longing for things which are not necessary for the maintenance of the body. Every kind of luxury should be considered as desire. One has to judge for oneself whether this particular thing is absolutely necessary, or one can be comfortable even without that. Each one is one’s own judge. If one can comfortably live happily without certain things, asking for those things once again is called desire. It will disturb the mind.

There are levels of desire, of a lower category and a higher category, etc. You may feel like having a cup of tea, it is a minor desire, have it. You may like to go for a walk – go, go for a walk. Any object that brings about tumult in the emotion, that is an object of desire by which you either want it intensely or hate it intensely. Intense wanting and intense hating will affect the emotions. The test of good health is freedom from emotion, correct understanding without any kind of ebullition, burning desire of any kind. This is briefly the definition of desire.

There are two kinds of desires, anabolic and catabolic. Anabolic desires are constructive, helpful and necessary for maintaining health and peace of mind. Catabolic desires are destructive in their nature. They throw the energy out. Any procedure by which we can conserve our energy is anabolic. Any process by which we deplete our energy and then become weak, that is catabolic. One must be able to very carefully distinguish between one and the other. Understanding is the judge, it is called Viveka-Shakti, capacity to distinguish between what is absolutely essential for living a normal life and what is irrelevant. This is a preliminary definition to the question “What is purity?”.

So purity is not like an apple that falls from a tree, it has shades of definition. You will not find any such clear description of this subject in any book, each one has to use one’s common sense.

It is necessary to save life. Suppose you find a snake is wriggling encircled by forest fire, you would like to save it but you do not go and catch hold of its neck. So even a good desire like wanting to save the snake should not be fulfilled in a reckless way. People generally take a long stick and throw it like this, etc. etc.

There are desires of a different type, like sexual desire. It is neither good nor bad, like fire. Do you consider fire as a good thing or a bad thing? You cannot say anything about it. It can destroy or it can cook your food. So, likewise, sexual desire is a conservative process of maintaining a balance in the system, it is not capable of definition in a cut-and-dried manner. It is, as any desire is, relative to circumstance. But if it is a passion, you may distinguish between desire and passion. Passion is voluptuous, tumult-like, and makes one sick afterwards. Great discrimination has to be exercised here.

There is a famous passage called Kama Gita in the Mahabharata. The desire says, “People try to conquer me, but they do not know that even the desire to conquer me is a desire, they don’t understand that, so I am behind all their attempts.”

Desire for God sublimates all other mortal desires. The higher absorbs the lower, the lower should be transmuted to the higher by meditation.

Purity – Clean Living, Clear Mind, and Spiritual Strength

Purity is one of the most important foundations of spiritual life. It is not limited to physical cleanliness or outer appearance. Real purity includes purity of body, purity of speech, purity of thought, purity of emotion, purity of intention, and purity of conduct. A person may look clean outside, but if the mind is filled with anger, greed, jealousy, pride, selfishness, and harmful thoughts, true purity has not yet been attained.

Purity begins with the body because the body is the instrument of action, service, study, meditation, and duty. Clean habits, proper food, moderation, discipline, and a healthy lifestyle support spiritual growth. The body should not be neglected, nor should it become an object of vanity. It should be cared for as a sacred instrument through which higher life can be lived.

Purity of speech is equally important. Words carry power. They can heal or hurt, uplift or disturb, unite or divide. Harsh speech, gossip, lies, insult, and unnecessary criticism make the mind impure. Truthful, kind, gentle, and useful speech purifies both the speaker and the listener. A sincere seeker should speak less, speak thoughtfully, and speak with compassion.

Purity of thought is the heart of inner discipline. Thoughts are the seeds of actions. If the mind constantly thinks of hatred, revenge, lust, fear, and selfish gain, those thoughts slowly shape behavior. Noble thoughts create noble character. Therefore, one must watch the mind carefully and replace negative thoughts with truth, love, courage, gratitude, and self-control.

Purity also means purity of motive. The same action can become pure or impure according to the intention behind it. Charity done for fame strengthens ego, while charity done with compassion purifies the heart. Work done for selfish pride creates bondage, while work done as duty and service becomes spiritual. A seeker should often ask, “Why am I doing this? Is my motive clean?”

Purity is necessary for meditation. A restless and impure mind cannot become steady easily. When the mind is full of uncontrolled desires and emotional disturbances, meditation becomes difficult. But when life becomes simple, truthful, moderate, and disciplined, the mind naturally becomes calmer. A pure mind reflects the light of the self like a clean mirror reflects the sun.

In spiritual philosophy, purity is closely connected with sattva, the quality of clarity, harmony, and light. When sattva increases, the mind becomes peaceful, balanced, and capable of higher understanding. Rajasic restlessness and tamasic dullness become weaker. Pure food, pure company, pure study, pure action, and pure thoughts help develop sattva.

Purity does not mean narrowness or hatred of the world. It does not ask a person to become proud or judgmental. If someone becomes proud of being pure, ego has entered secretly. True purity makes a person humble, gentle, and compassionate. It helps one see weakness in oneself first and correct it sincerely, rather than condemning others harshly.

Purity of heart is seen through love and compassion. A pure heart does not enjoy the suffering of others. It does not become happy through revenge or cruelty. It feels the pain of others and tries to help according to capacity. Such a heart becomes a fit place for divine qualities to grow. Love becomes cleaner when selfish expectation is reduced.

Purity also requires control of the senses. The senses constantly run toward objects of pleasure. If they are not guided, the mind becomes scattered and weak. Moderation in food, entertainment, speech, sleep, and enjoyment protects inner strength. Sense control is not suppression; it is intelligent regulation for a higher purpose.

Good company supports purity. The mind absorbs impressions from people, books, media, conversations, and surroundings. If one constantly stays among restless, negative, or impure influences, the mind becomes affected. Noble company, inspiring literature, prayer, meditation, and service protect the mind and strengthen pure tendencies.

Purity is developed gradually. Old habits may return, and the mind may resist discipline. A seeker should not become hopeless. Every sincere effort matters. Each time one controls anger, speaks truth, serves selflessly, avoids harmful thought, or chooses moderation, purity increases. Small daily victories create great inner transformation.

Self-examination is very useful. At the end of the day, one may ask, “Were my thoughts pure today? Was my speech kind? Were my actions honest? Did ego or desire guide me? Did I hurt anyone unnecessarily?” Such reflection reveals hidden impurities and helps the seeker improve.

Purity also brings fearlessness. A person with clean motives and honest conduct does not need to hide much. Their conscience becomes lighter. Inner conflict reduces. Peace grows naturally. This is why purity is not a burden; it is freedom from the heaviness of wrong living.

In the end, Purity is the doorway to peace, wisdom, devotion, and self-realization. It cleans the body, refines speech, disciplines the mind, softens the heart, and purifies action. Without purity, spiritual knowledge remains weak and meditation remains disturbed. With purity, life becomes simple, strong, and luminous. A pure person becomes a blessing to themselves and to the world.

Philosophy of Sleep