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maintain good health. If these three are pure, they would be highly favourable to health and there would be no problem.
The body system alone is not responsible for psychosomatic illnesses. The mind is said to be responsible for it. If the chitta is pure, the mind cannot be impure. Psychosomatic illnesses are the result of impurity of the chitta. Mahavira believed that the purity of chitta, the bhava and the mind are the important factors for good health. The impurity of the chitta, the bhava and the mind are an open invitation to illness.
In the context of health, it is very important to discuss the chitta and the mind. It does not have to be a philosophical discussion. While having a philosophical discussion, we should make a definite statement about the form of the mind. Let us also consider the chitta and the mind in the context of health. The person who wishes to be healthy should think about having a proper diet to ensure the supply of vitamins, minerals, proteins. It is altogether an illusory idea to think that he would be healthy by having delicious food. He should have to think at the same time how faultless and pure his chitta is. If there is no inflow of sins and no impure thoughts in the chitta, one would be in the state of good health. But there can be no greater self-deception if one keeps on having bad thoughts and bad feelings and still expects to be in good health. The purity of the chitta becomes a boon for health.
If one's chitta, bhava, conduct and thinking are faultless, then there is no danger to health. Your strength would not be depleted, your resistance power against illness would be strengthened, you would be able to bear and face any problems. In the absence of this inner purity of the bhava, the chitta and the mind, your body would gradually become hollow despite your best efforts, your immunity system and resistance power against illness would become weaker. No matter how many mediciness you take, no doctor and no medicine would be able to save you. Therefore, we must grasp the fundamental rule and think seriously about the chitta and the mind, and make persistent efforts to keep them pure. The day the chitta becomes pure, the bhava and the mind too will become pure. The purity of the bhava and the mind imply the secret relationship of health. Being aware of this reality and its search are unavoidable for good health.
-Acharya Mahaprajna Mahavira's Scripture of Health
