Mokshamala

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 43

put on footwear even in hot summer, nor do they hold umbrella over their heads. They have to bear the heat of sand and have to take only boiled water. They cannot sit at laymen's premises even for a while. They observe total celibacy, do not possess even a penny, do not speak anything inappropriate and do not make use of vehicles. Such a code of conduct indeed leads towards liberation. I am, however, susceptible about not taking bath, which has been forbidden to them as a part of nine-fold fence of celibacy.
Satya: Why do you find it objectionable?
Truth-seeker: That leads to impurity.
Satya: What type of impurity do you think of?
Truth-seeker: The body remains dirty!
Satya: I don't think, it is discerning to treat the absence of physical cleanliness as impurity. Consider what the body is made of. It is the storage of blood, bile, excreta, urine and mucus; all of that is covered with skin. Does that make it pure? Moreover, the monks do not do anything worldly, whereby they may need to take bath.
Truth-seeker: But what is wrong in taking bath?
Satya: That question arises out of gross mind. Bathing leads to several impurities like destruction of innumerable minute beings, arousal of passion, breach of restraint and change of mode. Thereby the soul gets very impure and primarily we need to think of its purity. The impurity arising from physical violence constitutes the real impurity. One should understand the basic that the so-called other impurities can lead the soul to a higher level. Taking bath involves breach of restraint; the soul gets impure thereby. And impurity of soul is the real impurity.
Truth-seeker: You have given the sound justification for not taking bath. By contemplating over the words of Lord one can gain prudence as well as intense delight. But don't you think that the laymen should remove the physical dirtiness caused by routine violence and other worldly activities?
Satya; One should remove it with proper vigilance. There is no pure school of thought like the Jain school; it does not advocate impurity. The nature of purity and impurity, however, needs be correctly understood.
Lesson 55: Daily routine
One should get up early in the morning and chant Navkär Mantra in order to purify the mind. Thereafter while restraining the mind from unwholesome modes he should perform Pratikraman with vigilance and atone for the faults occurred during the night.
Then he should pray to God, contemplate over the Self and purify the mind.
He should show his respect to the parents and then undertake the worldly activities while keeping in view the well being of soul.
Before taking the meal he should have keen desire to offer the food to monks or other deserving persons and act accordingly, if he gets a chance.
He should eat, move etc. at the fixed time and also maintain specific schedule for studying the sacred books and contemplating over the basic ones.