Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

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Editorial

Purity is Enlightenment, Part 1

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has gifted humanity a simple yet profoundly transformative aphorism, ‘Purity is enlightenment.’ This statement distills the essence of spiritual practice, the purpose of human birth, and the key to experiencing divinity. It is a practical guideline that can be lived daily in every thought, word, and deed. Swami says, “Where there is purity, there is divinity.” 

Swami further elaborates that purity is essential for experiencing divinity and everlasting bliss. It is not possible to experience divinity unless we are pure – in fact, Swami explains that all spiritual practices, such as selfless service, devotional activities, and education, are undertaken to purify the mind. Thus, purity is the foundation of all spiritual practices. 

All of us understand the word ‘purity,’ but from different perspectives. Every religion and philosophy has emphasized the importance of purity in daily life as well as for spiritual progress. All the great masters, too, have unanimously placed purity at the core of spiritual practices.

The Masters on Purity

Jesus Christ said in His profound teachings, ‘The Sermon on the Mount,’ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8). He also emphasized that one should be childlike: “Be ye as little children if ye want to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 18:3)

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the saint of Dakshineswar, India, repeatedly emphasized that the heart must be as pure as a polished mirror without any dirt, to reflect the image of God. Swami Vivekananda proclaimed, “The test of purity is strength.” The pure person, free from selfishness and negative qualities, is fearless, strong, and capable of great works.

Shirdi Sai Baba (previous incarnation of Sri Sathya Sai Baba), frequently advised His devotees to leave everything to God. Such surrender cleanses the heart of worry, anxiety, and selfishness, replacing it with purity of faith.

St. Francis of Assisi, known as the Little Poor Man of Assisi, embodied purity through simplicity and renunciation. His pure heart saw God in all creatures–birds, animals, and even nature. His famous Canticle of the Sun reveals the purity of his vision.

Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi, a saint and teacher of advaita, taught the path of self-inquiry (atma vichara) to attain purity. He said, “True purity comes when the ‘I’ is traced to its source and dissolved in the Self.” He said, “The pure mind is itself Brahman. When thoughts subside, what remains is pure consciousness.”

Lord Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, praises purity (shaucha) as a divine quality in Chapter 16. (BG16.1 and 16.3) He demonstrates that purity is not only a spiritual practice but is also the result of spiritual practice.

Sant Kabir, a well-known Indian mystic poet and saint, taught that chanting the divine name with sincerity purifies the heart more than any other ritual for purification. He said, “Cleanse the heart and the Beloved will come and dwell within.”

Thus, purity is the bedrock of all spiritual practices. There are two types of purity:
(1) external purity, and (2) internal purity. Both internal and external purity are crucial for one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Swami beautifully expounds on the importance of developing purity and the various aspects of both external and internal purity. 

External Purity

 External purity is very important because it is said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

The first aspect of external purity is having a clean environment. The place where we live–our home, the office, surroundings, and the community–should all be clean and free from dirt and refuse.

At the individual level, one should maintain cleanliness and purity in body, dress, and manners. This includes actions like bathing, wearing clean clothes, breathing clean air, drinking clean water, and eating pure food. The connection becomes clear when we realize that the essence of food influences the mind, which is responsible for our thoughts. 

Purity of Food

One should pay attention to food and choose sattvic food. Krishna describes in the Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, meaning “The Yoga of Differentiating Threefold Faith” (BG Chapter 17), what sattvic food is. Fruits, tubers, and vegetables are all considered sattvic. Food that is too spicy, too hot, pungent, dry, bitter, or sour, is not sattvic as it stimulates the senses. Also, the food that increases one’s thirst after eating is not considered sattvic. (BG 17.9)

It is important to be careful not only about the food consumed but also about the food entering through various sense organs such as the eyes, ears, nose, and hands. Swami says that if the senses are fed with polluted food, you cannot become pure by merely taking milk, fruits, and vegetables. So, one should partake pure sattvic food through all five senses.

Swami advises us to eat only after praying and offering the food to God, by chanting the food prayer:

When this prayer is made with purity in the heart, Swami says that, the Lord within responds too with the following verse. 

Thus, we chant these two shlokas from the Bhagawad Gita as the food prayer.

When we pray with these sacred feelings, the food becomes sanctified and sattvic. Food is responsible for both good and bad qualities of the mind. As is the food, so is the mind. Hence, it is essential to eat pure, sacred, and wholesome sattvic food in moderation.

Swami also recommended another powerful and sacred mantra before meals. In His discourse of November 23, 2002, He advises chanting ‘Annam Brahma, Raso Vishnuh, Bhokta Devo Maheshwarah’ (Food is Brahma, the essence is Vishnu, and the one who partakes is Maheshwara). These three entities correspond to body, mind, and action, respectively. Thus, purity of thought, word, and deed is true wisdom.

Swami emphasizes that not only should the ingredients of the food be pure, but how they are obtained, the person who cooks the food, and the vessels used for cooking must also be pure. That is why He advises us not to eat outside the home as much as possible because we cannot control these aspects of purity. However, in unavoidable situations, we can chant the food prayers mentioned earlier to sanctify the food.

Nowadays, water, air, and food are frequently polluted. It is very important to drink clean and pure water, because water is the elixir of life. Therefore, we should be very careful about what we eat, drink, and breathe. This is why we must respect and appreciate nature, which provides food, water, and air, without polluting the environment. 

Internal Purity

Internal purity is of supreme importance for a spiritual seeker. Bhagawan Baba declares that the purpose of human life and even the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization founded by Him is to recognize our true and real nature—that we are the embodiments of the divine Atma. We are the embodiments of divine love and divine bliss.

But often we do not experience our true nature. That is because of the impurities that affect us. In Vedanta, this is called mala. A good analogy is that of a dirty mirror. An excellent mirror, when covered with dirt, cannot show a clear and true image. One needs to remove the dirt or impurities for a good reflection.

Similarly, when the mind is clouded with impurities, one cannot see the reflection of the Atma. According to the scriptures and Baba, the major impurities are kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya—desires, anger, greed, attachment, pride, and jealousy.

These can be removed or clarified by sanctifying the senses. As Swami says,

Swami offers us practical advice: instead of watching harmful movies and sensual scenes, we should use our eyes to see pictures of divinity or the beautiful manifestations of God in nature. We can watch movies about the great saints and Avatars who lived ideal divine lives. Similarly, our ears should not be used to hear gossip, rumors, or bad or sensual music. Instead, they should be used to listen to stories about God and divine music. The mouth should not be used to speak ill of others or criticize them; rather, it should be used to glorify God, His beauty, and His leelas. Likewise, our hands should be used to worship God and serve God by helping and serving humanity. Our hands should not harm others. The feet should take us not to places of sin, sensual pleasures, or vice, but to places of worship such as temples, synagogues, mosques, or venues of satsang where the focus is only on God.

We should always engage in actions that help everyone and hurt no one. This can be achieved easily by practicing the five human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, Ahimsa—truth, right conduct, peace, love, and nonviolence. The undercurrent for these values is love, because Swami says, “Love in thought and word is truth. Love in action is Dharma. Love in feeling is peace. Love in understanding is nonviolence.”

Therefore, when we live in love and share that love with everyone, we automatically get rid of impurities.

Internal purity involves the cleansing and purification of the antahkarana, the fourfold inner instruments everyone has: the mind (manas), the discriminating intellect (buddhi), the will and memory (chitta), and the ego sense (ahankara). Internal purity means the removal of all negative qualities, including attachment and ego, and cultivating divine qualities like love, compassion, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and humility.

Swami emphasizes that external cleanliness without inner purity is like cooking pure food in a dirty vessel, which spoils the food.

Swami also describes the four yogas as pathways to develop purity. The four yogas are the classic spiritual paths leading to Self-realization. Karma Yoga is the path of selfless action, where one performs duty without attachment to results, offering every act to the Divine. Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion, cultivating love, surrender, and constant remembrance of God through prayer, worship, and singing His glories. Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge, where inquiry, study, and reflection lead to the realization of the Self and the truth of oneness. Raja Yoga is the path of meditation and discipline, involving control of the mind and senses through practices such as meditation, pranayama (breath control), and ethical living, to attain inner stillness.

We will explore these concepts, along with the 10-step sadhana guide for developing purity gifted to us by our dear Swami, in the next part of this editorial. 

May we purify our hearts and minds, live in divine love, and reach the ultimate goal of Self-realization.

Jai Sai Ram.