84 Holiness and CleanlinessWe knew earlier that cleanliness is purity and holiness. There are
two kinds of holiness or sanctity mentioned in the religious books.
External holiness means the cleanliness of body, dress, bed,
environment etc. And internal holiness means the cleanliness of
heart. It means thinking honest and not being jealous of others etc.
Then the heart will be holy. External holiness is not enough for the
prayer or worship of God. Worship cannot be done without the
purity of body and mind. Holiness of heart is very important for
prayer and worship. Our heart can also be dirty just like our clothes.
Thinking of evil and harmful things for others makes human mind
unholy. So we should give up evil thinking. It will make our mind
sacred.
Our good thinking and desire for doing benefit to others purify our
mind. The mind becomes sacred. So we must shun evil thoughts and
do honest thinking all the time. Study and discussions of Holy Books
and biographies of noble men augment the holiness and sanctity of
human mind. The holiness of mind makes it delightful. So we have
to think of Ishwara and worship Him with a holy mind. Cleanliness
is also urgently needed to keep our body and mind holy.
Considered from all angles it is clear to us that the necessity of the
holiness of mind as well as cleanliness of all kinds is immense. We
should build the habit of cleanliness from our childhood. We have to
learn about the utility of holiness and cleanliness. We must keep in
mind that holiness and cleanliness are pre-requisite to all religious
activities. These are also parts of our religion.