- From physical purity (arises) disgust for one's own body and disinclina-
tion to come in physical contact with others.
The results of developing purity are given in two Sutras, one relating to the pu-
rity of the physical body, the other to the purity of the mind. The two results which
follow when the physical body is made quite pure are such as can hardly be expected.
The physical body is essentially a dirty object as a little knowledge of physiol-
ogy will convince anyone. Physical beauty is proverbially skin deep and beneath this
skin there is nothing but a mass of flesh, bones and all kinds of secretions and waste
products which arouse disgust in our mind when they come out of the body. It requires
only a little effort of the imagination to see the body as it really is inside, but so com-
plete is our identification with it that in spite of our detailed knowledge of its contents
we not only feel no disgust for it but regard it as our most loved possession. And most
of us go even to the length of thinking that we are the physical body!
With the ordinary purification of the physical body we become more sensitive
and begin to see things in their true light. Cleanliness is mostly a matter of sensitive-
ness. What is intolerably disgusting to a person of refined nature and habits is hardly
noticed by another person whose nature is coarse and insensitive. So this feeling of
disgust towards one's own body which develops on its purification means nothing
more than that we have become sensitive enough to see things as they really are. Of
course, the purity meant here is of the more superficial character which is brought
about by ordinary external processes such as bathing and Yogic Kriyas such as Neti,
Dhauti etc. Purity of a different and more fundamental character is developed by
Tapas as pointed out in II-43.
The second result which follows on attaining purity of the physical body is
naturally related to the first. A person who feels disgust for his own body is not likely
to feel any attraction towards the bodies of others which are likely to be comparatively
less clean. The disinclination to come in physical contact with others is thus natural
and to be expected and this is perhaps one of the reasons why highly advanced Yogis
seek seclusion and avoid external contact with the world. But it should be noted that
this does not mean any feeling of repulsion towards others, for that would be posi-
tively reprehensible and against the fundamental law of Love. A positive love towards