Moral Story On Saucha (Cleanliness)
It is believed that one who keeps himself clean never lacks wealth. This has connotations in Hindu mythology, as Goddess Lakshmi is said to reside in places that are clean. Moreover, she is herself very well-groomed. And, she expects others looking to invite her, to maintain the same. However, we are going to hear a story today that is non-religious in nature.
It is for one’s own good and appearance in front of others, that cleanliness or ‘saucha’ is important. Most of us are visual learners, or must we say, auditory learners. You love to hear others tell a story, right? Well, get ready for one now!
Saucha – The Story….
here was once a boy, whose parents worked as artwork restorers. The boy often travelled with his parents for their job. Once, the parents got the responsibility of restoring and cleaning the artworks in a very old castle. The boy also accompanied them. The body, called Raju was indeed, intrigued by the fantastic sculptures, paintings, and other items on display at the castle. They were larger than life. He was blown away by the paintings, that showed kings, queens, and princes in their times.
However, while moving around, he noticed a strange thing in one of the paintings. The king who had been there, a day before, with a sceptre in hand had vanished. The painting depicted a courtroom. Everyone else was present, as before. He thought, that he was hallucinating. He left the place out of fear. Again, while he was out there in the evening, the painting caught his eye. He saw that the sceptre, had been placed in such a fashion, that it would fall off and hit the queen sitting beside him. He could sense that, it was changing position. He got worried and rushed to search for the king.
After some time, he heard the sound of water, coming out of an open tap in one of the bathrooms. He peeped inside the bathroom to find the king cleaning himself. Both the king and the boy were surprised. In fact, the boy Raju was speechless. However, the king was quick to restore normalcy. He explained to Raju, that he was forced to leave his frame, as he had been there for a long time, covered in dirt. He also said, that no one bothered to clean the paintings, his weaponry, and other valuables. All were lying unattended for ages. He took the opportunity that day, to escape to the bathroom to take a quick bath.
When Raju had regained some of his senses, he carefully explained to the king, about the sceptre. On hearing it, the king rushed to the painting and picked up his sceptre, and took his original position. Raju was also happy, that the king had returned. The king requested him to clean all the paintings, artworks, and other valuables, on a daily basis. But, Raju took it upon himself to do the needful from that day onwards. He vowed to keep the place clean, as long as he was present there. Later, he also asked one of the custodians of the castle to do the same, after they left.
Saucha In The Context Of Yoga
Saucha is the first Niyama, that one is expected to observe in yoga practice. Yamas and Niyamas occur before asanas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Cleanliness does not just relate to physical cleanliness, though. It relates to the dirt inside the mind, as well. You may pick up various bad habits throughout life. It is your utmost duty to recognize them, and banish them. You must not take the bad habits to your yoga class, as they will not allow you to progress.
There are quite a few kriyas in yoga, which allow you to clean your mental and physical body. They include Dhauti, Basti, Neti, Kapalbhati, Trataka, and Nauli. You will be guided through each of these at one of the best yoga school in India, namely Hari Om Yoga Vidya School. Apart from yourself, you also need to keep the environment clean. Thus, it makes sense to vacuum the floors, curtains, bed linen, and upholstery regularly. Furthermore, you must clean yourself by taking regular baths. No one likes to mingle with dirty individuals. And, there would be many in the classroom, so staying clean will help you to attract all the goodness.
The best yoga centre in Rishikesh has taken proper care to keep the place clean. So, that you can bloom and flourish. Head there today, and enrol yourself to know more about ‘Saucha’.
