Fifth Moral Code - Not to get Defiled, Nor to Defile Others

'Not to get defiled, nor to defile others' means a seeker should retain purity and should not attempt to impurify others also. He should maintain purity and be helpful to others in maintaining purity. He should not act or behave in such a way that he is defiled and also defiles others. For example, a rotten fruit in the basket spoils all the fruits, similarly an impure person contaminates other people also.

This moral code of conduct includes inner purification as well as outer purification. Physical or outer cleanliness and inner purification is the first step towards spiritual attainment. Without such purification progress on spiritual path is not possible. Some people give more emphasis to outer cleanliness and ignore inner purity. This is a grave mistake. Some people have bath a number of times during the day. They live under constant fear that if somebody touches him, they would become impure. They worry whole day that if the offerings to God, clothes, eatables etc. are touched by someone belonging to lower caste or an impure person or bird or animal they would accummulate great sins. Due to such worries they are not able to perform properly various means to attain God, like knowledge, meditation, worship, prayer contemplation of divine form of God etc..

By maintaining such other cleanliness, some recognition could be achieved in society. 'Wow! He is a real devotee. He follows all the rules explained in religious scriptures. He is a very pious person.' Such praise nourishes one's ego and he believes himself better than other people, but he cannot progress spiritually. So he remains cypher as far as spiritual attainments are concerned. Spiritual progress is not possible till outer cleanliness is achieved, but inner consciousness is not purified. For example, fish remain in the water all the time. Does that mean they are spiritually accomplished? They are not! Their spiritual states remains the same. Therefore, outer purification or make up without inner purification are meaningless.

Some people give more importance to inner purification and consider outer cleanliness secondary. This is also a mistake. Because during the process of self-realization and God-realization, inner as well as outer purification are equally important. Once self-realization and God-realization are attained and unity with divine form of God is attained, then any kind of impurity cannot affect. Such spiritually accomplished Muktas also perform both types of purification, just to set an example for the seekers on the path. To empty bowels, to brush the teeth, to take bath, to wash hands, feet and face, to wear washed clothes, to perform prayer-worship at a clean place sitting on a clean mat, to perform recitation, austerities, meditation, devotion etc. are means of outer purification. By performing outer purification, mind becomes pure, Satwik and without any aberrations. Consciousness is also clarified and divine form of soul - God can be contemplated easily and without any distraction. Food should be prepared after purifying one self and should be offered to God. By having such food Satwik attributes develop and Rajasik and Tamasik qualities decrease. As a result, concentration, grasping power, sense of discretion, subtle understanding etc. develop. Occult principles of spirituality can be understood easily through such purified Satwik consciousness. To attain this, body should be made clean, healthy and agile by performing outer purifications. This will make one's mind healthy and without any desires. Thus means to attain inner purity should be performed alongwith outer cleanliness.

Under the guidance of a Mukta one should learn to perform various means like knowledge, meditation, worship, recitation, austerities, outer worship, Mansipuja etc. with complete devotion and reverence. These means should be practiced and performed every day with complete devotion, affection oozing out from whole body and complete surrender and submission towards divine form of God. Pious scriptures should be studied with concentration, teachings of a spiritually accomplished Mukta should be understood, contemplated and followed with full faith. Grace of God could be attained by serving spiritually accomplished Muktas and by remaining in constant contact with him. As a result, one's consciousness is purified. Divine affection and devotion towards God originates in a purified consciousness and a seeker becomes eligible for ultimate salvation.To attain God-realization inner as well as outer purification are the most important.

Subtle waves of radiation are emitted from the body of every person and from the objects used by that person. From animals etc. also such waves are emitted which are known as Aura or Aurical radiations. A luminous circle of such emmissions is formed around body. This is known as aura. Aura of a living being keeps on changing as per his mental state, thoughts, acts and behaviour. Whereas, radiations emitted by a non-living object do not change. Even the inanimate objects are affected by the aura of an alive person. Aura is formed as per a person's emotional state. Aura of a person whose consciouness is pure is of bright and transparent colours. Aura of person whose consciouness is not pure, is of dark and dull colours. Tejo Leshya means bright red coloured aura similar to that of a rising sun. Padma Leshya is of bright yellow colour. Shukla Leshya is of pure white colour. Leshya means waves of Aura. Above mentioned Leshyas are considered auspicious and pious. It flows from the energy centers (Chakras) situated above navel center in subtle body. Krishna Leshya means aura of black colour, Neel Leshya means aura of dark blue colour and Kapot Leshya means aura of grey and rust colour. Such Leshyas are considered impure and inauspicious. It flows from the centers situated below navel center. Consciousness of a person having bad intentions or bad conduct is more active at the Mooladhar Chakra or Swadhishthan Chakra which are situated below navel. These people are suffering from lust, anger, pride, envy etc. weaknesses. Their aura is generally of black, blue or grey colour. They are having bad intentions and perform wrong and sinful deeds. Whereas a person whose consciousness is more active at the Anahat Chakra, Vishudh Chakra, Agya Chakra and Sahastrar Chakra which are situated above Manipur Chakra, are Satwik and pious people. They have attained certain spiritual progress. Their aura is of red, yellow or of bright white colour. Pious waves are emitted from such people. The Chakras are energy centers, situated in subtle body. They are energized and activated by the consciousness of a soul. Hormonal glands in the physical body are activated by the waves of energy flowing from these centers. As a result physical and mental activities take place. Our physical body is affected by our subtle body. Energy centers in subtle body emits waves of different colours as per different feelings and accordingly physical activities are performed. Physical acts create the bondage of Karma. These Karmas are attached with causal body as subtle Samskaras. These seeds of Karma stored in causal body activates the subtle body and in turn subtle body activates the physical body. This cycle keeps on repeating itself.

Virtues like truth, non-violence, contenance, selfless service, religious practice, knowledge - awareness, detachment, devotion, forgiveness etc. triggers pious state of mind. As a result, aura is also formed of pious colours. These waves or vibrations cannot be seen through physical eyes. A person who has cultivated divine sight by performing meditation can see such auric fields and feel them. Muktas or spiritually accomplished Yogis can perceive a person's virtues, weaknesses, mental states, feelings and Karma, wishes etc. through their divine sight or inner vision. As explained earlier, such waves have colour, length, breadth etc. dimensions. The purpose of serving saints or pious people is that they emit pious vibrations. The beneficial effects of such pious waves can be experienced by the people and objects coming in contact with them and on the surrounding atmosphere. As a result, people who are in close contact of such pious saints feel peace and tranquility. Even a sinner visiting a Mukta can be relieved of his sins, if he touches or feels a Mukta with sincerity and open heart. The intention behind accepting Prasad from a Mukta is also the same. An object or an eatable touched by a pious saint or a Mukta becomes pure. A person receiving this Prasad also becomes pure. The earth where a saint moves around becomes a pious place of pilgrimage. Such place and surrounding atmosphere remains pious for a long time due to divine vibrations of a saint. Sins of people visiting such places are destroyed.

As pious vibrations are emitted by a pious person and affects everyone in close vicinity, impure vibrations are emitted by wicked, impious and sinful people. Such sinners contaminate the people and objects who are in contact with them. Even through touch they can spoil an object. Therefore, scriptures have forbidden to remain in contact with such impure people and to accept the objects which are used by them. Bhagwan Swaminarayan has mentioned in Vachanamrit for the same reason that the effect of close contact of an impious person is similar to that of an intoxicant. Hence, this is the scientific reason behind the fact that a person is transformed as per his company.

Therefore, a seeker, desirous of salvation, should avoid the company of sinners who commit violence, bad conduct, adultery, stealing, lustful deeds, cunning acts and addiction. The touch of such people should be avoided. If unknowingly or in a crowd such people touch, a seeker should have bath after coming home and perform prayers to God. This will clear up the bad effects. It is beneficial for health also to have bath after coming home. Consciousness is purified by performing remembrance of God, recitation, prayer and meditation after having bath. Therefore, a seeker should perform such means regularly and frequently still he attains salvation. Lethargy or negligence should be avoided and such practicies should not be considered less significant. By following these rules, obstacles on the path of spiritual progress can be overcome.

Except for emergency a seeker should avoid eating here and there to maintain his purity. He should not accept even water offered by unclean and impure people. In such matters, he should not try to imitate a spiritually accomplished Mukta. Spiritually accomplished Muktas accept food, water or services offered by a sinner to liberate him. But this is not forbidden for them, because after attaining unity with divine form of God, no impurities can affect them. But if other people try to imitate them, they become impure.

A seeker should remain in frequent contact of a Mukta, whenever he finds time. If spiritually accomplished saints or Muktas are not present in their physical form, their teachings and preaching should be remembered and thus a seeker should remain in their contact. He can remain in contact with pious people who follow outer means of purification and who are on the path of spiritual progress. Satsangis should always remain in contact while striving on the path of salvation. Such contact strengthens their aspirations and accelerates their progress on the path of spiritual attainment. Company of bad people should be completely and strictly avoided with total awareness. When a spiritually accomplished saint is present in his physical form, he should always be served with reverence and a seeker should remain in contact with him. This will accelerate his progress on spiritual path. Such Sadguru is a moving place of pilgrimage. Just by sitting next to such Sadguru, inner enemies like lust, anger etc. are weakened and ultimate peace can be experienced. If a seeker, who is in contact with a Sadguru, is eligible, he can attain unity with divine form of God and attain divine state similar to the Sadguru. As Parasmani (a stone which can convert other things into gold) transforms other things into Paras, similarly a contact of a spiritually accomplished saint transforms other person into spiritually accomplished person. This is the significance of physical existence of a Satpurush. Here, Satpurush means a spiritually accomplished Mukta and not a person who is still on the path of liberation.

The fifth moral code of conduct also includes shunning bad company alongwith outer and inner purification. We have discussed the effects of good and bad company in detail while explaning the science of auric fields. Now, let us discuss it further. Bhagwan Swaminarayan has emphasized to remain in contact of spiritually accomplished saints and Satsangis and to avoid the company of bad people. Company of four types of bad people should be especially avoided, Kudapanthis, ill Shaktipanthis, Atheists and dull Vedantis; company of these four types of people should be avoided. These people interpret scriptures like Ved, Puran, Upanishad etc. through their worldly point of view and as per their imagination, and behave in such a way that their own consciousness and other people's consciousness is (tainted) polluted. Most of them consume alcohol and meat, perform adultery, and are addicted to intoxicants like opium, hemp, tobacco etc.. Such people manipulate other people and misguide them. They corrupt innocent people and direct them towards downfall. Company of atheists and dull Vedantis is the most dangerous and risky, bacause endeavours to attain unity with seeker, divine form of God are disrupted. Such people do not understand the significance of worship of divine form of God and they consider themselves as the doer of all. So they cannot go beyond the veil of illusion which manifests in the form of ego. Dull Vedantis are those people who have not experienced the knowledge of Vedant, but they interpret the knowledge as per their imagination and waste their precious time in futile discussions of this knowledge. They consider that soul is Brahm and there is no ultimate God other than soul. All the rituals and teachings explained in scriptures are of no significance. Any pious acts or sinful acts do not affect Brahm. With such understanding, they indulge in false pretense, adultery etc. without any discretion. Through contact of such people, one's perception is affected and if one's devotion towards God is affected, then the ultimate salvation can not be attained till eternity. Other sinful acts can be purified, because spiritually accomplished saints shower their blessings out of compassion and liberate even sinners. A robber called Valia became Saint Valmiki through the contact of a saint. A vicious robber like Joban Pagi came in contact of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and turned into a devotee of the highest quality. Thus, even sinner can attain liberation, but the people who are in contact of atheists and Shushka Vedantis cannot attain ultimate salvation. So, a seeker should continuously pray to God that he should never come in contact of these four types of people. This is explained by Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Shri Hari has also mentioned in Shikshapatri that company of a thief, sinner, addict, lustful person and that of a trickster should be avoided. We acquire good and bad qualities of a person with whom we are in contact with. For example, a person who is in contact of a sinner is tempted to commit sinful acts. Contact of a thief may generate the desire to steal and a person may become a lustful person in company of other lustful persons because certain weaknesses like lust etc. are inherent in all the living beings. They emerge in the company of a person who has such weaknesses. Therefore, Shri Hari has forbidden the contact of such people who are desirous of women, money and enjoyments of taste. We have also discussed earlier that our aura is effected by the aura of other people with whom we are in contact with. Therefore, seekers should use their discretion and try to be choosy about the person they are in contact with.

Shri Hari has advised unmarried, married or widowed women to avoid the company of Swairini, Kamini, Punschali women who indulge in immoral deeds and who are not of good character. Therefore, women should avoid such bad company always with total awareness. They should remain in contact with pure and religious women. This would help them in their spiritual progress.

The last moral code of conduct also includes the instruction to maintain cleanliness and purity during menstrual periods. For young women, menstrual cycle is a natural process of release of eggs produced in ovaries as a result of hormonal changes. As per medical science, adverse effects of menstruation last for three days. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain outer cleanliness and inner purity and take rest considering the physical and mental changes like mood swings etc. Shri Hari has instructed not to touch any person or objects for three days except for emergency and on the fourth day after having bath, a woman can touch everything. During these days rest, mental peace and restraint are very necessary. This is good for the physical and mental health of the woman and all others.

These days, many ladies ignore this instruction of Shri Hari and do not follow the rules properly during menstruation. This is not appropriate. By not following the rules, sometimes it is harmful and there is a possibility of some mishap. So, if this instruction is not ignored, God would be pleased and harmful consequences could be avoided.

Scientists have noted certain mental changes alongwith physical changes during menstruation periods. Mental depression, short temper, lack of concentration, lack of interest in any activity, loss of memory upto certain extent are observed during these days. Due to pain and aches in stomach, back and muscles, a woman feels like having rest. Such changes have been observed by the experts. During menstruation, impure and harmful waves are emitted from the body of a woman. In common language, these harmful emmissions are called as a shadow of woman. Due to the harmful effects of such shadow, surrounding atmosphere is affected. As a result, grains, pickles etc. are spoiled. If a snake comes under such influence, it looses its eye sight. This has been mentioned in Bhakt Chintamani by Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami. Experts of parapsychology says that during these days, women are likely to be troubled by some elements of demonic and impure characteristic belonging to subtle world. Therefore, it is necessary to perform prayer and recitation alongwith maintaining outer cleanliness.

Let us examine certain experts opinion on this topic. A famous doctor called Ceric has proved by experiments that radiations emitted from the body of a woman having menstrual periods are harmful. He has proved by experiments that flower withers in the hands of a menstruating woman and heart beats of a frog slow down. During these days, if a woman copulates with her husband or some other man, and she conceives, then the baby would be having some physical or mental defects.

A Roman writer, named Pliny notes that, milk, grains and pickles rot faster due to touch of a menstruating woman.

American Prof. Schick also writes that body of a menstruating woman is full of toxins. If she walks on a green lawn, then alongwith the lawn, surrounding flowers, Tulsi plants etc. wither, fruits are also spoiled. (American journal of clinical medicine 1921 A.D.)

During ancient days in Egypt, it was a custom that menstruating women should stay in solitude.

Parsi and Islam religions also do not consider a menstruating woman pious and pure. As per Jewish religion the menstruating women should follow the rules for seven days.

Touch of a menstruating woman instigates sexual desires in a man quickly. This is an expert's opinion.

Ayurveda has emphasized mentruating woman to follow celibacy. Thus, almost all the religions and societies have devised certain rules to be followed during menstruation. Therefore, these rules should be followed with awareness and restraint, except for emergency.

In modern age, women work in the offices and do business to develop their career and to be helpful financially. It is also necessary. But still, they should try to maintain inner and outer purity during menstruation. They should try to avoid touching anybody, if not required. If they touch somebody in a crowd or while commuting, they should have bath after coming home. Thus, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness while working.

After using the toilets, after performing copulation or after touching an impure person, it is necessary to have bath for the sake of purification. Impure thoughts and mental impurities can be purified by performing meditation, Bhajans, prayer, recitation, attending Satsang, contemplating good thoughts. This moral code of conduct includes the need of mental purification also.

Thus, a person should maintain inner and outer purity and also be helpful to others in maintaining purity. He should always try to keep his speech, behaviour and thoughts truthful, pure and which can set an example for others to follow. So that other people can also feel inspired to live an ideal life and live their lives happily. Fifth moral code of conduct teaches us this topic.