Internal cleanliness

Expressions researched:
"internal cleanliness"

BG Chapters 13 - 18

For internal cleanliness one has to think of Kṛṣṇa always and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

BG 13.8-12, Purport: Cleanliness is essential for making advancement in spiritual life. There are two kinds of cleanliness: external and internal. External cleanliness means taking a bath, but for internal cleanliness one has to think of Kṛṣṇa always and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This process cleans the accumulated dust of past karma from the mind.

As far as internal cleanliness is concerned, one should always remember the holy names of God and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

BG 16.7, Purport: The demons are not clean, either externally or internally. One should always be careful to keep his body clean by bathing, brushing teeth, shaving, changing clothes, etc. As far as internal cleanliness is concerned, one should always remember the holy names of God and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. The demons neither like nor follow all these rules for external and internal cleanliness.

SB Canto 9

To keep ourselves externally clean we should bathe three times daily, and for internal cleanliness we must cleanse the heart by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

SB 9.8.22, Purport: Unless one is situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, one is unable to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is situated in everyone's heart. However, because the conditioned souls are influenced by material nature, they can see only the actions and reactions of material nature, but not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One therefore must purify himself internally and externally:

apavitraḥ pavitro vā

sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā

yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ

sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ

To keep ourselves externally clean we should bathe three times daily, and for internal cleanliness we must cleanse the heart by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must always follow this principle (bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ). Then it will one day be possible to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

Internal cleanliness, external cleanliness, chanting the holy names of the Lord, austerity, sacrifice, faith, hospitality, worship of Me, visiting holy places, acting and desiring only for the supreme interest, satisfaction, and service to the spiritual master are the twelve elements of regular prescribed duties.

SB 11.19.33-35, Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Nonviolence, truthfulness, not coveting or stealing the property of others, detachment, humility, freedom from possessiveness, trust in the principles of religion, celibacy, silence, steadiness, forgiveness and fearlessness are the twelve primary disciplinary principles. Internal cleanliness, external cleanliness, chanting the holy names of the Lord, austerity, sacrifice, faith, hospitality, worship of Me, visiting holy places, acting and desiring only for the supreme interest, satisfaction, and service to the spiritual master are the twelve elements of regular prescribed duties. These twenty-four elements bestow all desired benedictions upon those persons who devotedly cultivate them.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Similarly, internal cleanliness, one must rise early in the morning, evacuate, then after taking bath must chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, see the maṅgala-ārātrika.

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973: Brāhmaṇa means śuci. And the others, they are called kṛpaṇa, or muci. Śuci means always cleansed. Internally... Bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ. Inside and outside. Outside by taking bath, washing with soda, soap, or if soda, soap is not available, with earth or oil. That is external cleanliness. Similarly, internal cleanliness, one must rise early in the morning, evacuate, then after taking bath must chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, see the maṅgala-ārātrika. In this way one has to purify himself internally and externally. God consciousness is not so cheap thing. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. One who is completely free from all contamination of material modes, anta-gataṁ pāpam, sinful activities, they can te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante mām [Bg. 7.28], they can stick to the principle of devotional service. Otherwise, if he's not free from the contamination of sinful life, he may show, make a show of devotion, but that is not actual devotion. Bhaktyābhāsa. That is called bhaktyābhāsa.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The internal cleanliness is this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ, cleansing the heart.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 9, 1968: Śaucam, cleanliness. There are two kinds of cleanliness: external and internal. External cleanliness by taking bath with soap and other cleansing material... Of course, in India, the brāhmaṇas, they take... They cleanse themselves externally at least three times a day: in the morning, early in the morning; at noon before taking lunch; and in the evening before going to the temple. Tri-sandhyā. There are so many rules and regulations for becoming cleansed. This is external cleanliness. And there is internal cleanliness. The internal cleanliness is this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ [Cc. Antya 20.12], cleansing the heart.

1976 Correspondence

Internal cleanliness is always chanting Hare Krishna and external cleanliness is bathing regularly.

Letter to Batu Gopala -- Mayapur 18 February, 1976: I accept Sriman Dhananjaya Pandit das for brahman initiation. You may hold a fire sacrifice and he should listen to the Gayatri mantra in the right ear from the tape. He can be instructed that the duty of a brahman is to maintain cleanliness. Internal cleanliness is always chanting Hare Krishna and external cleanliness is bathing regularly. You yourself must set the example.

1976 Correspondence

The brahmana must possess the qualities mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (18.42) and take bath at least twice a day to maintain external cleanliness as well as always chanting the maha mantra for internal cleanliness.

Letter to Balarama -- Vrindaban 11 September, 1976: The beads are duly chanted upon and are enclosed within along with one brahmana thread. The names are, for Bhakta Rarmer __ Vrajaraja dasa, and for Bhakta Ted—Tribhuvanapati dasa. Jyotir Maya das has been accepted by me for second initiation. Now hold a fire yajna and present the names at that time. The gayatri mantras may be heard by tape through the right ear. All of our initiated devotees must strictly chant 16 rounds a day and avoid the four pillars of sinful life completely. These four regulative principles should be lectured on by some expert speaker, as well as the ten offenses to the holy name. The brahmana must possess the qualities mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (18.42) and take bath at least twice a day to maintain external cleanliness as well as always chanting the maha mantra for internal cleanliness.