अद्भिः गात्राणि शुध्यन्ति मनः सत्येन शुध्यति

अद्भिः गात्राणि शुध्यन्ति मनः सत्येन शुध्यति।

विद्यातपोभ्यां भूतात्मा बुद्धिर्ज्ञानेन शुध्यति॥

मनुस्मृत्याम्। ४-१०९

adbhiḥ gātrāṇi śudhyanti manaḥ satyena śudhyati|

vidyātapobhyāṁ bhūtātmā buddhirjñānena śudhyati||

manusmṛtyām| 4-109

A great quote from Manusmriti..

Meaning of the slokam

==============

The body gets cleaned up by water

The mind would be purified by truth

The spirit and soul would reach highest level of purity through learning and penance.. sadhana

The intellect gets refined to perfection through deep knowledge..

==================

Of course most of us use soap and water every day for bath and washing.. and sure, the one who does not use water will not read this too..

The mind gets clouded and dirty when bad thoughts infests it.. and the worst thoughts arise through conflicts.. and the cause of conflict is the refusal to accept reality.. when we refuse to face reality, we are not truthful either to ourselves or to others.. Therefore a pure mind thrives on truth and truth alone..

The growth of the spirit or soul inside us.. through proper penance and penance can be effective only through thorough training and repeated practice..

And the grindstone where the intellect gets sharpened is through acquisition of knowledge... If the flow of knowledge stops, the intellect becomes stale and blunt..

Of course, the quality and quantity of water available can depend on the vagaries of nature. But capacity to discern truth from untruth, the concentration we can devote in Sadhana, and the persistence in acquiring more knowledge.. all these are either inborn in us or we have to cultivate the proper attitude..

Regards

k v ananthanarayanan