Baba says, ‘There are some who seem very sweet externally, but internally, there is only rubbish inside them. Here, you have to remain very clean internally and externally.’

Cleanliness means purity in thoughts, words, actions and relationships – in everything. ‘You are a holy swan’, Baba says to me, ‘you are one with white clothing and clean hearts, that is, you are embodiments of cleanliness.’ Its easy to wear white clothes and a badge, have a big smile and project an image of a good yogi. While I might get away with doing that with people in the outside world, here, I fool no one. Shiv Baba says: ‘I am Antaryami. I know what’s inside each one. There are some who seem very sweet externally, but internally, there is only rubbish inside them. Here, you have to remain very clean externally and internally.’

To be constantly without a flaw in the body, mind and heart means to have cleanliness. No matter how clean and pure I may be externally, if the mind and heart are not clean and pure, then it is said: ‘First of all, keep the mind clean.’ This is why a dip in the Ganges does not make me, the soul, pure- it simply cleanses the body. The Lord is pleased with those who have clean minds and clean hearts and what’s more, all the desires of those with clean hearts are fulfilled! The specialty of a swan is that it is clean. So check, says Baba: ‘is there cleanliness in all four aspects of the body, mind, heart and relationships?’ To become completely clean and pure is the aim of this confluence age; this is why deities are remembered as completely pure. In their praise, it isn’t just said: ‘viceless’ but it is said: ‘completely viceless’. It is said: ’16 celestial degrees complete‘, it isn’t just said: ’16 celestial degrees’. While the praise is of the deity form, I become that now, during my Brahmin life. ‘So check‘, says Baba, ‘to what extent have you imbibed cleanliness, that is, purity.’

Cleanliness of the body means constantly to have the awareness of the body being the temple of the soul and to keep it clean with that awareness; not with the body conscious awareness of ‘looking good’ or ‘attractive’. ‘There is no cleanliness‘, Baba reminds me, ‘in body consciousness.‘ When I consider it to be the temple of the soul, then I keep it clean, spiritually. This temple has been given to me by the Father to look after and use. He has made me the trustee of this temple. By being the trustee, I become automatically free from any attachments and bring about cleanliness and purity in myself. The more elevated the idol is, the more elevated the temple is. ‘So recognize your self-respect as the most elevated souls in the entire cycle, and keep the temple, your body, constantly clean; let it be simple, yet clean.‘, teaches Baba. When I keep my body pure in this way, then there is the experience of spiritual fragrance everywhere.

In the same way, I also need to maintain cleanliness or purity in my mind. If there is any type of impure thought in my mind during the day, it cannot be called complete cleanliness. Sometimes, I smile externally and say all the right things when I talk to someone but internally, I am jealous of them or I dislike them or find something wrong with them. To think about bodily beings is useless and also impure, let alone thinking wasteful or negative thoughts about them. BapDada’s direction for the mind is: Focus your mind on Me. Use it for doing world service. ‘So constantly have the awareness of the mantra of ‘Manmanabhav’, this is known as cleanliness and purity of the mind‘, explains Baba. If the mind wanders toward someone else, then that wandering means that there isn’t cleanliness. ‘So check in this way‘, says Baba, ‘and see to what percentage you have imbibed cleanliness.‘

The third aspect is cleanliness in the heart. It is said: honesty is cleanliness. This means that I put my self-progress, that is, my effort, honestly in front of the Father. He is the Surgeon and He will give me the right medicine for my issues but I have to tell Him everything as it is, honestly. Yes, He is Antaryami but telling Him means I have acknowledged that I have these issues, it breaks my body consciousness and makes me open to receive from Him. Secondly, He says, let there be honesty in terms of doing service. If I do service with any selfish motive – for name, fame, recognition etc., it cannot be called true service. Sometimes, I do service out of compulsion: ‘I have to do service anyway’. Its as if I am checking off a box by logging my hours. To do service out of a sense of compulsion is not serving truly either. The original sanskars of a Brahmin are of service, Baba reminds me. I was an orphan before, now, I have come to the Father. I have a new life, the most elevated life with aim and purpose. I am finally able to see things clearly and be the elevated being I am supposed to be. When this is my consciousness, I can’t wait to share my experience with my brothers and sisters who are still stuck in Ravan’s world. I want to enable them to come to the Father too. This is service done through a clean and pure heart. I don’t have to be told to serve, its just what I do naturally.

The fourth aspect is cleanliness in relationships. In essence, what I need to check for is: is there cleanliness in the form of contentment? Throughout the day, there are relationships with a variety of souls – souls of the Brahmin family, souls without knowledge and my lokik family. In all those relationships, what was the extent of my own contentment and of the souls who came into connection with me throughout the day? The sign of my contentment is that I myself will be light in the mind and remain happy, and others will also remain happy with me. The sign of discontentment is that I will be heavy in my mind. There will be thoughts of: ‘I shouldn’t have said this; it would have been better if I hadn’t done this’ etc. Cleanliness in relationships means contentment; this is honesty and cleanliness in relationships.

It is said: one who is true dances. When I clean and pure both inside and out, then there is no heaviness, no biting of the conscience, no feelings of emptiness; I experience lightness, peace and contentment. I become able to receive help from the Father. When I am dishonest, I betray no one more than I betray myself; I deceive myself into thinking I am okay and stay there. I become unable to move forward, to grow and change. Sometimes, I deceive myself with the careless thought of: ‘Yes, I know I have to change in this matter but I am still young, I have time.’ Baba says, to depend on time is carelessness; you have to be ever-ready. I have to be always clean, always pure…not pure at the very end. This is what it means to be a holy swan.

So remain clean internally and externally. Don’t hide anything from the Father. When I am clean myself, I can serve others with a clean heart. I thus do the business of benefiting everyone.