शरीराकारभूतानां भूतानां यद्विशोधनम् ।
अव्ययब्रह्मसम्पर्काद्भूतशुद्धिरियं मता ॥
भूतशुद्धिं विना कर्तुर्जपहोमादिकाः क्रियाः ।
भवन्ति निष्फलाः सर्वा यथाविध्यप्यनुष्ठिताः ॥
śarīrākāra-bhūtānāṁ bhūtānāṁ yad viśodhanam |
avyaya-brahma-samparkād bhūta-śuddhir iyaṁ matā ||
bhūta-śuddhiṁ vinā kartur japa-homādikāḥ kriyāḥ |
bhavanti niṣphalāḥ sarvā yathā-vidhy apy anuṣṭhitāḥ ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.63–64)
“Purification of the elements, that is, those existent in the form of the body, by means of relation with imperishable brahman—this is considered bhūta-śuddhi [lit., ‘purification of the elements’]. Without bhūta-śuddhi, an actor’s acts of japa, homa, and so forth, even all those performed according to rule, become fruitless.”
Commentary
atha bhūta-śuddhiṁ likhiṣyann ādau tad-arthaṁ likhati—śarīreti | śarīrasya ākāra-bhūtānām ākṛtitvaṁ prāptānāṁ śarīratayā pariṇatānām ity arthaḥ, pañca-mahābhūtānām upalakṣaṇam etat, sarveṣām eva daihika-tattvānām avyaya-brahmaṇo jīva-tattvasya samparkāt tad-ātmakatayā, yad vā śrī-bhagavato’ṁśatvena sambandhād dhetor viśodhanaṁ kārya-kāraṇādi-bhinnatayā vijñānaṁ yad iyam eva bhūta-śuddhir matābhijñaiḥ | … ātma-śodhanaṁ vinā mūlāśuddheḥ |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Now describing bhūta-śuddhi, the author first describes its meaning in this verse: śarīrākāra … [i.e., he states HBV 5.63]. ‘Those existent in the form of the body’ (śarīrākāra-bhūtānāṁ) means those that have attained corporality, that is, those that have transformed into the body. This is an indicator (upalakṣaṇa) of the five fundamental elements [i.e., earth, water, fire, air, and space]. That specifically which is a purification of indeed all these constituents of the body, that is, a discernment [of them] as being distinct [from the living entity (jīva-tattva)] in terms of [their being] effect and cause [of one another] and so on, by means of [their] relation with imperishable brahman, that is, with the living entity (jīva-tattva), based on that’s [i.e., the living entity’s] being the basis [of their existence], or, alternately, by means of [the living entity’s (jīva-tattva’s)] being a part (aṁśa) of Śrī Bhagavān, is considered bhūta-śuddhi by the learned. … [Why is bhūta-śuddhi compulsory before acts of japa and so forth?] Because of impurity of the basis without purification of the ātmā (self) [i.e., without purification of the self (ātmā), the agent who is the basis of the acts of japa and so forth, such acts cannot be pure and become fruitful even if the other articles involved in them are pure and the performance of the act is procedurally proper; the awareness of the performer is the most significant element in any rite and without it being properly informed and focused, the rite will not be successful].”