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 which are existent in the form of the body by union 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, yadvā 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, going to writing about bhūta-śuddhi, the author first explains its meaning in this verse (śarīrākāra …). ‘Existent in the form of the body’ (śarīrākāra-bhūtānāṁ) means [the elements have] attained the state of the form [of the body], that is, [they have] transformed into the body. This is an indicator (upalakṣaṇa) of the five fundamental elements [i.e., earth, water, fire, air, and space]. Purification [of these elements], that is, understanding of [their] being distinct in terms of effect and cause, and so forth, by union of all of these constituents of the body [viz., the five elements] with imperishable brahman, that is, the living entity (jīva-tattva), on account of [awareness of their] having it for their self (ātmā), or alternately, because of [awareness of] the relationship [of imperishable brahman, i.e., the living entity (jīva-tattva)] with Śrī Bhagavān on account of [the living entity’s] being a part [of him]—this itself is considered bhūta-śuddhi by the learned [i.e., fostering awareness of the self as being distinct from the body made of the five elements and as being both brahman (spirit) in nature and a part of Bhagavān in constitution purifies the elements that constitute the body, as well as the self, which is also an ‘element’ involved in rites of worship, japa, and so forth, and thus qualifies one to perform worship of an object that is also brahman in nature and distinct in constitution from the material elements that constitute the body]. … [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 elements involved in them are pure and the performance of the act is 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].”