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The next principle is the niyama of śauca. To be precise, the correct pronunciation is śauca. However, Swāmījī often said ṣauca, and so we also mostly say ṣauca. Swāmījī frequently interchanged ś and ṣ. There is nothing wrong with this; these are simply different dialects in India. In one area, I say something and they say it’s correct. In another area, I say the same thing and they correct me, saying, "No, no, you’re a foreigner, you don’t know." So, śauca or ṣauca means cleanliness, purity. At first glance, this seems something very simple and general, not even specifically yogic. It is quite normal that we make a certain effort to have purity in our life—for example, washing our clothes, taking baths, and cleaning our house. When you do this, you usually feel better afterwards. For instance, when you have a shower, you feel refreshed. I, for example, would never sit for morning meditation without having my shower. But when we think deeply about this, there are many different levels. When we say "purity" instead of just "cleanliness," we realize this is actually like a motto for the whole of yoga. We can somehow define yoga as the path of purification. Do you understand what I mean? As Swāmījī always used to say: there is a lamp, but no light comes through. Inside, there is a light. The problem is just the impurity of the lampshade. We have to clean that. As soon as this shade is pure, the bright light comes. So, our yoga techniques—a big part of them—we can really put in this category: these are purification techniques. For example, in the first yoga class, you start with prāṇāyāma. Which prāṇāyāma? Nāḍī Śodhana. What does it mean? The purification of the nāḍīs. The word śodhana comes from the word śuddha (pure). "Śodhan" means to make it pure—purification. So there we already have it, and interestingly, not on the physical level but on the energetic level, on the prāṇa level. With nāḍī śodhana, for example, we work to purify the nāḍīs so that the prāṇa, the energy, can flow freely. We have more purification techniques. A very clear set of purification techniques in yoga are the Haṭha Yoga Kriyās. These are, by definition, purification techniques to purify, to clean our nose and all these connected channels—like netī or dhautī for the stomach, or then śaṅkhaprakṣālana or basti to clean our whole intestines, our whole digestive system. Kapālabhāti is for the cavities in the head or sinuses. Trāṭaka, for example, is to clean the eyes, to purify the eyesight. So all Haṭha Yoga kriyās are purification techniques. Now, when we look at that, we come to an interesting point. This is about physical purification done with water or with air. But when we do kuñjalakriyā or śaṅkhaprakṣālana, what do we actually clean? We clean inside. For most people, that’s a strange approach. In common understanding, when you have a clean body, when your skin is clean, it means just the surface of the body. But in yoga we go deeper. We say no, no, the inside also has to be cleaned. Naturally, when we clean inside the nose, it’s also an inside cleaning. More things come to mind? Agnisāra? This is together with Nauli, no? Because the cleaning has to be on every level. We work on our mind, we clean our kāmas—so many levels are there. We should purify the karmas. That’s how many levels there are. Now think: what is all constituting your body? Which parts of your body do you know? When we look at each other, we see only one small part: the skin. We can say there are muscles and tendons, different types of tissues. And then you have, for example, the intestines. And what is in the intestine? You have the stomach and what is in the stomach. You have the nose and what is in the nose. You have the ear and what is in the ear. Then you have your bladder. Now, think: what of that is actually really pure? The word doesn’t fit anymore properly, even when you think of your hair and what is usually there between. So it is just a different matter. Nothing of that we would say is really pure. When you think deeply, you come to the result: the body is basically impure. Just on the surface, it seems to be nice. And now, I have to go back to what we just discussed before, this parigraha—that our identification with the physical and also with our physical body. Is it not funny that we are so much identified with this dirty thing? And when we think, that’s not only my body—the bodies of others are also like that. When we now think, for example, about what we discussed under the point of brahmacarya—the sexual desire which we have, actually for another body, which is basically also an impure thing. So if one thinks in this way, suddenly things become funny, and one becomes a little bit astonished about one’s own feelings, which one usually has. But to be clear, that’s not philosophy. That is just taking note of the simple facts of life. And that is a spiritual path that awakens us to the reality of life on a very basic level—the reality of our physical existence. Now let us look at what Patañjali writes as a result of this Śauca. Sūtra II.40: "As a result of Śauca, if it is practiced as physical cleanliness, there arises indifference towards the body and distaste for physical contact with others." So it seems that Patañjali knew Buddha’s meditation, because he brings it actually to the point. How can one be so attached to such a basically dirty thing? How can one be so attached and so full of desires for the body of others, which is basically also a dirty thing? So when we purify ourselves, then we become simply more sensitive—sensitive to reality—and this is one result. So it helps us, actually, here again to make a step, what we discussed before under aparigraha, to somehow not be too much attached on the physical level and especially not to our body. That does not say that we should develop a negative attitude toward the body, but simply see it as an instrument—an instrument which has to be used for exactly that purpose for which it is meant. The physical body is a perfect instrument to do spiritual sādhanā, to meditate, and to realize God. So it is actually so valuable, but as a physical thing, it is nothing we should be attached to. It is nothing to show off. In this way, we can have a more, how to say, more ripe relation to our body, valuing that which has real value and seeing the reality that is not very pure. Now we have to go one step further. We are still on the physical level. When we speak about purity, it’s not just that the body, as it is existing now, is dirty and we make it pure again. But we must be aware also that we actually build this body every day ourselves. And that means, what goes in? Nourishment. First of all, also breath. So, to have fresh air is definitely good, and in this context, the prāṇāyāma technique is very important. But more obvious, of course, is now the food. And here, we don’t need to speak too much about that, because we are all on the yoga path—of course, vegetarian food, fresh food and natural food. Nowadays, it becomes harder and harder to get that, because our food itself is not pure anymore. Not yet here so much, but in North America, you hardly get any more natural food. That means, first of all, all the fertilizers and poisons and so on which are in the food. So what does it help if we clean our body outside, when we take the poison inside through the food? So one very clear application of this rule here is that we should try to have biological food. Surely Patañjali did not think of that. At his time, there was not even such a word, because every food was natural and biological. That’s a problem only of the last 50 years, and now, more and more, coming from America, slowly also to us, is this point of genetic modification. I lived four years in Canada, and there you basically don’t get any more food which is not genetically modified. Like here, you know, when it’s not explicitly written "biological," you know surely it’s with poison. In the same way, in America, when it’s not clearly written "non-GM," be sure it is GM, genetically modified. And the most shocking thing a friend told me there in Canada is that even the biological food is often already modified before it is then biologically grown. That means you pay a lot of money to get food which is not full of poison, but even that is modified. We speak here about our physical body, which we call in yoga Annamaya Kośa. "Anna" means food. It is the body consisting of food, made out of food. So when we modify the food, it means actually we modify ourselves, our body. And I think it’s not yet so clear nowadays what the consequences of that are. So I think we don’t need to go too deep into this point, because for most of us, when we say fresh food—but all these snacks, for example, just think, when were they made? That might have been months ago, or maybe one or two years ago, and you get it now from the shop and say, "Oh, I’ve seen it." Okay, this is clear. So our knowledge plays a big role now in the context of Śauca also. When we now have more awareness of purity, then we become more sensitive. And then, naturally, we also apply it on finer levels, on the mental level. So now, when we think on mental purity—that means, of course, we are now here on the point of our qualities again. Every thought which is harming someone is impure. Every word which we speak which is not true is a certain kind of impurity. So basically, all this, what we discussed before with these other yamas—whatever is against these rules is impure. So the root of these impurities is simply our ego. And to overcome this, to develop purity, that means actually to purify myself from this selfish attachment. So where do we go with all this? When we really work on that seriously, what do you feel as a pure being? A pure being has a quite pure radiance and, in this way, somehow makes everyone happy, makes everyone smile. I would say there are two such beings—I speak about human beings. One is a baby, and the other is a saint. You see, everyone changes when they see a baby, and everyone starts smiling. And it doesn’t depend now on this baby or that baby; it’s a general thing, because there is a certain purity which naturally touches our heart. You see, when we spoke about Ahiṃsā, we could translate it as "be harmless." And here we are. A baby, we say, it’s a harmless baby. It cannot even think of harming anyone, and that’s why everyone feels the love naturally. A saint mostly has the same radiance. You came close to Holy Gurujī, and you felt the love, you felt the peace. So basically, we have to work to develop this purity of heart, and to give up all our bad thoughts, our selfish desires, greeds, and interests. I guess this is the deeper meaning when Jesus said in the Bible, "You cannot enter the kingdom of the Lord unless you become like a child." And I’m sure he did not mean that we have to become small again, but he meant this purity of the heart. Now, let us look at what Patañjali writes next, the second sūtra about this mental śauca. Sūtra II.41: "Furthermore, through a pure sāttvic mind, one achieves a pure heart, cheerfulness, the power of concentration, control of the senses, and becomes fit for the vision of the Ātmā." So here is one catchword: he says "a pure sāttvic mind." That means he speaks here now about sattva. We know the three guṇas: tamas, rajas, and sattva. Tamas is a kind of laziness, selfishness, short-sightedness, and ignorance. Naturally, when we sleep, we are actually in tamas guṇa. Not to be in tamas guṇa, it needs a special effort and special techniques. Rajas means activity, desire—so this is just the opposite of tamas. When we work, when we have certain activities, then we are, I think, quite some time during the day we are in rajastuna. We should not now judge and say this is bad. We need all these three guṇas. But we must see that we come out of the rajas, out of the tamas, actually approaching the middle path, the balance, and this is the sattva. Example: in the morning when we want to do our sādhanā. So in the night, you are in tamas guṇa. Now you get up and sit down to meditate. What happens? There is no meditation. There is sleep. Just recently, I had this question. So that means when you get up, be aware you are still in Tamas-guṇa, and we know this. In the morning when I get up, even I have difficulties going straight. So now, we want for meditation to be in sattva guṇa, in the balanced state. So how can we get there? For a while, we have to go into the other extreme, rajas. That means some activity. It can be some jogging, can be some stronger āsanas, maybe some rounds of kaṭupranām, some stretching, whatever. And then, śauca—have a good shower. What I always emphasize is not only a warm shower but a cold shower, because it gives you so much energy. So after that, because your whole body awakens and your breath comes, you feel really good. But don’t think only on you yourself. I think also of the room, because the room in which we were sleeping is now also full of tamas guṇa. That’s a problem here during yoga seminars, when in the hall, which is the meditation hall, many people are sleeping. That’s actually not a good condition. Same when at home, your meditation place is in your sleeping room. It’s not the best. It’s possible, but not the best. So if it is like this, then definitely open the window. Even if it’s cold, for a while, let the air in and really let all the Tāmasic guṇas get out. So we have to deal with these three guṇas every day and every minute, and it’s good to be aware of this. Again, this applies also to the food, which we discussed before. Therefore, if we eat sāttvic food, that makes it much easier to develop a sāttvic mind. But mainly, of course, now when we speak about the sāttvic mind, this is something to observe. Exactly this morning, it was a very good example—this meditation from Swāmījī—to observe our thoughts and emotions very carefully. And what we are practicing during meditation is actually a preparation for the day. We should try also during the day to observe. So, Patañjali emphasizes here that our mind should be pure, sāttvic. And then he says, "We will reach a pure heart." That does not need any comment, because when we look at a small child, that is exactly what we feel. And when we say purity, it is humility—no pretension, no ego, no identification. As Swāmījī says, a step in spirituality is a step in humility. And that is the development of a pure heart. And when we become so internally pure, we get in touch with that inner joy—cheerfulness. And then the power of concentration—that means it also helps the mind and memory. It makes it easier to control the senses, because what makes our senses so busy? Basically, they are always looking for something that could be interesting for me. So please, my desires make my senses busy. And if we have a pure heart, we don’t have so many desires anymore, so it’s much easier also to control the senses. And then here is now the astonishing thing again: "and becomes fit for the vision of the Ātmā." So we must be aware that with these Niyamas, we are approaching already straight away the aim of yoga. This is really not like a preparation for the yoga path; we are already in the middle of it. And you will be astonished now as we go on, especially these last five principles, how straightforward he is with this. So he says you become fit for the vision of the Ātmā—we call it Darśana. And one could now say many things about that, but I think better than anything is a story. And it is of a boy, and because it is so beautifully written, I would like to read it just as it is. It’s from a book by Swami Sivananda, Inspiring Stories. "In the province of Bihar, there was a cowherd boy named Malidas. He was quite illiterate, but innocent and pure. He used to graze his cows in the jungles throughout the day and return home in the evening. One day a Brahmin came there, took his bath at the river, and sat on the bank. He did prāṇāyāma and worship of the Lord. The boy was very interested and observed him. Now, when the Brahmin had finished and wanted to go away, the boy went to him and asked him what he did. The Brahmin said he had been doing pūjā to the Lord. So he asked, 'What is pūjā?' And the Brahmin said, 'Pūjā is worship of the Lord by...' repeating the Gāyatrī mantra. Now the boy asked, 'What is worship, and what is Gāyatrī?' And now this man got a little bit nervous, and he said, 'You are just an illiterate boy, you cannot understand all that, let me go.' So the boy said, 'Alright, you may go, but please tell me one thing only: why did you close your nose while you did pūjā?' You understand? During prāṇāyāma, when the Brahmin closed the nose, the breath stopped and the mind got concentrated. And through this concentration, we can see God. Now the boy was satisfied, and then the Brahmin went away. "So now this boy, as we said, he was very pure and innocent. He immediately accepted everything from this man and took him as his guru. So his guru had taken a bath, so he also took a bath now. And he had sat down, so he also sat down at the river, and now he followed the instruction which he had given him: 'Close the nose, then your mind becomes concentrated and you will see God.' So he took it as absolute truth, so he closed his nose with his fingers. After a minute, he began to think, 'God has not yet come. Maybe today he is a little bit late, but I will continue.' So he was very firm in his faith, and he really had the longing: I must see God. Another minute passed, and he became slowly restless, but he did not open his nose. Now Lord Viṣṇu observed this boy, and he was really moved by this firm faith and this innocent nature and purity of the heart of the boy. And the Lord saw that when I don’t come to him, he will continue and continue and die. So God decided to give his darśan. He came to the boy, and he came in the form of Lord Viṣṇu—that means with four hands and with a disc, and so on. But the boy was illiterate. He had never even seen a picture like that. So he only saw now a strange person appearing there. He asked him, 'Who are you?' And Viṣṇu answered, 'I am God. I have come to give you darśan because you closed your nose.' But the boy said, 'But how can I believe you that you are God?' And God said, 'But I am telling you the truth. What can I do so that you believe me?' Then the boy said, 'I will call my guru, and if he says that you are God, then I will believe.' So then Viṣṇu said, 'Okay, then go and call him.' But the boy said, 'But you should not go away in between.' And God said, 'No, no, I will not go away.' And again the boy said, 'But how can I believe you?' Then God said, 'What shall I do for you?' Then the boy said, 'Okay, I will bind you with a rope to the tree. Is this okay?' And God said, 'It’s okay.' So from one cow, he took a rope and bound Lord Viṣṇu to the tree, and then he ran after his guru, which was this Brahmin who actually didn’t want to tell him anything. "So now when he came running to the Brahmin, the Brahmin was quite annoyed because he thought he had gotten rid of this boy. And the boy said, 'Gurujī, please come quickly and see whether he is God or not.' So the Brahmin saw that he was quite a fool. But he couldn’t get rid of this boy; he was so strong. So finally, he realized the only way to get rid of the boy was now really to do what he wanted. So they came to the place where the Lord was bound to the tree. And the boy pointed with the finger and said, 'Is he God or not?' But the problem was the Brahmin couldn’t see anything. For him, there was just an empty tree, because you cannot see God when you don’t have a pure heart. And the Brahmin did not have a pure heart. He had the feeling, 'I am a Brahmin, I have learned a lot, I have practiced a lot, so I am advanced.' So there was a lot of ego in him. But then he realized the boy would not let him go unless he gave an answer. So finally he said, 'Yes, he is God.' But he didn’t see anything. So then the boy let him go, and now he also unbound Lord Viṣṇu again. "So now Lord Viṣṇu was so pleased about this love and purity of the heart of this boy that he said, 'I want to give you a boon. So what do you want?' And the boy said, 'I want nothing. I have enough food to maintain my body, so what more would I need?' So he had already realized the next principle: be satisfied. But the Lord insisted, 'I want to make you happy. Something I want to give you.' Then finally the boy said, 'If you are so pleased with me, then give me that boon: all this, when I close my nose, please immediately come and be with me. But please don’t let me wait so long as it was last time.' So Lord Viṣṇu was very pleased about this and gave the boon. So now it was real fun for the boy. Whenever he needed someone to play with, when he closed his mouth, Viṣṇu came. He gave him also the darśan—the illiterate boy. This way, now I had the darśan of the Lord. It’s actually the boy now who managed to give the darśan to his guru, but only after the Guru, his Guru, the Brahmin, became as pure in the heart as the Brahman." I feel there can be no better demonstration for this than what Patañjali says here. Maybe let us sing.