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How should we purify chitta so that our death and time after death can't be harmful or full of suffering for us.
How someone can get peace with it?

ram
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Vishvam
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2 Answers2

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Chitta means mind in general. Mind itself can be categorized into many subtler parts like Manas, Buddhi etc.
Food eventually transforms into the mind (I don't recall exact shastra quote for this, but it exists)

So, to purify chitta, answer is simple : clean (meaning satvik) food = clean chitta

Chandogya Upanishad :

आहार शुद्धौ सत्त्व शुद्धिः सत्त्व शुद्धौ ध्रुव स्मृतिः
ध्रुव स्मृति-लम्भे सर्व ग्रन्थीनां विप्र मोक्षः

Ahara suddhau sattva-suddhih Sattva-suddhau dhruva smrtihi
dhruva smrti-lambhe sarva-granthinam vipra-moksah

From purity of food, follows purity of mind.
Pure mind -> Firm memory -> Knots (of samsara) are loosened -> Wise get liberated.

Krishna also says:

ayuh-sattva-balarogya- sukha-priti-vivardhanah
rasyah snigdhah sthira hridya aharah sattvika-priyah

“Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.”

So.. I said it is simple, but it is not at all easy.. what are exactly are Satvik foods ? Krishna mentioned this only in very general terms in Gita.
Whereas, there is an entire grantha Ahara Niyama that mentions exact fruits/vegetables/milk we cannot eat, when to eat, how to eat, who should serve it etc.

Some samples:
- Avoid liquor
- Avoid meat
- Avoid eating in restaurants
- Avoid onion, garlic, mushrooms, drumstick, watermelon, white brinjal etc.
- Avoid milk taken from cow whose own calf is not nearby or was not fed by it , the milk for first 10 days after it gave birth, or milk from pregnant cow .. most milk available in cities nowadays does not meet these requirements, you have to go to goshala for satvik milk
- Avoid tea, coffee, soda
- Avoid eating before bathing, or at dusk, or at midnight, or while standing, or with left hand
- Avoid food that is ucchishtam (no sipping drinks or licking fingers, because saliva has already transferred from mouth to that food) - exceptions are ucchishtam of one's father, eldest brother, or acharya
- Avoid husband and wife eating together (wife should serve husband first)
- Avoid food seen by immoral people and food touched by sanyasi
- Avoid food with hair or nails in it, and avoid food fallen on cloth
- Avoid food kept separately for oneself before serving guests
- Avoid food on Ekadashi

Most importantly
- Avoid food not offered to God

ram
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    Bro, All these Do's won't help to purify chitta. These Do's will only stop maligning chitta anymore. Samskars from subconscious & unconscious mind accumulated over many previous births and present birth will be still present. These Do's can only purify conscious mind (Upper layer), not deep layers. Moreover, discrimination should be avoided - "Avoid husband and wife eating together (wife should serve husband first)". Relationships based on ego are Rajsik, based on love is Sattvik. Husband & wife should eat together with immense love for each other. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ May 05 '17 at 17:37
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    is student serving guru considered ego-based relationship, or son serving parents considered ego-based ? No, they are based on love and respect. same for wife-husband relation. Only 'modern' folks feel wife serving husband is ego-based.. also, chitta is already pure, but covered by dirt.. and if left alone it will become clean on its own, it is enough if we stop feeding it dirt (un-satvik food) – ram May 05 '17 at 17:40
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    thanks for the answer but there are some points that contradicts with my knowledge. For example you said avoid eating before bathing, that means you are saying bathing is necessary for everyday! But I don't believe it's true coz I do remember Ramanand Sagar's Shree Krishna's episode in which Yashoda mata wakes up Krihsna to get ready to go out with cows and she offers Prasad (holy food) to him and asked go and take bath then have prasad then Krishna replied there is no need to take bath coz Lord only sees soul, not body. Ask your god if he likes pure soul or pure body.. – Vishvam May 05 '17 at 18:03
  • No bro. You are indirectly saying Being Sattvik alone leads to enlightment. And respect is the result of love & devotion, not a result of manipulation. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ May 05 '17 at 18:03
  • @Rishabh, Krishna need not take bath but we need to, everyday. Or.. if we can lift Govardhana hill ourselves, then we also need not take bath. – ram May 05 '17 at 18:30
  • @RohitSinghRathore, I didn't say being Satvik ALONE leads to enlightenment, I'm quoting Upanishad saying being Satvik leads to enlightenment. There is no 'manipulation'.. Scriptures say student must serve guru and must only eat after he eats. That's not manipulation, it's a discipline, which will create submission in student's heart which will create humility which will create a good receptive mind for knowledge. Similarly, relation between devotee and god, or wife and husband, or son and parents. – ram May 05 '17 at 18:34
  • @ram No buddy, Actually that was Lord Krishna's message to mankind that we should put our focus to purify our soul, not our body. He also said in another episode to sudama that By washing body, our inner sins won't gets washed, so if your heart is pure then everything is pure and if our heart is not then nothing is pure. – Vishvam May 05 '17 at 18:50
  • @Rishabh, our soul is always clean - it is sat-chit-ananda svarupa, this body & mind are the things that are covered by dirt and need cleaning. yes, i agree that mind purity is greater than body purity. and if body purity becomes an obstacle to mind purity, then we can ignore body purity. but in the absence of both mind purity and body purity, at least body purity is easier to attain, and eventually will lead to mind purity also. Chandogya upanishad clearly states that food purity will lead to mind purity. – ram May 05 '17 at 19:05
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You are clearing chitta requires a lifestyle change food affects mind. You need to have positive thoughts towards Lord God is grateful. He will guide us if we remember him. You think of him doing anything daily activities offer your karma. Meditate on him think about Lord sleeping and waking. Chitta will be purified. It also depends on your spiritual evolution.

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