10 Hindu Rituals Which Taught For Maintaining Hygiene ; You May Need This Amid The Pandemic

Today, it is almost impossible for most Indians to think, formulate, and analyze their worldview without the framework of purity and pollution. It turns out that this notion has nothing to do with scientific ideas of cleanliness, hygiene, and health. Hindu rituals taught us the basic need of maintaining personal hygiene around 5000 years ago.

Health experts say the simplest ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 3,200 people and affected more than 100,000 around the world, follow the tried and true cold-season warnings given out for generations. Wash your hands. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your face. Stay home if you are sick.

Hinduism is a term that was coined by foreign invaders of India to designate the traditional socio-religious systems of the people of ‘Hind’ or India. Hindus have a ritual of cleanliness and prayer each morning which includes brushing the teeth immediately upon waking, followed by bathing, prayer, and then eating.

Let us look into the main rituals which may help us to stay away from the pandemic;-

1. Salt, ghee, oil, rice, and other food items should not be served with bare hands. Use spoons to serve.
2. Without a reason don’t touch your own indriyas (organs like eyes, nose, ears, etc.)
3. Don’t use clothes already worn by you & dry yourself after a bath.                                                                       
4. Wash your hands, feet, mouth before you eat.
5. Without a bath or Snan and Shudhi, all Karmas (duties, acts) done are Nishphal (fruitless).
6. Don’t use the cloth (like a towel) used by another person for drying yourself after a bath.
7. Use different clothes while sleeping, while going out, while doing devotional activities.
8. Don’t wear clothes worn by others.
9. Clothes once worn should not be worn again before washing.
10. Don’t wear wet clothes.

Take a bath on return from the cremation ground. Take a bath after every haircut.

These precautions were taught to every Indian five thousand years ago in the Sanatana Dharma. We were forewarned about the importance of maintaining personal hygiene when no microscopes existed, but our ancestors using Vedic knowledge prescribed these Dharma as Sadaachaaram and followed these!