Protectiveness

From the above considerations it is easy to account for the statement that there arises the perception or understanding (bodha) of the 'howness' (kathanta) of the course of births (janman).  The common word for rebirth or reincarnation is punarjanman, punar meaning 'again'. This yogi has understood the theory very well. He can judge why certain conditions and happenings come to people, and therefore he has the wisdom to see how they should be dealt with to fill up the deficiencies of character of the people involved in them, and when he attains the higher vision or the intuitive or direct perception of the mind, on account of his detachment from particular things, he will positively see the course of past births - that is the meaning.

6. The results of bodily cleanliness are given as 'protectiveness of the body and detachment from others. The first part of this explanation of results has been the cause of much conflict of opinion among the commentators. One school of thought takes the word jugupsa to mean protectiveness, and another loathing. This is one of those words, rare in Sanskrit, which can have two or more quite different meanings. I have preferred protectiveness for the reason that it accords with common sense and with intelligent practice. It would be strange indeed that dislike of the body should arise from a habit of cleanliness. Desire to protect it from dirt and from 'bad living magnetism' is much more likely. Besides, loathing of anything is as much disapproved in yoga theory as infatuation. The fact that some fanatics despise the body only indicates their own admission of its unnaturalness and the grip which that idea has upon them.

For the sake of cleanliness, and also for the sake of 'psychic cleanliness', the Hindus do not in general approve of bodily contacts. An example is their greeting on meeting one another. The open hands are placed together, palm to palm and fingers to fingers, and held vertically in front of the chest for a moment. This is preferred to the handclasp, which anyhow was originally a way of ensuring the absence of weapons. Other evidence of their carefulness in this matter is the dislike of the upper classes for smoking, with the exception of some who have been influenced by Western customs. One man gave me his reasons: 'I dislike very much the idea of taking into my lungs smoke which has been in other people's mouths and is saturated with their saliva.

So there is really no justification for the translation of the aphorism as 'loathing for one's own members, and non intercourse with others'. Besides the reasons already given, this does not fit in very well with the interest in excellence of the body shown in some other aphorisms already quoted, and the general idea that attachment and aversion are both emotions to be overcome. In practice I have found that the great number of people who do yoga meditations every morning are very scrupulous about taking the morning bath and wing clean clothing. Dirtiness among Indians is nearly always due to poverty and inconvenience in the water supply.