Purity is very important in sadhana and puja.
Purity is important for the success of sadhana and puja.
In sadhana, you are inviting divine presence.
If you go somewhere as a guest, if the place is not clean, if the host has not made preparation for your visit, tidying up the place then you will be disappointed.
Why did he invite me to the place if I am not important to him?
We all do this, no?
Invite someone home, we make sure that the place is clean, furniture is in their place, floor is clean, nothing is strewn around, newspaper and magazine are in their place, we all do this because the guest should feel good.
And also we are looking forward to his visit, we are happy to have him as a guest.
Carelessness defeats the whole intention and purpose.
In sadhana and puja, God is the guest, the greatest guest you can ever have.
So proper care should be taken to keep the place clean.
Sit on a proper asana as recommended.
Kushasana made of darbha grass is a good option.
When you do sadhana or puja, there are electromagnetic currents that become active in the body.
Research has been done in this area.
There are studies that prove that even merely sitting facing east or north alters the electromagnetic currents in the body.
Beneficial, by making you more peaceful and focused.
So you can imagine, with the mantra chanting and all how much of these electromagnetic waves are going to become active.
They should not get grounded, if they get grounded then the benefit is gone.
That's why you sit on a proper asana which acts as a non-conductor between your body and the ground.
Ideally, the asana should extend under your feet also.
This principle is seen in yajna also.
After the vedi is prepared for yajna, darbha grass is strewn all over the vedi.
There is an injunction that the yajna should commence only after this is done.
Otherwise, it is harmful for the performer.
In yajna, you are getting connected to the celestial electromagnetic waves.
Care should be taken like how you are careful while handling electricity.
This is called asana shuddhi.
This has another side.
Sit straight, with your backbone straight.
This helps in the smooth circulation of these energies in the body.
Gita itself says this
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः।
संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्।
Then there is bhuta shuddhi.
The body is made up of the pancha bhutas.
They need to be clean.
Water is a good means to attain purity.
We are blessed with an abundance of good water.
This is why we say India is the most suitable place for sadhana.
We are blessed.
We have whatever is needed for sadhana.
Good water, moderate weather.
We can take a bath.
Imagine living in a place where half the year the temperature is in minus.
You won't be able to take a bath.
We are blessed.
This is why shastra says don't migrate to such places.
You will lose all these advantages, all these blessings.
Through taking bath and achamana, the body is made pure, the pancha bhutas are made pure.
For the more serious sadhakas there is a procedure called bhuta shuddhi. We will not get into the details.
In this, through visualization and pranayama, the five elements in the body are purified.
The end result of bhuta shuddhi is to realize that the body is nothing but the pancha bhutas.
It is the same for everyone.
There is nothing exclusive about your body.
The body doesn't have any importance more than this.
This understanding should come.
Then there is chitta shuddhi.
At the time of sadhana or puja, the mind should be devoid of any other thoughts.
Normally the mind is filled with emotions.
I want this, I want that, that is so tasty, anger, why is the neighbor playing music so loudly at the time of my puja, he is such a nuisance.
If I could have an exclusive place somewhere in the mountains, then my sadhana would be better.
See how good I am in this, only I am able to stick to this sadhna, others in the group are there just for showing off.
Such thoughts and emotions keep running in the mind.
Then the regular stuff - office, family, EMIs - mind should be clear, like an empty vessel.
Then only it helps.
You are going to place fragrant rose petals in a bowl but if already muddy dirty water from the sewage is already there in that bowl, stinking sewage water then how will it be?
This is the importance of chitta shuddhi.
So sthala shuddhi, asana shuddhi, bhuta shuddhi, or shareera shuddhi and chitta shuddhi.
Without these, sadhana or puja will not be successful