Cleanliness

Names and terminology

Canonical name: Śauca

Original term: Śauca

Transliteration: Śauca

Literal meaning

Maintain bodily, environmental and moral cleanliness without stigma.

Broader interpretation

Maintain bodily, environmental and moral cleanliness without stigma.

Historical context

This principle belongs to Bhagavad Gita's Twenty-Six Divine Qualities and must be read within that framework's setting.

Practical meaning

Maintain bodily, environmental and moral cleanliness without stigma.

Ethical purpose

Maintain bodily, environmental and moral cleanliness without stigma.

Exceptions and disputes

Translation and application vary; each quality should be applied with evidence, proportionality and attention to competing duties.

Variations across schools or traditions

Translations divide and render several Sanskrit terms differently; this catalogue follows the standard twenty-six-term enumeration.

Modern application

Maintain bodily, environmental and moral cleanliness without stigma. Modern application should consider consent, evidence, proportionality, power and consequences.

Criticism and difficult cases

Translation and application vary; each quality should be applied with evidence, proportionality and attention to competing duties.

Truth By Reason analysis

Maintain bodily, environmental and moral cleanliness without stigma. Application should preserve the ethical purpose while avoiding coercion, discrimination and preventable harm.

Ethical themes

• Purity
• Environmental responsibility

Sources

• Bhagavad Gita 16:1–3 — Divine Qualities Primary source