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Cleanliness and un-cleanliness of materials are measured through wealth, speech, Sanskaar, Kaal, importance and scantiness also.

For example, a pot becomes clean by washing from water, and unclean by touching with mouth. If you have doubt in cleanliness or un-cleanliness of anything, it becomes clean with Braahman's speech or remains unclean without it. Flowers are considered clean by sprinkling water on them and unclean by smelling them through nose. Whatever grains are cooked at the same time when they are to be eaten, are considered pure and clean and kept food for some time, maybe overnight, is considered unclean. Water of large ponds and rivers is considered clean while the water of small ponds and rivers or streams is considered unclean.

Power and weakness, Buddhi (intelligence) and wealth are also used to measure the cleanliness or un-cleanliness. Among them also, place, and the user's age are also counted [for example: wealthy and poor, powerful and weak, intelligent and fool, violent and peaceful country and young and old] are also considered.

Grains, wood, tusks etc bones, thread (Soot), honey, salt, oil, Ghee etc, juice, gold and mercury etc Tejas materials; skin and pitcher etc earthen pots all become clean at time to time through the touch of air, burning in fire, rubbing the earth and washing in water.

According to Desh (place), Kaal (time) and stages, sometimes one, or sometimes two things have to be applied to make a thing clean and sometimes they become clean automatically. If any unclean material is touched with some thing, then it can be made clean by peeling or rubbing earth to it; considering that smell and part of that unclean material is gone; or when that material comes out in its original form then it should be considered clean.

In the same way Snaan (taking bath), Daan (giving alms), Tapasyaa, age, capacity, Sanskaar, Karm and My (God's) remembrance clean the mind. So by cleaning themselves with these methods, a Braahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya should follow Shaastra-prescribed behavior. A Mantra through listening from Guru and offered to Me cleans Karm. Thus when Desh, Kaal, Materials, Kartaa (doer), Mantra and Karm - these six are clean, then there is Dharm, otherwise it is A-Dharm.

Sometimes according to Shaastra Vidhi, Gun becomes Dosh, and Dosh becomes Gun - for example: Sandhyaa Vandan, Gaayatree Jaap are Gun, but for Shoodra they are Dosh; trade of milk etc is Gun for Vaishya and completely prohibited for Braahman. Thus one thing being Gun for somebody and the same thing being Dosh for another, violates the law of reality of Gun and Dosh and shows that this difference is only imaginary. Who are fallen (Patit) or Paapee (sinner) they behave like fallen and they are not attached to Paap; while the same Karm are completely prohibited for good people - for example: for a Grihasth it is natural to be with his wife, but for Sanyaasee it is a severe sin.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 11/18]

Cleaning the Materials      see      Agni Puraan, 14

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