Pt Sri Pranesh Achar (Ananda Rangan)
General
The Mahabharata explains that there are five things in the world that are considered extremely pure, even if they appear impure externally. These are mentioned in the shloka:
Ucchishtam, Shiva Nirmalyam, Vamanam, Mruta Karpadam, Kakavishta Samutpannam.
The meaning is explained as follows:
Ucchishtam: When a calf drinks from the cow, the milk that flows is considered pure. Hence, milk is extremely pure.
Shiva Nirmalyam: Ganga, which flows from Lord Shiva’s head, is always pure.
Vamanam: Honey produced by bees, even though it comes from what they release, is considered very pure.
Mruta Karpadam: The cloth placed on a dead body refers to silk cloth, which is considered pure.
Kakavishta Samutpannam: When a crow’s dropping falls on a peepal seed, it gives rise to the sacred peepal tree, which is very pure.
Therefore, even though silk thread comes from silkworms, silk is declared as extremely pure in the scriptures and is suitable for auspicious rituals.
