Practical suggestions on Wearing Clothes - Hindu Janajagruti Samiti

This article provides practical suggestions on wearing clothes such as they should be comfortable and cover the whole body. It also explains when the new clothes are to be inaugurated and the purification of clothes, etc.

1. Clothes should cover the whole body

A. Importance of wearing clothes which cover the whole body

By wearing clothes which cover the whole body, the body organs get protection from cold, wind, sun and rain, their functionality increases, and they remain healthy.

B. Short clothes emit Raja-Tama waves, which attract the

opposite sex and negative energies, thus causing distress to the individual

Wearing clothes which cover the whole body helps protect the body from cold, wind, sun and rain, as well as maintain modesty. As opposed to this, wearing short clothes neither protects the body nor the modesty.
Short clothes emit Raja-Tama waves, which arouse the sexual desires of the opposite sex in the surrounding area. Therefore, those who wear such clothes may incur the demerit of arousing the sexual desires of others.
Exposure of the body because of the short clothes may arouse sexual desires in the subtle-bodies of negative energies wandering in the atmosphere. They may get attracted towards such an individual and the individual may then suffer from distress due to negative energies. Hence, Hindu Dharma advises wearing clothes which cover the whole body.

2. Fitting of the clothes should be comfortable

Fitting of the clothes should be comfortable, that is, they should neither be too loose nor too tight. For example, kurta-pyjama should not have a large girth. A pyjama with medium girth is preferable to a churidar pyjama that has narrow girth.

A. Tight-fitting clothes attract distressing waves from the atmosphere

Excessive friction between the body and the clinging clothes generates sound waves of subtle-air, because of which distressing waves from the atmosphere are easily attracted towards the individual. It is because of the grossness (Tama-predominance) of clothes such as jeans that congregation of the subtle negative energies in the atmosphere occurs and they get attracted towards the individual.

B. Loose-fitting clothes attract waves of Chaitanya from the atmosphere towards the individual

In loose-fitting clothes, the grossness (Tama component) of the body and the clothes do not come into contact with each other. On the contrary, a subtle void is created between the body and the clothes, to which the waves of Chaitanya from the atmosphere are easily attracted.

3. Do not wear faded, torn and open-seamed clothes

Wearing torn or open-seamed clothes may invite distress from negative energies

Wearing torn and faded clothes is considered a fashionable trend with the younger generation. Have you ever wondered why your grandmother smirks with disapproval at the holes in your favorite pair of jeans ? Or do you often receive comments like, “Do you need some money to buy a new pair of jeans?”

Raja-Tama-predominant waves are emitted from the irregular holes in torn and open-seamed clothes. These waves are in the forefront in attracting distressing energies from the atmosphere. Hence, the individual can become a victim of the distress due to negative energies. When the respective waves accumulate in the holes in the torn and open-seamed clothes, they emit a strange subtle sound. Since the likelihood of distressing waves from the atmosphere getting attracted to this subtle sound is high, avoid wearing such clothes.

4. Do not wear clothes used by others

A. Possibility of experiencing distress due to negative energies through clothes used by others

Clothes used by others are charged with their subtle Raja-Tama-predominant vibrations and distressing desire-oriented vibrations. There is a likelihood of these vibrations spreading to the other individuals through the medium of clothes. If an individual suffers from severe distress due to negative energies, then the next individual who wears clothes used by the first individual is most likely to suffer from the same distress that may even ruin his life.

B. Benefits of wearing clothes used by the spiritually evolved

Spiritually evolved people (Saints) are a source of Chaitanya, and hence, all objects used by them are charged with Chaitanya. Utilizing objects which have been used by spiritually evolved people is beneficial from the perspective of attaining merits and cleansing of the body, thus eliminating distress due to negative energies.

5. Inauguration of new clothes

A. New clothes should be inaugurated on the days

of festivals, auspicious days and on days of religious rituals

The Deities sometimes arrive on the earth in subtle form on auspicious days, on the days of festivals and on the days of religious rituals. To get adorned with ornaments and clothes on these days is akin to welcoming their arrival. It pleases the Deities because of which they bless us, and we can imbibe their waves. Wearing new or silk clothes on the days of festivals attracts the Principles of Deities maximally towards those clothes and makes them sattvik. The waves of Deities attracted towards the clothes are retained for a longer period, and the one who wears them throughout the year benefits all year round.

B. To avoid developing attachment, offer new clothes to

others to wear first or place them before a Deity and then wear them

Hindu Dharma advises us to lead a life associated with Brahman, devoid of any attachment. Each activity and thought leads to the development of attachment to related objects. Due to thoughts of attachment, possibility of being trapped in Maya (The Great Illusion) is more; an example is of wearing clothes. We have more attachment to new clothes. Offering our new clothes to other individuals will amount to worshipping the divinity in the other individuals and then wearing those clothes as Prasad (Holy sacrament) given by the Deity. This act will reduce our attachment towards the clothes. Dharma advises us to offer everything to God first and then receive it as Prasad and benefit from the Chaitanya. Our Dharma advises us to perform every act with sattvik thoughts about God. Hence, the tradition of offering new clothes to others to wear first or keeping them in front of a Deity before wearing them for the first time.

C. Who should the new clothes be offered to first and who should they not be offered to ?

New clothes should not be offered to an individual who is suffering from severe distress from negative energies; when that individual wears the clothes, the distressing waves will be transferred into the clothes, and that can trouble us later when we wear the same clothes.
If we offer new clothes to a sattvik or spiritually evolved individual, the benefit of sattvikta that a individual will derive through those clothes will be greater.
If we are unable to identify whether an individual has distress from negative energy or not, we should seek advice from a spiritually evolved individual and only then offer the clothes to another individual to wear. Otherwise, it is beneficial to offer every object to the Deity and pray for imparting Chaitanya through that object, and only then use it.

6. Disadvantage of spraying perfume on clothes or body

Most perfumes are prepared from synthetic, chemical-based substances. Hence, their fragrance too is artificial. Therefore, when applied to clothes or the body, the fragrance is experienced externally, but the Raja-Tama waves and sheath of black energy, if present, are not destroyed.
Raja-Tama waves from the environment are attracted towards the artificial fragrance and enter the body of the individual and his clothes, they are activated and destroy the sattvikta present there. Negative energies from the atmosphere are quickly attracted towards clothes and the gross body predominant in Raja-Tama. They attack the body and clothes, store black energy in them, and cause distress to the individual.

Reference: Sanatan’s Holy Text – “How should the clothes be from a spiritual perspective ?”