IntroductionIn the last two blogs I wrote about sadacra for us sadhakas: Sadācāra in the spiritual world, part 1 (sitanathdasngg.wixsite.com), and sadacara in Radha-Krsna lila: Sadācāra in the spiritual world, part 2 - ATTENTION VERY RASIK (sitanathdasngg.wixsite.com)
The sadacara topic in Radha-Krsna lila is not yet completly finish, and there will follow maybe two blogs more, one of them is this one. But this blog will be somehow different and more specific. A special topic. On part of sadacara is toothbrushing.
So this blog will give another insight in the most sweet lila of Radha-Krsna in Braja, and this is how They brush their teeth, and if Radha-Krsna brush their teeth at all, and did the achayras even write about it, if and how Radha and Krsna brush their teeth in the spiritual world? The answer is YES! It is described in the Goswami books and the books of the junior acharyas how Radha and Krishna brush their teeth.
One quite elaborate part of Hari Bhakti Vilasa, even for us as sadhakas it seems to be nothing special, is the importance of toothbrushing and how to properly brush the teeth [3.209-236].
But the interesting part is, that toothbrushing according to Hari Bhakti Vilasa is done with a twig from a tree:
3.227-228
atha danta kasthani
(The proper wood to be used as a brush)
3.229-232
kaurme sri vyãsagitayãm
(In the Vyasa-gita section of the Kurma Purana it is stated)
madhyãngulisama sthaul yam
dvãdasãngula sammitam
satvacarh danta kãstham
yattadagre na tu dhãrayet
ksíri vrfoa samudbhütam
mãlatl sambhavaih subham
apãmãrganca vil vam
vã karavïram viéesatah
varjayitvã ninditãni
grhïtvaikam yathoditam
purihjtya dinarii pãpajn
bhaksayed vai vidhãnavit
na pãtayet dantakãstham
nañgulyagrena dhãrayet
praksãlya bhuktvã tajjahyãt
sucau dese samãhitah
The best wood for brushing one’s teeth is a twig as thick as one’s middle finger. It should be about six inches long and with the bark intact. One should hold the twig at the base and brush his teeth with the front portion. Twigs from peepal and malati trees are auspicious, and twigs from bilva and apãmãrga trees are especially auspicious. Twigs from karavi, ãkunda and similar trees should not be used for brushing one’s teeth.
A person who knows the prescribed rules and regulations should choose an appropriate twig and brush his teeth daily, except on prohibited days. One should not use a twig that has been split in half. One should not hold the twig with the tip of his fingers. After brushing one’s teeth, one should throw the twig in a proper place.
And that's exactly how Radha and Krishna brush Their teeth, with a twig from a tree! (verses from shastras will be showed in the next chapter)
Also Hari Bhakti Vilasa says one should offer to the Lord [murti] a twig, that the deity [Krsna] can brush His teeth with it, and one should offer Him a tongue cleaner as well.
3.145
atha mukha praksalam
(Washing the Lord’s lotus face)
sri hastãnghri mukhãmbhoja
ksãlanãya ca tad grhe
gandusãni jala ir dattvã
danta kãtham samarpayet
One should offer a small amount of water to the Lord for washing His lotus hands, mouth, and feet. One should then offer a twig to the Lord for brushing His teeth.
3.146-147
jihvollekhanikãm dattvã
paduke suddha mrttikãm
salilam ca punar dadyãt
väso'pi mukha märjjanam
tatah iri tulasim punyâm
arpayct bhagavat priyäm
tan mãhãtmyanca tan mukhya
prasañge lekhyamagratah
Next, one should offer the Lord a tongue cleaner, His shoes, and some pure clay. One should then again offer some water, and a cloth for the Lord to wipe His face. Thereafter, one should offer fresh tulasi leaves to the Lord. The glories of this process of worship will be described later on.
Exactly all this is described by the Goswami’s and junior acharyas, how the manjaris and servants of Krishna offer Them twigs for brushing Their teeth, and tongue cleaner for scrapping Their tongues (quotations in the next chapter further down).
HBV 11.128
kicit cahus catuhsastim
upacãrãn mãmãrccane
tesumeka prakãresu
fnakäraiko’tra likhyate
sukhasuptasya krsnasya
prãiarãdau prabodhanan
veda ghosana vinãdi
vãdyair vandis tavairapi
jayasavdà namaskârà
mangóla ãrãtrikam tatah
ãsanam danta kásthañca
pãdyãrghy ãcamanãnyapi
Some recognized authorities have prescribed sixty-four ingredients for the worship of the Supreme Lord. Although these ingredients vary, according to the opinions of the various authorities, we will herein give only one set of these ingredients:
1. To wake up the sleeping Lord by chanting Vedic mantras, playing musical instruments, such as the vinã, and reciting prayers while standing before Him.
2. To chant, “All glories.”, 3. To offer obeisances, 4. to perform mangala-ãrati, 5. to offer a sitting place, 6. to offer a twig for brush teeths, 7. to offer pãdya, 8. to offer arghya. 9. to offer ãcamaniya.
It makes also perfectly sense, in old times people didn't use plastic made toothbrushes, everything was natural and simple. And in the nitya lila in Braja, where Radha and Krsna eternally perform Their pastime on the countryside in a village, everything is very natural and very simple, which brings the most sweetness [madhurya].
Now enjoy this wonderful verses, how Radha and Krsna brush their teeth with a simple twig!
Quotes from shastras - Srimad BhagavatamIn the Bhagavatam itself we don't find this detailed information, that Radha and Krishna brush Their teeth with a twig. This we only find in the Goswami's books, and in the writings of the junior acharyas. The only place where we find mentioning about Krishna's oral hygiene, is by a tika of Sanatana Goswami to SB 10.12.1:
After giving up his night dress, washing his mouth, putting on clean cloth and ornaments after getting up, Krishna left the bedroom and woke his friends up. Wanting to go with them, he left Vraja quietly. His horn had a beautiful sound, appropriate to wake up the boys with joy. Or he told them the previous day that the horn would be the signal to go for a picnic in the forest.
I don't have the sanskrit text of this tika, who knows, maybe Sanatana Goswami writes Krishna brushes His teeth and the translator just writes "washing his mouth".
Quotes from the Goswami's books - how Radha Krishna brushes Their teeth with a twigVilāpa Kusumāñjali
The oldest text where it is mentioned [which I found so far], that the Brajabasis in the spiritual world brushes Their teeth with a twig, is by none other than one of the 6 Goswami - by Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswamipad himself, in the jewel of all Gaudiya Vaishnava literature, Vilāpa Kusumāñjali. And of a book of only 108 verses, he mentioned it even in two different verses that Radharani brushes Her teeth with a twig.
prakṣālya pāda kamalaṁ kṛta danta kāṣṭhāṁ
snānārtham anya sadane bhavatīṁ niviṣṭām
abhyajya gandhitatarair iha tailapūraiḥ
prodvartayiṣyati kadā kim u kiṅkarīyam
When may this kinkari, after washing Your lotus feet and brushing Your teeth with a twig, seat You in the bathroom and, having anointed You with very fragrant oils, massage You there?
[Vilāpa Kusumāñjali verse 20]
kashtam = twing
danta = teeth
pānāya vāri madhuraṁ nava pāṭalādi
karpūra vāsitataraṁ taralākṣi dattvā
kāle kadā tava mayācamanīya danta-
kāṣṭhādikaṁ praṇayataḥ param arpaṇīyam
O Taralākṣi (restless eyed girl)! When will the time come when I can lovingly offer You sweet drinking water scented with fresh roses and camphor for flushing Your mouth, along with a twig for brushing Your teeth?
[Vilāpa Kusumāñjali verse 50]
Sankalpa Kalpavrksa by Jiva Goswamipada-kara-vadanaṁ muhuḥ punānā
yad iha jalaṁ visasarja śubhra-patre |
bhuvam api tad idaṁ bhuvaḥ-svarādīny
api bhuvanāni sadā punad vibhāti ||43||
With water from a beautiful pot, She washed her feet, hands and mouth [cleaning her teeth], and threw the water to the ground. This water purifies always the earth (Bhu) and Svaraga.
[Sankalpa Kalpavrksa 2.43]
Gopal campu by Jiva GoswamiChapter 18
As Govardhana, king of mountains, continued to eat, more food was prepared in order to satisfy his appetite. ||37||
The children expressed fear, the youthful laughed, the elderly were astonished and qualified people showed devotion. Govardhana was fully satisfied with all of them. ||38||
Govardhana repeatedly gathered water from a great distance, washed his mouth and spit out the water, creating rain which fell on his back and made grass sprout up. ||39||
After washing his mouth, he took bamboo sticks to clean his teeth. Having shown this form to satisfy living beings, he then withdrew it. ||40||
Making piles of betel nut, he began chewing it with pride. He showed a face as brilliant as the morning sun. ||41||
Krsnahnika Kaumudi by Kavi KarnapurMorning Pastimes Pratah-lila 6:00 a.m.- 8:24 a.m
Krishna's waking and morning duties
Rising from bed, Kṛṣṇa sits gracefully upon a beautiful footstool that is illuminated by four different jewels. With cheerful hearts all the male and female servants begin to serve Kṛṣṇa. As the male servants pour a stream of camphor-scented water into His cupped palms, Kṛṣṇa slowly washes the lotus-whorl of His face. After drying His face and hands with a soft, fine piece of cloth, Kṛṣṇa beams a gentle smile and takes a soft tooth-brushing twig from His servants. While Kṛṣṇa gently brushes His teeth, which reflect the radiance of His jeweled finger ring, His earrings swing back and forth to fill the eyes of all with happiness.
Radhika's bath and dressing
The lotus-faced sakhis, who assist Radha in the amorous arts, slowly pour camphor-scented water into Radha’s cupped hands from a golden pitcher. Sri Radha sips the water, rinses Her mouth and then expels the water. By the touch of Her lotus hand the water turns crimson red. After wiping Her mouth with a fine white cloth, Radha brushes Her attractive teeth with a toothbrush twig, and removes the red betel-nut stains from Her tongue with a golden tongue scraper. Radha rinses Her mouth again with clear water. As She sits upon the gem-studded throne, Radha brightens the room with Her radiant smile.
Govinda-līlāmṛta chapter 2 by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī tāvad vāsāṁsy upādāya rajakasya kiśorike |
mañjiṣṭhā-raṅgavaty-ākhye sveśvarīm upatasthatuḥ |61 |
Meanwhile, Mañjiṣṭhā and Raṅgavatī, the two adolescent daughters of a washerman, came to their mistress Rādhā with Her new clothes for the day.
gandha-cūrṇa-paripūrṇa-vicūrṇadagrayā puṭikayāmra-dalasya |
padmarāga-khacita-sphaṭīkābhānindinaḥ sva-daśanān parimārjya |62 |
With scented powder from a mango leaf-cup, Rādhika cleaned Her teeth, that mock the splendor of a crystal inset with rubies.
Most likely this toothpaste is like this herb-powder toothpaste, which we know from India - dry herbs in powder form, which are beneficial for the oral hygiene and have pleasant and refreshing smell.
haimīṁ jihvā-śodhanīṁ sā karābhyāṁ dhṛtvā cādau śodhayitvā rasajñām |
dāsī datta-svarṇa-bhṛṅgāra-vārāṁ gaṇḍūṣaiḥ saṁkṣālayāmāsa vaktram |63 |
Holding a golden tongue scraper in Her two hands, She cleansed Her tongue and then rinsed Her mouth with water poured from golden pots brought in by a maidservant.
[Govinda-līlāmṛta 2.61-63]
Govinda-līlāmṛta chapter 4bhakṣyaṁ bhojyaṁ bahutara-miṣṭaṁ
lehyaṁ peyaṁ mṛdu madhuraṁ te |
bhuktvā pītvā rasabhara-tṛptāḥ
sarve’bhūvan vana-gamanotkāḥ ||59||
After eating these many sweet and soft drinkable, chewable and lickable sweets, all the boys were satisfied and they became eager to go out to the forest.
sarve suvāsita-mṛdā mukha-pāṇi-padmāny
āmṛjya sādhu mṛdu-leṣikayā ca dantān |
dāsaiḥ praṇīta-kaṇakādika-kuṇḍikāsu
tair datta-vāribhir athācamanaṁ vyadhus te |60 |
They washed their mouths, rubbed their lotus-like hands with scented clay and cleaned their teeth with soft toothsticks. Then they flushed their mouths with water brought in golden pots by the servants
elā-lavaṅga-ghanasāra-vimiśritābhir
jambūla-datta-vara-khādira-golikābhiḥ |
śītojjvalābhir adhivāsya mudā mukhaṁ te
savyena pūrṇam udaraṁ mamṛjuḥ kareṇa |61|
A servant named Jambūla massaged Kṛṣṇa's belly with his left hand to stimulate His digestion and he served cool and splendid khadir-powder with cardamom, cloves and camphor to please His mouth.
rasāla-kara-saṁskṛtopahṛta-nāgavallī sphurat
supakva-dala-vīṭikāḥ sukham adanta evotsukāḥ |
tataḥ śata-padāntarālaya-viśāla-palyaṅkikā
kuleṣv atha viśaśramuḥ parijanair amī vījitāḥ |62 |
The boys took a fresh pān from the eager servant Rasāla and took another hundred steps to lie down on huge beds in rooms where their servants started fanning them with a peacock feather-fan
tam iha viśramitaṁ paricārakāḥ
śikhi-dala-vyajanaiḥ samavījayan |
avadalayya dalaṁ mṛdu-vīṭikāḥ
prabhum athādayati sma vilāsakaḥ |63 |
The servant Vilāsaka broke one more betel leaf and served his dear Lord more soft betel leaves.
niṣkramya dhautāṅghri-karāṁ mahānasād
dāsī-gaṇais tāṁ vyajanair upāsitām |
rādhāṁ prakoṣṭhāntaragāṁ sakhī-janair
vilokayantīṁ ramaṇaṁ gavākṣataḥ |64 |
Śrī Rādhā left the kitchen, washed Her hands and feet and entered another room where She was fanned by Her maidservants while She gazed at Her beloved through the window with Her girlfriends
[Govinda-līlāmṛta 4.59-64]
Also here, full of sadacara behavior and vedic culture,
Flushing mouth with scented water, they make even acaman after eating.
Sankalpa Kalpadruma by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākurapraksalayani vadanaih salilaih suhandhair
dantan rasalaja-dalais tava dhavayani
nirne jayant rasanath tanu-hema-patrya
sandarsayani mukuram nipunam pramrjya
I will wash Your mouth with scented water, brush Your teeth with mango leaves, and clean Your tongue with a thin golden tongue-scruper. I will show You Yourself in a polished mirror.
[Sankalpa Kalpadruma verse 25]
Krsna Bhavanamrita by Viśvanātha Cakravartī ṬhākuraChapter Four - Tasting the Beauty of Ornamentation
Text 4.1
parijanair atha dhāvayituṁ mukhaṁ puraṭa-jharjharikā-parisāritaiḥ |
samucitair udakair drutam āvṛtā suvadanā sadanāgrata āvabhau ||1||
After this, the maidservants came and seated Śrī Rādhikā on Her jewelled sofa before the house and brought golden jugs, filled with water which was cold in the summer and warm in the winter, to quickly wash Her beautiful mouth. (Śrī Rādhikā looked very beautiful when she was thus surrounded by Her maidservants.)
Text 4.2
karatalād asakṛc calukīkṛtaṁ salilam ārad-atālv-anucālitam |
cala-kapola-yugonnati-mañjula dhvanibhṛtaṁ nibhṛtaṁ kṣipati sma sā ||2||
One maidservant poured water from her jug into her handpalm. As Śrī Rādhikā flushed Her closed mouth, moving the water back and forth from Her palate to Her teeth, Her cheeks were slightly puffed up. She spat the water out in secret, making a lovely sound.
Text 4.3
visṛmarānalakān kiratī śirasy upari savya-karāṅguli-ghaṭṭanaiḥ |
alika-gaṇḍa-dṛgādy atha sāmita- dyutimitam timitaṁ trir adhīdhavat ||3||
(After the inside of Her mouth was washed, one maidservant wanted to assist Śrī Rādhikā in washing the outside of Her face, so) she removed Her locks from Her shoulders with the fingers of her left hand, placing them on Her head, and began to wash Her naturally smooth forehead, cheeks and eyes, making them shine unlimitedly.
Text 4.4
viṭapikāṁ dyu-taros tata rociṣaṁ rada-hitāṁ nihitaṁ sva-vayasyayā |
mukulitāmbujatāṁ bhajatāñjasā mṛdutareṇa kareṇa sudṛg dadhe ||4||
When offered an elegant twig from a desire-tree beneficial for Her teeth by fair-eyed maiden, Radha began gently and quickly brushing her teeth, holding the twig in her bud-like hand.
Text 4.5
pratisarodita-dolanam asvanad- balayam uccala-kuṇḍalam etayā |
vyadhita sā mṛjatī radanaṁś chaviṁ kaṇavad-ucchalitāṁ lalitāṁ śritān ||5||
At that time Her hand-string (named Pahuci in Vraja) swung and Her bangles remained silent (despite the motions of Her hands), but Her earrings swung faster. While Her teeth were washed like this they looked as beautiful and charming as raindrops.
Text 4.6
atha dadhe sudatī dhanur-ākṛtiṁ maṇimayīṁ rasanā-pariṇejinīm |
mṛdula-pāṇi-yugāṅguli-yugmagāṁ sahacari-karato'daratosatah ||6||
Another beautiful maiden handed Śrī Rādhikā a jewelled tongue-scraper which was shaped like a bow. Śrī Rādhikā held the scraper with Her tender thumbs and indexfingers and scraped Her youthful, (mango-) sprout-like tongue.
Text 4.7
nava-dalopamitāṁ rasanāṁ mṛjaty atha tayā nata-kampita-mastakam |
mukham iyaṁ skhalitair alakair vṛtaṁ vidadhatī dadhatī smitam āvabhau ||7||
Her head and eyes trembled and Her curly locks began to fall over Her beautiful face. This sight reminded the sakhīs of a most rasika moment (during Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa's pastimes) and made them giggle. Śrī Rādhikā laughed along with them.
Text 4.8
niraṇijad bahir antaram apy araṁ mukha-vidhor atha dhauta-kara-dvayam |
parijanārpita-mañjula-vāsasā jala- kaṇāpanayaṁ sanayaṁ vyadhāt ||8||
After repeatedly washing the inside of her mouth and her whole face, Rādhā then washed her hands and systemically wiped her face dry with a soft, fine cloth offered by one sakhi.
Text 4.9
sahacari-vidhṛte maṇi-darpaṇe tad-abhinandana-sākṣiṇi vīkṣya sā |
smita-sudhābhir adhāvayad ānanaṁ priyatama-kṣaṇa-lakṣaṇa lakṣakam ||9||
One maidservant blissfully held a jewelled mirror in front of Śrī Rādhikā's face to show Her that all the pān-spots had been brushed from Her teeth. Once again Śrī Rādhikā washed Her face with the nectar of Her smile as She beheld Her own face, that showed all the signs of Her Priyatama's love-festival, in the mirror.
Text 3.63
priya-viraha-vihastā srasta-dhīḥ sā tadānīṁ
kṣaṇam api yuga-kalpaṁ kalpayantī babhūva |
yad akhilam api kṛtyaṁ kāritā kiṅkarībhiḥ
samaya-vihitam eko'bhyāsa evātra hetuḥ ||63||
When Syamala went home, Sri Radhika's mind got upset with feelings of separation from Krishna, making Her experience a second to be like a yuga [millennium]. When Her maidservants began their usual duties for Her bathing and ornamentation, She went through them (unconciously) as a mere custom.
Bhanu Swami translates the verse as follows:
Rādhā, in the pain of separation, became devoid of awareness and each moment seemed like a yuga. Though her girl servants made her brush her teeth and bathe, she performed these actions without awareness, from mere habit.
Also here we see, the transcendentl sadacra of Radha and Krishna.
The pratical part (of my blog)Toothbrush twigs/sticks are even nowadays available.
Me and my wife were once inspired from Hari Bhakti Vilasa, so my wife ordered two toothbrush [miswak] sticks on the internet. After few days we went back to normal, if you are used your whole life to a normal (kali yuga) plastic toothbrush, it takes a little time to get used to. But this blog inspred me again and I went into the forest and made my own toothbrush twig and tried it out more to it further down.
The toothbrush-treeThe most famous toothbrush twigs are properly miswak. No joke, in german a name for this tree is "toothbrush-tree".
Wikipedia:
Apart from their antibacterial activity which may help control the formation and activity of dental plaque, they can be used effectively as a natural toothbrush for teeth cleaning. Such sticks are effective, inexpensive, common, available, and contain many medical properties.
Everything is scientifically proven.
In India toothbrushing twigs are still very common and used. The most famous and used tree for this are neem-twigs.
Neem [Azaridachta Indica] has a special place in Indian households. From our skin, hair care to healing injuries, neem is used in a myriad ways and is truly one of the best gifts India has got to offer the western world. India's love affair with the bitter wonder goes back more than thousand years. In Ayurveda, neem is one of the most prized herbs. Neem's medicinal and healing properties are fast becoming a subject of interest for the west too now. In the book 'Home Doctor: Natural Healing With Herbs, Condiments And Spices', Dr. P.S. Phadke writes "every part of this tree is used and has antiseptic qualities. Special oils prepared from the leaves and seeds are used to treat leprosy and other skin diseases such as eczema, ringworm and scabies. Dandruff is cured by using water with neem leaves as rinse. The tender twig of the tree is used as toothbrush to clean the teeth. Its leaves, fruits and the bark are used to treat fevers, sore throats, earache, mouth ulcers, gingivitis, cholera, intestinal worms...pimples, hair problems and lice.
How Does Neem Twig Work As A Toothbrush? One of the most ingenious uses of neem plant has to be its use in oral care and hygiene. If you have grown up in India, you may have seen many people using a neem twig to brush their teeth in the morning. Many people still start their day with neem datun. For the uninitiated, here is how it works. You are supposed to chew the end of a neem stick upto one inch. Chew until the twig shreds into bristles. You can use this twig to rub along your teeth as you do with a conventional brush.
Benefits of Brushing Your Teeth With Neem Twig? Neem has strong anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties, which is why perhaps the practice of brushing teeth with neem datun is still so popular in the interiors of India", says Consultant nutritionist Dr. Rupali Datta. The traditional practice is also said to be effective in fighting germs, maintaining the alkaline levels in your saliva, keeping bacteria at bay, treating swollen gums, preventing plaque and also giving you whiter teeth.
When we were traveling a half year ago in the train (33 hours approximately) from Mathura train-station to Nawadip, all kinds of sellers came to sell their stuff in the train, one of them sold neem twigs for brushing teeth. Because on such a long trip not everyone has a toothbrush with them. And by using a neem-tree one doesn't need a toothpaste. Unfortunately I don't find this pictures anymore from train-trip.
Toothbrush-trees in EuropeI found out with the help of guru google-deva, that there are many different twigs, that are suitable for tooth brushing, also in Europe. And most likely our ancestors here in the west were also using twigs from our local trees to brush their teeth, and not only the Indians and Asians which have neem, miswak and eucalyptus trees.
I personally find this idea genius to brush teeth with a twig.
1. If you only look in regards of sadacara - using a twig as a toothbrush, you can throw the twig away after one time using them, or after every 2 weeks [changing on ekadashi], it's perfect compostable,.
2. You get it for free everywhere.
3. The more suitable the tree is you find, the twig has even very nourishing ingredients, which have a beneficial effect on your oral care as previously mentioned.
Toothpaste or poison?I will only talk about such things once in my blog, and that is here and now, and then never again:
Toothpaste is poison cocktail - fluoride and a lot of other chemicals are inside. With the right twig you don't need even toothpaste. Our western lifestyle is so complicated, entanglement and destructive. Real life is simple, natural and beneficial for everyone. Nowadays we think everything modern is better. But we live in a world, were basically everyone wants to go back to the old times and methods. We pay a lot of money for organic food, because our modern food is full of chemicals. Many people want to life closer to nature because city life is so stressful. Our minds are overloaded because we are flooded with digital news, informations etc. Suicide rate was much less 20,30 years back, which shows - people are not happy in this new (artifical) civilization.
Of course, it's not depending only on a twig for toothbrushing. But just to show, just because something is old-school, it doesn't mean that it is not good. And just because something is modern, new designed by scientists, it means NOTHING. Scientist also created atom bomb, abortion procedure (how to cut a fetus in a womb into pieces), etc.
Many people try more and more to live a (more) natural, sustainable and simple life, in contrast of this world destroying civilization which we live in. Many websites write, why and how to use twig as toothbrush:
"The Native Americans in my home state of Virginia were well documented in their historic use of pounded hardwood twigs as tooth brushes. Dogwood, Oak and Maple were just a few of the non-toxic hardwood varieties in use 300 to 400 years ago. These twig toothbrushes were so common in fact, that they were widely used among the colonists and slaves of Virginia."
Here is a description, how to prepare a twig and to use it as toothbrush: (it's with every twig the same): https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Miswak
I found even a New Yorker general dentist, who recommends on his offical website from his dental office, twigs as "natural alternative" for toothbrushes: http://www.4adentist.com/a-natural-alternative-to-tooothbrushes/
Here you will find a selection of trees suitable for brushing your teeth with, according to the continent you live in: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeth-cleaning_twig
My personal experience with brushing teeth with a twigOne suitable and available tree in Europe for brushing one's teeth with is hazelnut. Because I was a little into eatable wild-herbs, tree-leaves and flowers before Krsna bhakti, I know that in Europe hazelnuts are very widespread, and they are very easy to recognize and determine.
Can't go wrong. Of course I tried it out:
[if you want to try that out by yourself and collect a twig for toothbrushing, be sure you know the tree, and that the tree is not poison. Most of the trees are not poison but just be sure, and wash the twig before using it]
My personal experience is, that it is actually much easier than I thought. I like simplicity and to use natural/alternative replacements. To use natural things/replacements is for me a pleasure and adventure. Also it is now much more easier to brush my teeth with a twig, than it was 2 years ago, when I tried it for the first time with my wife. I think it needs little time to get used to it. And for me my biggest inspiration is, to know that the brajabasis also doing it, and it serves simultaneously an uddipan (reminder) of Radha-Krsna. Two years ago, I only knew that Hari Bhakti Vilasa writes about brushing teeth with a twig, and not that it is even a part of Radha-Krsna lila in Braja and mentioned in the Goswami's books.
Also what one should keep in mind, on Ekadashi one should not brush one's teeth with the same toothbrush one uses also on non-ekadashi days, beacause the brush could be contaminated with small grain pieces even after washing it. If you use a twig it’s so simple, you just cut the front each ekadashi of your twig, and you have basically each ekadashi a new toothbrush, which is not only safe for ekadashi (not that you accidently have some small grain piece in your mouth and swallow it, which means you break ekadashi), but also it is very hygienic.
Here is a short list with suitable trees for toothbrushing, available in Europe:
Orange trees
Apple trees
Liquorice roots
Fig trees
Walnut trees
Hazelnut trees
Olive trees
Cinnamon
There are many, many more but that is just a sample to give you an idea of how easy a solution this is to implement when camping or otherwise. Best of all, it has argued that this method is as effective, if not more so then a regular toothbrush.
Avoid potentially poisonous twigs such as black locust, buckeye, horse chestnut, mountain laurel, rhododendron, and yew. It is good to study the various types of trees in your area so that you would know which ones are safe to clean your teeth and mouth, and which ones aren’t.
You were wondering how to brush teeth without a toothbrush and this is actually one of the easiest to pick up. It feels awkward at first because of years of brushing sideways, but you are essentially still doing the same thing. You’ll adapt quite quickly.
We devotees are not hippies, but this idea is just so nice — it's according to shastras (HBV), Radha and Krsna use it, it is also cheap (even for free), sustainable and scientifically proven that trees have good ingredients for our oral hygiene — worthy to give it a try.
Another nice reason and inspiration to use twigs as toothbrushBhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu describes uddipan-vibhava's — items of Radha Krsna lila, which can act as a uddipan (reminder), to remember Radha and Krsna.
Uddipana = The stimulants for invoking love in the viñaya
||2.1.301||
atha uddīpanāḥ --
uddīpanās tu te proktā bhāvam uddīpayanti ye |
te tu śrī-kṛṣṇa-candrasya guṇāś ceṣṭāḥ prasādhanam ||301||
smitāṅga-saurabhe vaṁśa-śṛṅga-nūpura-kambavaḥ |
padāṅka-kṣetra-tulasī-bhakta-tad-vāsarādayaḥ ||302||
Those things which nourish the bhāva of the practitioner are called uddīpanas or stimuli. These are such things as Kṛṣṇa’s
1. qualities,
2. pastimes,
3. decorations,
4. His smile,
5. the fragrance of His body,
6. His flute,
7. horn,
8. anklets,
9. conch,
10. footmarks,
11. His dhāma,
12. tulasī,
13. the devotee of the Lord and
14. festival-days such as Janmāṣṭamī and Ekādaśī.
But there can be more things which serve as a uddipan (reminder of Krsna). The famous example is seeing a random peacock feather, and a devotee immediately remembers the Krsna.
In the same way, if you brush your teeth with a twig, it can act as uddīpan, and the twig-toothbrush can remind you each time you use it on Radha and Krsna — which is the perfection of life.
Closing words
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