मल मल धोए शरीर को, धोए न मन का मैल I नहाए गंगा गोमती, रहे बैल के बैल II
One's belief in ritual bathing and equating physical cleanliness with Inner Purity is nothing but ignorance and delusion. A physically clean person may be a vile in character while a physically unclean looking individual may be on the higher level of consciousness. Hence the true Purity is neither in physical cleanliness, nor in taking dip in the sacred waters at the Pilgrimages. Purity is a state of Being in which one is close to Pure Consciousness. In other words, one is Pure only if he is in touch with his True Being within. The unceasing bathing of the mind in the purifying Water of God's name day and night in itself is truly the bathing of the mind.
A disciple of Kabir asked his permission for visiting pilgrim places and taking ritual bath in their so-called holy rivers. Kabir gave his disciple a gourd and asked: "Please bathe this gourd wherever you bathe". The disciple did exactly that — wherever he bathed in the so-called holy waters, he also bathed the gourd. Upon his returning from the pilgrimage, he gave the gourd back to his Master, Kabir. In turn, Kabir handed it over to the cook in charge of the kitchen with the following instructions: "Please cook this gourd and serve it with the next meal to all devotees". So he did. However, as we know that the gourd is bitter, no one could eat it. Kabir wanted to make the point to his disciple that, as the gourd did not shed its bitterness even after bathing it in all of the holy rivers he visited, similarly, the mental filth cannot be washed off by any type of external cleaning.
Kabir says, its foolish to think that taking dip in the sacred waters of rivers like Ganga and Gomati will cleanse the impurities of mind, for the Purity lies in Purity of one's character and conduct, not in the outer neatness and cleanliness of the body. Purity is truthful living, goodness in thoughts and speech and actions."
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