नहाये धोये क्या हुआ, जो मन मैल न जाए । मीन सदा जल में रहे, धोये बास न जाए ॥
A man came to Ramakrishna, he said, ”I am on my way to bathe in the Ganges. I am going on pilgrimage. What is your suggestion?”
Ramakrishna said, ”If you are going it is good. But remember one thing: have you seen the great tall trees standing on the banks of the Ganges?”
He said, ”Yes, they are standing there.”
”Why are they standing there?”
”I don’t know, you ask such a question! They are trees, they stand there. What can I say about why they are standing there?”
”I will tell you the secret,” Ramakrishna said. ”The secret is that you go there carrying a bundle of sins on your body and take a dip in the Ganges. When you dip under it is the blessing of Mother Ganges that the sins are taken away. But sins will not let go of you so easily, they sit on the trees. The say to themselves, ’When our son comes out, then. How long can he stay under?’ You will come out of the Ganges, they will leap and be mounted on you again. So it is the same whether you bathe or not. Remember the trees, take your dip but don’t come back out.”
He said, ”What are you telling me? Do you want to take my life? If I go under and don’t come up, then I am finished. Then it is useless to go.”
Ramakrishna said, ”Then it is up to you. But that is why trees are standing there. You sin and the Ganges will purify your sins! If it were that cheap then how easy life would be, but not worth two cents.”
Ramakrishna is right, does bathing in the Ganges wash away sins? Yes, the dirt and grime of the body will be washed off although as soon as you come out, dust will be stirred up and settle on you again. But how will the Ganges clean inside of you? The outer Ganges can clean the outer dirt. But you will have to have to awaken the inner Ganges in your inner consciousness. That water you will have to seek in your own currents.
In this composition Kabir addresses the human mind for inner cleansing, for when the mind is filthy, everything is filthy; by washing the body, the mind is not cleaned of its failings lust, greed, attachment, pride and their countless variations. Fish swims underwater, yet it's distinctive smell does not go away."
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