Guru Granth Sahib wonders about the source of impurity. It looks at the phases of the sun and the Moon, the oceans full of water, and the air diffused around us. All things are in nature as they should be, pure. The cause of impurity is said to be the turning away from Truth.When the ego becomes full of arrogance and pompousness, it soon smells of the impurity of envy, jealousy, greed, possessiveness, and ill-will.
To those full of the impurity of arrogance, the scriptures ask:
The body is a patchwork of threads, the muscles stitched together with the needles of the bones.
Behold, He has erected this body of water!
Why are you so proud?
Some would have the ego subdued through charity, but the giver of charity becomes even more proud of his own charity! The one who performs religious rituals to subdue one’s ego becomes even more egoistic of his own religiosity. Unfortunately, arrogance is a chronic disease. Once the disease of pride and pompousness grips us, even the usual medicine fans the disease.
Since the disease is contracted by turning away from the truth, the cure lies in embracing it again:
Truth is the medicine for all;
It removes and washes away impurity.
How does one face the truth? One method used by my Teacher was to remind oneself that this body would fall someday – and to do this once every 15 minutes. Face to face with one’s mortal nature – every 15 minutes – removes the impurity of arrogance. Guru Granth Sahib says that for such a person, no special cleansing rituals are needed. Just do your normal duty:
For the teacher, cleansing is contentment; for the householder, it is truthfulness and charity.
For the king, it is cleansing to dispense justice; for the student, it is study with concentration.