Literal Meaning:

When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,

When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,

soap can wash them clean.

But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,

it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.

Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;

actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.

You shall harvest what you plant.

O Nanak, by the Hukam of God's Command,

we come and go in reincarnation. ||20||

Essence:

Guru Nanak Sahib has already explained in previous stanzas that the creation of universe and its
sustenance is done by the Holy Name of the God. In this stanza, Guru Sahib explains that cleansing of
the mind and intellect stained and polluted by sins is also done by the Holy Name. Guru Sahib
explains it with an example:

If body gets dirtied with dirt and grime then it can be cleaned by using water. If cloth gets soiled,
dirtied, and stained with urine then it can be cleaned by use of soap. If intellect gets dirty with sins
then it can be cleaned by the love with the Holy Name.

In this world, differentiation is done between virtuous and sinners and it is not just mere words but a
reality. In reality, virtuous and sinners exist side by side in this world. They become so on account of
their committed karmas. O man! You shall reap the fruit of karmas what you have sown in the past
and will come again and again as per the Will of the Lord.

Description:

When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,

When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,

soap can wash them clean.

But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,

it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.

Guru Sahib is explaining that dirt of body is cleansed by water, dirt of clothes is cleansed by soap,
and dirt of mind gets cleaned by the Holy Name. The people of world make different efforts to clean
their mind. They try to do fasting-penance, worship-recitation, charity-piety, bathing in rivers etc. so
that their mind can be purified but it is just a waste of time. Impurity of mind can only be cleansed
by being in contact with the Holy Name. Guru Arjan Dev asserts this fact:

In the remembrance of God, the filth of the mind is removed.

The Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord, is absorbed into the heart. SGGS 263

The nectar of Ambrosial Naam washes the infinite sins of human being and makes it pure and
immaculate. Guru Nanak asserts the same fact in 21 st stanza of ‘Japji’:

Listening and believing with love and humility in your mind,

cleanse yourself with the Name, at the sacred shrine deep within. SGGS 4

Guru Sahib is referring to spiritual reservoir called as ‘Amritsar’ where mind gets cleansed of its all
impurities. The real pilgrimage is remembrance of Holy Name, contemplation of Holy Name, and
bathing in the nectar of Holy Name through which mind gets cleaned and soul becomes pure and
immaculate ready to meet the Lord. Guru Amardas also says the same truth:

The Word of the Shabad is Immaculate and Pure;

the Bani of the Word is Pure.

So praise the Immaculate Word of the Lord's Bani;

chanting the Immaculate Name of the Lord,

all filth is washed away. ||1|| SGGS 121

The Holy Name of Adi-Niranjan is as immaculate as He Himself. When soul bathes in that immaculate
Name, then it also become pure and immaculate.

Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;

actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.

One meaning to these lines is that the concept of virtue and vice is difficult to be understood by
human mind and those who commit acts of virtue or vice, their accounting is done by the messenger
of Lord of Death.

Another meaning is that this passage of ‘virtue and vice’ is not just for saying. O man! Be ascertained
of this absolute truth that you cannot escape from the effects of the karmas. You will have to come
again and again in this world to incur the effect of the karmas done in the past. You can never escape
the law of karmas ordained by His Hukam.

You shall harvest what you plant.

O Nanak, by the Hukam of God's Command,

we come and go in reincarnation. ||20||

Guru Sahib is talking about two things. Firstly, one has to bear the fruits of his karmas himself. The
fruits of good karmas are good and fruits of bad karmas are bad. If one has sown chillies, he cannot
hope for getting apple for the same. We can understand this concept by understanding this fact that
whatever pleasures and pains we are getting in this life is due to actions done in previous lives. We
have made our destiny ourselves. The law of karma and its result has been made by His Hukam bur
the effects of karmas is obtained as per the actions committed by an individual.

Secondly, Guru Sahib is explaining that it is not only sins but acts of piety are also a bondage. We
should not be disillusioned that if we starts performing good deeds instead of bad deeds, we will be
freed from the wheel of transmigration or our good deeds will cancel our bad deeds. Good deeds are
credited in separate account and bad deeds are credited in separate account and we have to be
born again to reap the fruits of those deeds separately. Guru Nanak Sahib explains:

Focusing your awareness on the Shabad, happiness wells up.

Attuned to God, the most excellent peace is found.

I cut my body into pieces, and burn them in the fire,

and if I make my body and mind into firewood,

and night and day burn them in the fire,

and if I perform hundreds of thousands and millions of religious rituals-still,

all these are not equal to the Name of the Lord. ||2||

If my body were cut in half, if a saw was put to my head,

and if my body were frozen in the Himalayas-even then,

my mind would not be free of disease.

None of these are equal to the Name of the Lord.

I have seen and tried and tested them all. ||3||

There are so many stubborn-minded intelligent people,

and so many who contemplate the Vedas.

There are so many entanglements for the soul.

Only as Gurmukh do we find the Gate of Liberation. SGGS 62

Guru Nanak asserts that you may do so many acts devised by mind and intellect but the bondage of
karmas cannot be unshackled but they will even get more firmed up. Only when one attaches
himself to Holy Name, then these entanglements of karmas can be removed.

Perfect saints have revealed this deep secret that sins are like iron shackles and acts of piety are like
gold shackles. They are equally strong to keep a human being in the bondage of transmigration. One
has to visit hells to bear the effects of sins and has to visit heavens to bear the fruits of good deeds
but soul does not get liberated. The purity of soul and its liberation is only possible through devotion
to Holy Name.

In Puratan Teeka, Baba Ji (Guru Nanak) told that residing at pilgrimages, performing austerities,
being compassionate, giving charities etc are holy acts; whoever do them get minuscule results just
like that of sesame seed. After reaping the fruits of their holy deeds they have to come again in
cycles of birth and death. Those who have listened to the Holy Word of God and accepted His Will,
they were able to internalize and witness the Waheguru (Lord) within themselves. Those who bath
in the pilgrimage of Divine Word are blessed. Bathing vigorously refers to repetitive practice of the
Name of the Lord. All attributes originate from Waheguru (Supreme Master). We are not qualified
for any of the good attributes. We should try to do good karmas and remember the Name of the
Lord so that may get the gift of devotion.