What is Mala? Man commits many offences, knowingly or unknowingly, not only in this life but also in previous lives. The imprint of these actions is carried by the Citta (memory) life after life, like the dust accumulating on the surface of a mirror day after day. Thus the mirror of man’s mind gets covered up by such dirt, which is technical named as ‘Mala’. On account of this Mala, man is unable to see clearly the reflection of his real identity in the mirror of his mind. Hence, it is necessary to cleanse the mirror of the impurities covering it. This cleansing is done by regulating one’s food and other living habits including recreation.. The way-out suggested by the scriptures is to offer the food to God before eating it, duly regarding it as God’s gift... and consequently all the impurities in the food are thereby eliminated. This helps the process of gradually cleansing the mind of its impurity or dirt called Mala. It should however, be borne in mind that the complete removal of Mala cannot be done in a day or a month. This requires persistent and prolonged practice. If raw gold or ore is to be converted into pure gold, it has to be melted on fire repeatedly to remove the impurities. So also the impurity of man’s mind, called ‘Mala’ can be eliminated only by constant practice over a period of time. (ICS , pp. 78-80)