Sant Ravidas lived in Kashi, made shoes for a living and was absorbed in devotion to the Lord. He regarded his work itself as worship.
The folk tale says that once, on the day of a Ganga bathing festival, a merchant had his shoes mended by Ravidas. Ravidas said he could not go to bathe because of his work, but asked the merchant to take a single cowrie and offer it to Mother Ganga on his behalf.
At the Ganga bank the merchant offered the cowrie, saying, “Accept this offering from Ravidas.” It is said that Ganga herself stretched out her hand to accept it and gave a bracelet in return.
The merchant was tempted to show the bracelet to the king. The king admired its beauty and asked for a second one. When the merchant spoke to Ravidas about a second bracelet, Ravidas calmly said, “Mann changa to kathauti mein Ganga” (if the mind is pure, the Ganga is in the washing bowl).
He put his hand into the wooden bowl in which he soaked leather, and according to tradition a second, identical bracelet came out of it. From then on the saying became famous among the people.