False Ego (or ahankâra): the mistaken notion that one is the absolute master, the supreme owner and rightful enjoyer of all worldly pleasures, as a consequence of which the soul identifies with the material body. - The 'knot' binding together soul and body, and everything connected thereto (appearance, nationality, race, family, religious denomination, joy and grief etc.). - Identifying with the body, holding the body for the true self. - A symptom of bewilderment. - A source of being bound to matter. - Seat of fear and neurosis, viz. to have an ineffective spirit (see further ahankâra). Faults, six: The six faults are overeating, attachment to material things, inability to follow regulative principles, sense gratification, useless idle talk, and impure habits. [see also: six passions] Food: "When the mirror of the mind is soiled, it cannot perceive anything in its true state. This is the reason why man is unable to recognise his own true nature. Hence it is necessary to cleanse the mirror of impurities on it. How is this to be done? By regulating one's food and recreational habits. It is important to ensure that the food that is eaten is obtained by righteous means. Many of the ills which people suffer today are due to the fact that the things they consume have been got by unrighteous means. So to purify your mind the first prerequisite is pure food. But it may not always be possible to ensure purity in every meal, in every respect and at all times. To overcome this difficulty, make an offering of your meal to God and accept it as a gift from God. Before eating, when food is offered to God, it becomes Prasada (gift from God). All impurities in the food are thereby removed. This helps the process of cleansing the mind. This practice must be kept up continuously." - – Bhagavan Sri  Sathya Sai Baba. Divine Discourse, May 25, 1990.