EGO B G 16 18
In the Bhagavad-Gita you will find two types of references to ego (aham),
one in a subjective sense as “I am” and the other in an objective sense as
a reference to the individuality or the sense of self. For example, when
Arjuna says, “kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ sāṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana,” which
means” How I am going to attack Bhishma and Drona in the battlefield, O
Madhusudhana,” he is using aham in the subjective sense to refer to
himself. However, when Krishna says, “nirmamo nirahaṃkāraḥ sa śāntim
adhigacchhati,” which means, “those without the sense of ownership and
egoism attain peace,” he is referring to aham in an objective sense as
egoism.
2 The word “aham” appears in the Bhagavadgita numerous times,
mostly in a subject sense. Sometimes it appears in association with other
words such as “nigraham,” which means self-restraint or restraining the
ego. The word is also hidden as a suffix in many other words to denote
aspects of subjectivity or individuality. For example, agraham (anger),
dukham (sorrow), sukham (happiness), graham (grasping one), and purusham
(individual self).
3 The Self is universal, eternal, one and without divisions. The
expansive or exalted feeling that I am everything and I am all this does
not constitute egoism. However, the feeling that I am so and so, or I have
this and that constitute egoism or ahamkara. When the universal Self is
covered with the impurities of delusion and ignorance, it develops this
limited view of itself as a separate entity, which we recognize as ego.
4 Thus, the ego is the feeling of separateness, the sense of duality, or
the idea of being distinct and different from others. It is the false
perception of oneself as a separate being or a limited being. Egoism
creates the limitations of space and time in which we become stuck. Since
it exists in all of us as individual consciousness, it is a universal
feeling. Ahamkara is that which is shaped by egoism. It manifests in us in
several ways such as the following
Ownership and doer ship= not working for the society but supporting the
foolish acts
Desires and attachments= General weakness of the human even if he is so
older though attributed to be learned by the blind worshippers
Pride and arrogance= The height of any hierarchy including the brats of the
aged or young working out without purpose
Self-esteem= Attributed by some one is a quality; out of envy assuming by
individuals is vainglorious
Selfishness= Majority even if learned and holding positions and the
possessions cannot make a turn around
Self-centeredness= That is making the nation go into the wrong ends and yet
majority feel so safe yet suffer so brutally while assuming they are so
good but GOD as blind!
Aggression and competitiveness= It tries to remove the goodness in anyone
Judgment, opinions and criticism=arising out of fear and the selfish
survival
Identification with the mind and body= I am all in all sensation getting
uncontrolled, by mere selfishness.
Fear, suffering, anxiety, anger, stress, and so on. = Human fallible which
can easily be corrected but never attempts honorably.
5 In a limited sense aham also means pride or arrogance. However, it is
rather an effect of ego or a sign of egoism. When a person is overly proud
and conceited, we say he has a lot of aham, means he is very egoistic. Any
feeling, thought, idea, expression, action or response which arises in a
state of duality or the predicate state of subject and object has ego as
its source. In worldly life, you cannot live without it. You need it to
assert yourself, survive and succeed. However, in spiritual life it becomes
a barrier to liberation. In Shaivism, it is referred to as anava, meaning
atomicity or acting like an atom. Egoism makes a living being (Jiva) feel
separate and small. Hence, the expression.
6 The ego is a universal phenomenon. Everyone has an ego. Even gods
and the highest Indra has it. Whoever manifests or becomes distinguished
from Brahman as a being has it. Only Nirguna/ Saguna Brahman (without
qualities) has no ego. Everyone else, including Saguna Brahman, in Leela
display it as example. However, its nature varies from being to being due
to the predominance of gunas. It is the purest in Isvara, the Lord of the
Universe or the Manifested Brahman, since in him it is made up of the
purest (suddha) Sattva, whereas it is the most impure in the Asuras and
beings of the darker worlds. Our egos are mixed with light and darkness.
Hence, our behavior and conduct also vary. Thus, AHAM AND I ARE
DISTIHGUISHED IN BG.
7 The Bhagavad-Gita on ego and egoism: The subjective and objective
aspects of ego are personified in the Bhagavad-Gita as Krishna and Arjuna.
Lord Krishna personifies the universal Self with the purest and
indistinguishable ego, whereas Arjuna stands symbolically for the limited
self or the impure ego consciousness, which is responsible for the
atomicity (anava) or feelings of separation and individuality.Any suffering
or any feeling or emotion that we experience, even a little disturbance or
discomfort, is due to ego. In the perceptual world it is the source of all
our knowledge, perceptions, feelings, and experience. In truth it is but a
reflection of the Self only, which is the purest reality or pure
consciousness. However, because it remains enveloped by the Nature’s impure
realities (tattvas), of which the mind and ego are a part and form the ego
consciousness, one acts like an individual and a limited entity. Arjuna's
suffering is because of his limited knowledge, his sense of separateness,
his identification with his body rather than his soul, his belief that he
is the doer of his actions and his anxiety about the results of his
actions. Because of its limited knowledge, the ego is usually ignorant and
confused. These qualities are reflected in Arjuna's suffering and his
doubts and anxieties about fighting with his opponents. His suffering is
the suffering of his ego. Indeed, in everyone it is the ego which is
responsible for suffering, anger, fear, doubt, desire, attachment, etc.
8 According to the Bhagavad-Gita, the ego is an aspect of the eightfold
division of lower divine nature, { In Hinduism, the "eightfold division of
the lower divine nature of the ego" refers to a concept that breaks down
the ego (Ahamkara) into eight fundamental components, often including the
five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space), mind, intellect, and ego
itself, representing the material aspects of existence and the lower nature
of the divine consciousness} (7.4&5).
Bg. 7.4
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायु: खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च ।
अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ॥ ४ ॥
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all
together these eight constitute My separated material energies.
Bg. 7.5
अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम् ।
जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ॥ ५ ॥
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of
Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources
of this material, inferior nature.
9 It is a part of the physical reality, the kshetra or field
(13.5), while egolessness is part of the knower of the field or the pure
consciousness) (13.8&9).
Bg. 13.8-12
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् । आचार्योपासनं शौचं
स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रह: ॥ ८ ॥
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च । जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदु:खदोषानुदर्शनम्
॥ ९ ॥
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्ग: पुत्रदारगृहादिषु । नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु
॥ १० ॥
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी । विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ॥ ११ ॥
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् । एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं
यदतोऽन्यथा ॥ १२ ॥
amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi- duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam
asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu
mayi cānanya-yogenabhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam aratir jana-saṁsadi
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
amānitvam — humility; adambhitvam — pridelessness; ahiṁsā — nonviolence;
kṣāntiḥ — tolerance; ārjavam — simplicity; ācārya-upāsanam — approaching a
bona fide spiritual master; śaucam — cleanliness; sthairyam —
steadfastness; ātma-vinigrahaḥ — self-control; indriya-artheṣu — in the
matter of the senses; vairāgyam — renunciation; anahaṅkāraḥ — being without
false egoism; eva — certainly; ca — also; janma — of birth; mṛtyu — death;
jarā — old age; vyādhi — and disease; duḥkha — of the distress; doṣa — the
fault; anudarśanam — observing; asaktiḥ — being without attachment;
anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ — being without association; putra — for son; dāra — wife;
gṛha-ādiṣu — home, etc.; nityam — constant; ca — also; sama-cittatvam —
equilibrium; iṣṭa — the desirable; aniṣṭa — and undesirable; upapattiṣu —
having obtained; mayi — unto Me; ca — also; ananya-yogena — by unalloyed
devotional service; bhaktiḥ — devotion; avyabhicāriṇī — without any break;
vivikta — to solitary; deśa — places; sevitvam — aspiring; aratiḥ — being
without attachment; jana-saṁsadi — to people in general; adhyātma —
pertaining to the self; jñāna — in knowledge; nityatvam — constancy;
tattva-jñāna — of knowledge of the truth; artha — for the object; darśanam
— philosophy; etat — all this; jñānam — knowledge; iti — thus; proktam —
declared; ajñānam — ignorance; yat — that which; ataḥ — from this; anyathā
— other.
Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a
bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control;
renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego;
the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease;
detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the
rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and
unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment
from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of
self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all
these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is
ignorance.
10 The ego makes us believe that we are the doers of our actions and
responsible for them. Because of that we engage in desire-ridden actions
and desire for their fruit, whereby we incur karma and remain bound to the
mortal world. As the Bhagavadgita (3.27) states, "All types of action are
performed by the gunas, which arise from Nature. Deluded by the ego, the
being, thus thinks, "I am the doer." Thus, ego is the deluded belief that
“I am responsible for everything.” From the scriptural and spiritual
perspective, it is a form of impudence or arrogance. The Bhagavadgita
suggests that if you think, “I am the eternal, universal Self,” and live
accordingly, your actions do not bind you. However, “If you think I am this
person with this name and form,” and perform actions with that selfish and
limited notion, they will bind you. Therefore, it is better to stabilize
your identity in the universal Self rather than in your limited self. If
you dissolve or merge your limited ego in the purest ego of God, your life
will be taken over by God himself, and he becomes responsible for all your
actions. It is affirmed in the Bhagavadgita which recommends contemplation
upon God as the effective method to accomplish it.
11 The Solution From the above it is clear that the solution to
the problem of ego or bondage is self-evident in the Bhagavadgita. You can
escape from the mortal existence when you renounce your egoism and develop
a universal vision of oneness and unity in which you will not hold on to
any limited belief, judgment or perception. You renounce everything that
separates you from the universal consciousness or acts as a hindrance. The
ideal which is presented in the scripture to illustrate it is the adept
yogi, who is pure in his heart, who has controlled himself and conquered
his senses. He sees himself in all beings and all beings in himself.
Thereby, he is not tainted (5.7). If you identify yourself with the
universal Self, overlook the duality and divisions of the world, and even
vaguely cultivate the universal feeling of oneness with the whole
existence, it is a good start. In itself it is a great sacrifice in which
your whole life and actions become a continuous offering.
12 There are two aspects to you, one is the “real you” and the
other is the “projected you,” which is the sum of your name and form. The
world knows you by your "projected you." It does not know the "real you"
because it is hidden. When two people meet, what they see in each other is
their projected selves. On the top of it, they also wear numerous masks,
whereby no one can really know anyone in truth. We really live in a world
of projections and apparitions. The people we meet are not what they really
are both literally and figuratively. Even after you spend a lifetime with
them, you will not know them fully. Our unity is an illusion. Our
relationships are fragile. No wonder, the followers of nondualism argue
that the world is an illusion. The world itself is a projection of God, and
the people who live in it are also projections. The “real you” is your true
Self, which is eternal and imperishable. The “projected you” is your
physical self, which is perishable and limited. Your progress on the path
of liberation depends upon how you reconcile them and bring them into an
alignment. The “projected you” can become a problem if it goes by its
natural propensity to become involved with the world. Hence, the
Bhagavadgita cautions the seekers of liberation to harmonize and integrate
their personalities to avoid falling into the trap of delusion. The
(projected) self alone is the friend as well as enemy of the (eternal) self
(6.5). The (projected) self is a friend of him who has conquered it and an
enemy who has not (6.6).
13 Restraint of the ego (nigraham) is therefore important to
experience peace of mind and self-absorption (Samadhi). As Lord Krishna
states (6.7 & 2.71), the one who has conquered the Self stays peacefully in
the company of God. He becomes equal to the dualities of life such as heat
and cold, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor. He attains peace, giving
up all desires and attachments, and experiencing life and without ownership
and egoism. When one develops the discernment between the true Self and the
projected self, the ego takes a back seat and lets the Self become the
center of one’s life. This is the state of egolessness as well as the pure
state of spiritual self-awareness. In that state of yoga, he transcends his
limited vision, and performs desireless actions, without struggling and
striving to be and to have. He believes that he does nothing while
performing mundane tasks such as seeing, hearing, touching, smelling,
tasting, walking, sleeping and breathing. (5.8). The ego is the barrier
which prevents you from seeing the truth of yourself. It is the boundary
wall which keeps you locked up inside the prison of your own mind. When you
remove that separation, you will see the world as an extension of yourself.
Instead of locking up yourself inside your limited individuality, you enter
the vast expansive feeling of oneness with all that you see and experience.
14 A yogi who reaches that state eventually becomes absorbed in God,
having surrendered to him unconditionally, offering to Him his Self, his
life and actions, and merging his individual identity fully in him. With
his ego thus gone, he becomes whatever he touches and feels, and develops a
unified awareness in which he sees the Self in all and all in the Self
(6.29). In that state he finds himself everywhere, but when he is not in
that state he worships him as the pervader of all (6.31). Therefore,
consider yourself an eternal Self. Identify yourself with it, instead of
accepting yourself as your mind and body and becoming obsessed with your
looks, or your name, wealth and status. Know that in the core of your
being, in the silence of your heart, and in the absence of all seeking and
striving, you dissolve all boundaries and enter the vast, endless space of
Brahman.
15 Conclusion: Bg. 16.18
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिता: । मामात्मपरदेहेषु
प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयका: ॥ १८ ॥
ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ
Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demons become
envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in their own
bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme against
A demoniac person, being always against God’s supremacy, does not like to
believe in the scriptures. He is envious of both the scriptures and the
existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SUCH PERSONS WILL TURN THE
TABLE AGAINST THE GOOD AND TRIES TO EXHIBIT THEY ARE SO REFINED; BUT THE
WORLD KNOWS THEM; YET REIGNS ONLY BECAUSE OF THE WEAKNESS OF THE HUMAN
REMAINING DUMB. This is caused by his so-called prestige and his
accumulation of wealth and strength. He does not know that the present life
is a preparation for the next life. Not knowing this, he is actually
envious of his own self, as well as of others. He commits violence on other
bodies and on his own. He does not care for the supreme control of the
Personality of Godhead, because he has no knowledge. Being envious of the
scriptures and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he puts forward false
arguments against the existence of God and denies the scriptural authority.
He thinks himself independent and powerful in every action. He thinks that
since no one can equal him in strength, power or wealth, he can act in any
way and no one can stop him. If he has an enemy who might check the
advancement of his sensual activities, he makes plans to cut him down by
his own power.
K Rajaram IRS 24125
On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 at 17:37, 'N Sekar' via KeralaIyers <
[email protected]> wrote:
> Thanks.
> Short story with a big lesson.
>
> Killing the demon called " Ego" is the ultimate and Maa Durga did just
> that.
>
> We all live in our ivory towers and sometimes incidents like these teach
> us a lesson which lasts life long, hopefully.
> Better we learn from these stories than from personal experience.
>
> Beautiful story. Thanks again.
>
> N Sekar
>
> Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
> <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=US_Acquisition_YMktg_315_SearchOrgConquer_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=US_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100002039&af_sub5=C01_Email_Static_&af_ios_store_cpp=0c38e4b0-a27e-40f9-a211-f4e2de32ab91&af_android_url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.mail&listing=search_organize_conquer>
>
> On Fri, Jan 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM, Chittanandam V R
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> *THE SLAYING OF THE DEMON*
>
>
> *By V.Sridhar*
>
> *The festive mood had fully set in Calcutta with the start of the Durga
> Puja. Dull grey monsoon clouds had given way to *
>
> *bright blue sky. There was a slight nip in the air in the mornings,
> signalling the arrival of pleasant winter days ahead.*
>
> *It was the 2nd day of the Pujas and I was sitting on the balcony of my
> house in south Calcutta, enjoying my cup of tea.*
>
>
> *My sister, who stays in the suburbs, had come with her kids, to stay with
> us for the Puja holidays. She and the missus were talking loudly, planning
> about evening outings, saris, and so on. My nephews were creating a racket
> in the living room, drowning out even the sound of the loudspeakers from
> the nearby Puja pandal. It was quite a din, but I was not perturbed. After
> all it was ‘the Pujas’. I looked around myself and felt quite happy.*
>
> *I have lived in this city for so many years, and yet, I cannot fathom how
> it totally transforms into a fairytale land during the four days of Durga
> Puja. There was an air of joviality everywhere and my house was no
> exception.*
>
> *I could not help but recall how a demon had come very close in destroying
> this happiness in my household.*
>
> *It was the first Durga Puja season after my marriage. My sister, like
> every year came to my place, along with her kids. But I could sense that my
> wife was not very happy with this.*
>
> *“This is difficult. I was planning to invite some of my friends” my wife
> hissed at me.*
>
> *“What’s the problem in that? My sister is not going to stand in the way”*
>
> *“You do not understand. I do not want to introduce a semi-illiterate
> village girl as my sister-in-law, to my friends”.*
>
> *You see, my wife was born and brought up in Delhi in a cosmopolitan
> society, whereas my sister was a plain Jane from rural Bengal.*
>
> *“She comes only during the Pujas and I always look forward to her visit”,
> I told her firmly.*
>
> *The result - my wife cancelled all her programs and stayed indoors saying
> she was not feeling well. I do not know whether my sister sensed something
> or not, but the next day she was preparing to go back.*
>
> *“You take care. Boudi (a term in Bengali for elder brother’s wife) needs
> some rest and peace, but the kids are always creating a racket. It is
> better I leave with them” she said.*
>
> *I reluctantly bade her farewell during mid-Pujas.*
>
> *Next year, my wife insisted that we spend the Pujas with her brother in
> Delhi. She threw a tantrum when I told that she should be mad to even think
> of going out of Calcutta during Pujas.*
>
> *But when I called up my sister, she told me, “Dada (a term in Bengali for
> elder brother), you should not be selfish. Take her to Delhi. May be she
> feels homesick during the Pujas. We can meet some other time”*
>
> *So, off we went to Delhi. My brother-in-law, a top executive in an MNC
> and his wife, Chairperson of an NGO, welcomed us, warmly. We had brought
> boudi a very special Bengal cotton sari. She accepted it gracefully and
> told us that she would keep it for some special occasion.*
>
> *We spent three days there, enjoying dinner in 5-star hotels, attending
> cocktail parties, moving around Delhi in a chauffer-driven Mercedes. All
> thanks to our high profile hosts.*
>
> *This year also my wife insisted that we go to Delhi. After much debating,
> I reluctantly accompanied her.*
>
> *This time the reception in Delhi seemed a little cool. But I brushed the
> thought aside immediately, as a figment of my imagination.*
>
> *We were shown to the guest room. The housemaid brought us tea and snacks
> and left.*
>
> *“Did you see what the maid was wearing? It is the saree that we gave
> boudi last year,” my wife said.*
>
> *“You are imagining things. Come, take out the gifts we have brought for
> dada & boudi”*
>
> *We were about to knock on their room, when we heard boudi’s voice in a
> rather loud tone,*
>
> *“...you mean to say that you are going to sit there and allow your sister
> and her petty bank employee husband to come here every Dusshera. You know
> it is only during these holidays we are able to entertain people of our
> circle at our home. And you know these two don’t fit in our society. Last
> year itself, I heard some of my club members making some catty remarks. I
> don’t know about you, but in our home we don’t allow these types within
> arm’s length...”*
>
> *We did not remain there much longer. At lunch table I told our hosts that
> I had received a distress call from home and therefore had to rush back.*
>
> *During the day-long train journey back, my wife did not utter a single
> word. She just sat still, looking grim.*
>
> *As soon as we entered our house, she asked for my phone and I could hear
> her talking to my sister.*
>
> *“Didi, we have come back to Calcutta. Tomorrow, you catch the first local
> train in the morning and come prepared to stay with us for the Pujas. Bring
> the kids….. No, I will not take ‘no’ for an answer. Didi, I miss you so
> much. Please do come, please”*
>
> *Then she covered her face and started sobbing uncontrollably. I patted
> her back softly, but allowed her to cry. I thought tears were the only way
> to lessen the burden she was carrying.*
>
> *It is said that Durga Puja marks not only the arrival of Maa (Goddess
> Mother) but also the slaying of the demon.*
>
> *This Durga Puja, Maa in her own mysterious way had helped the slaying of
> a demon called ego which had hitherto been in my wife’s heart.*
>
> *With a lightened heart, I started to look forward to savour the revival
> of Puja Spirit in our home. *
>
>
> *V.Sridhar*
>
> ***************************
>
> *Chittanandam*
>
>
>
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