AHANKARA OR EGO

                                                                

Is there anyone in the world devoid of Ahankara or Ego? The answer is in the negative. Every individual  has his own quota of this detrimental quality! What is Ahankara? It is the sense of  ”I” and “ Mine”  that works havoc in the lives of people. Ego is considered as the worst enemy of man. There may be persons that have conquered the  six inner adversaries but it is impossible to see an individual who has conquered his ego! It is very surprising to see  scholars, teachers , sages and saints and even spiritual aspirants fall a victim to this harmful quality. Ego is the mother of extreme pride or arrogance. It is because of ego that man thinks he is God and the most enlightened! Ego and envy are brothers! When ego arrives envy follows .Ego is the cause of all desires. Sorrow follows ego like a shadow! “Ego is a thorny bush, which when planted and fostered, makes us suffer. It makes enemies even of close friends and does not allow men to work together. Grief follows ego like a shadow” warns Bhagawan Sri Sri Satya Sai Baba in one of his divine discourses.

While ego, pride and arrogance injures many others, maximum damage is caused to the person himself. How can man call himself a man while ruining others and riding over them? According to the Bhagavadgita man should be “ Nir mamo, nirahankara”  The evil forces of “ I and “ mine” have to be eschewed if man should call himself Divine! These two qualities are so deeply embedded in human nature that it is absolutely impossible to overcome them! Man should not be proud or arrogant of his age, youth, strength, wealth and status. They change according to time and situation! Old age obscures the senses. Senility robs man of all his strength. Adi Sankara warns in his Bhajagovinda stotra, “ Ma kuru  dhana jana yauvana garvam harati nimeshath kalam sarvam” The stories of Nahusha and Ravana, King of Lanka remind us of the fatal effects of Ahankara or ego. The former was undone when he prodded with his foot, one of the sages carrying him and directed him to move quickly!  Ravana imagined that he was invincible and he was the master of all the world and even Gods! It is said that he kept all Gods like Indra and others under his control. His arrogance and lust saw his downfall

Ahankara or ego exhibits itself as vanity of clan, wealth,  youth and knowledge! In other words, man thinks that his clan is the greatest, that he is the richest, that he is the strongest, that he is the most scholarly in the world! These are dangerous and divisive qualities. It is because of egoism that we criticize others. When we point a finger to others our three fingers point to us! In short, for every fault we find in others, we have three faults in ourselves!  We should never judge others as inferior to us. Swami asks, “On what basis can he erect his pride? The sun is but a star among the billions in space. The earth is but a speck, rotating around the sun. The country to which he belongs is but a fraction of that speck; his place of residence is a microscopic dot in that fraction and he is but one among lakhs of people living therein. He struts about for a few winks of time and prides himself most stupidly, as if he is the Lord and Master”

Is there no way to control or lessen the overpowering ahankara or ego in man? While ego cannot be annihilated in toto, efforts can be take to lessen its impact on the individual. One such means is Seva or Service. It is a kind of Sadhana or discipline. Service should be done with love and all work is offered to God when it becomes sacred as puja or worship. Service to others has the capacity to purge you of your Ego or ahankara! Other means of reducing ego are curtailing one’s desires and overcoming jealousy or envy. Egoism will be destroyed   if we constantly feel that “ IT is HE not I; He is the force, I am but the instrument”  This is what exactly the Lord tells Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. “ Nimitta matram bhava Savyasachin”  Arjuna, you are only an instrument in my hands!

“Jealousy and anger are the twins born of egoism” warns Swamii. Anger is the worst of the ‘arishadvargas or the six inner enemies in man. Under its influence man loses his equanimity, balance of mind and becomes almost a beast!  Disappointment in desires is the root cause of anger. The way to control anger is to place a ceiling on desires. As man’s desires are not satiated at any time and lead to many more desires adding fuel to fire, the only way is to curtail worldly wants to the maximum and  develop a  strong desire for God! That will lead man to devotion and spirituality and service to mankind! Service to man is service to God !When service is done without expecting any reward it is called ‘Nishkama Karma” which is the ideal for all action! Ahankara or ego shall gradually vanish when service is done selflessly!!