|
In the last Issue 206,
we discussed the origin of ego. In this Issue, we will discuss the
reasons for developing ego in worldly life.
Almost every individual on earth harbors ego about something or the other, e.g.,
about one’s work, knowledge, success, beauty, fame, sympathy one expresses,
one’s family, caste, religious order, country, deity of worship, spiritual
practice, that is, whatever one is associated with. It is easy to make efforts
to reduce one’s ego, if one knows the reasons that lead to development
of ego. This point elucidates the reasons why ego generally develops in worldly
as well as spiritual life.
Worldly life
 |
Commencement
since birth : Every individual is born without a name. But
after naming him, he identifies himself with that name. He
forgets that ‘I am Brahman (God principle)’. |
|
Due
to impressions (sanskars) in the subconscious mind (chitta)
: Ego is generated due to temperament, desires, likes and dislikes
and other impressions in the subconscious mind, e.g. when one
says ‘I like sweet food items’, one has gone far
away from the true ‘self’. The word ‘vasana’ (desire)
can be divided thus: ‘Vas’ means presence of God
and ‘na’ means without. Thus, desire (vasana) is
that which is devoid of the presence of God. |
|
Due
to wealth and desire for fame (lokaishana) : Ego inflates when
one acquires wealth, position, power, kingdom, etc. Ego develops
where there is expectation of result. |
|
Ego pertaining
to the family : Harboring affection for one’s children,
relatives, home, etc., is also a type of ego. Some harbor ego
even about being parents. |
|
Ego due to intellect
| 1. |
A child does not
accept doership of an action, as it does not have attachment
for the body. Hence, many a time children say ‘I
have not done this’. Later with advancing age,
attachment for the body increases and so does ego. |
| 2. |
Ignorance about Spirituality
and rationalists: Rationalists make false propaganda
that Spirituality, deities, spiritual
practice, ghosts,
etc., are all fake. They label a thing as false without
trying to understand or experience it, merely because
it is not acceptable to them. |
|
In the next Issue, we will discuss reasons
for development of ego in spiritual life.
|
