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by Jayaram V
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 the self that exists in all of us as individual
consciousness. In the Gita, Arjuna stands symbolically for the ego
consciousness. His suffering is because of his limited knowledge, his
sense of separateness, his identification of himself with his body,
his belief that he is the doer of his actions and his anxiety about
the results of his actions.
The ego is a part of the eight fold division of
lower Divine nature, which is made up of the five elements, the ego,
the mind and reason (7.4&5). The ego is a part of the body
consciousness, the kshetra or field (13.5), while egolessness is part
of the knower of the field or the pure consciousness) (13.8&9).
The ego makes us to believe that we are the doers
of our actions and are also responsible for our actions. It makes us
perform our actions out of desire for the fruit of our actions. In the
process it binds us to the mortal life. All actions are performed by
the properties of nature (inherent in man), but the egoistic ignorant
self believes that he is the doer (3.27).
Escape from this mortal existence is possible only
when the yogi overcomes his egoistic thinking and develops a divine
centered life. The qualified karma yogi, who is pure in his heart, who
has controlled his mind and his senses overcomes his egoistic thinking
and limited vision. He sees his self in all living beings and remains
free even though engaged in action. (5.7)
Depending upon how we approach about it, the ego or
the lower self , can be either a help or an impediment to us in our
spiritual endeavor. The self alone is the friend of the self and the
self alone is the enemy of the self (6.5). The self is a friend of him
who has conquered it and an enemy who has not (6.6).
Conquest of the self is therefore very important
for peace of mind and union with God. He who conquers his self is in
the company of the Supreme. He remains stable and serene in cold or
heat, sorrow or happiness, respect or disrespect (6.7). Giving up all
desires, without the awareness of any need, sense of ownership and
egoism, he attains peace (2.71)
And when he reaches this state he develops proper
understanding and attains a state of egolessness. He is freed from all
desires and attachment. He engages himself in desireless actions
without struggling and striving. He believes that he does nothing
while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, walking, sleeping
and breathing. (5.8).
He becomes completely 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 united with the Universal Consciousness
and develops the unified vision through which he sees the Self in all
and all in the Self (6.29). He finds God everywhere and worships Him
as the Inhabitant of all beings (6.31).
Suggested Further Reading
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