[Chaturamnaya] Jagadguru Speaks: Ego is Your Enemy

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted on the advaita-l list,
as on the Chaturamnaya list: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )

http://svbf.org/newsletters/wp-content/uploads/paramartha-tattvam-articles/Issue-1-4.pdf

Many are the reasons for man’s ego.
Often it is his wealth or scholarship or
power that makes him proud.

But man should realize that this ego
is, in fact, his enemy. For it disturbs him as
much.

What is more, because of the ego,
man engages in wrong actions. He even
falsely thinks that none can resist him. But
it definitely happens that he undergoes
suffering for his bad karma. And all this
can be avoided if only he dropped his ego.

Bhagavadpada Sankara has said:
 maa kuru dhana-jana-yauvana-garvam.h .
 harati nimeShA kaalaH sarvam.h ..

Man, according to him, should never
be proud because of wealth, youth or
scholarship, as time will take away all in a
trice. Admittedly, they are never permanent.
Sages like the Bhagavadpada, however,
erudite they were, were without the least
trace of ego. That is why people have
praised them as mahapurush. It hence
follows that man, under no pretext, should
entertain ego, but lead a humble life.

 tasmAdahaMkAramimaM svashatruM
 bhokturgale kaNTakavatpratItam.h .
 vichChidya viGYAnamahAsinA sphuTaM
 bhu~N.hkShvAtmasAmrAjyasukhaM yatheShTam.h ..

 (VivekachUDAmaNi verse 307:
 "Therefore, destroy this enemy Ego
 that is like a thorn stuck in the throat,
 using the sword of Discrimination,
 and enjoy the Bliss of the Self.")
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