|
Index Page
By Jayaram V
Ahamkar or ahamkara literally means the form of the self and generally used
to denote egoism or the sense of individuality. The form of the self
is physical, mental and subtle. It
is a product of Prakriti made up of its gunas or qualities and
tattvas or principles. It is a crystallization of pre existing
thoughts and desires, subject to bondage, the sense of duality and illusion
or maya that veils the true consciousness of the self and lets the ego
take charge of the affairs of the self. Ahamakar is not mere self
pride or arrogance, which it is in a very narrow sense, but the very feeling of separation that makes one
feel distinct and different from the rest of the creation and the
Creator. In the old testament, God tell Moses that he is
"I am I am". And it truly describes the nature of Brahman.
The whole universe is permeated with the sense of "I". There
is nothing else. It is the one self that appears as many. The feeling
of "you" and "I" exists in our limited
consciousness. As the Isa Upanishad proclaims the whole world
is inhabited by Brahman and everything here is Brahman. But because of
ego we believe that we exist individually and possess things and
qualities. We desire sense objects and indulge in egoistic activities
to seek them believing ourselves to the doers and seekers. This
identification of our actions and our seeking with our egos results in
our bondage to the earthly life and the cycle of births and deaths.
According to the Bhagavadgita, 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 Bhgavadgita,
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
|
