The young Rama has questions about the ego and the Atma. The sage explains there are three types of ego, the first is the most deleterious to the spiritual seeker. The common belief of individuals is that as soon as they are born they are led to believe that the world around them is ‘real’. The influence of habits and desires is strong and is overcome with devotion.
Glossary:
purushartha: the repository of spiritual knowledge acquired by endeavour in pursuance of the precepts obtained from sages and scriptures
quiscent: not active or activated; marked by a state of tranquil repose; being quiet or still or inactive
jiva: individual soul embodied as a person. Soul with a body.
Paramatma: The Supreme Soul; the Supreme Being;
jivanmukta: permanently self-realised (or God-realised) person who no longer has any identification whatsoever with his or her body.
ananda: bliss, elation, state of extreme happiness, “cloud nine”,
Question 155: Sir, how does the impurity of ego arise in Atma that is faultless, self-independent, non-dual and pure consciousness?
Answer: Ramji, the glamour of ego that is cognised is in reality a non-entity ; it is a result of delusion and it vanishes with purushartha. When the firm faith that I am a non-entity and nothing belongs to me is developed, then the ego disappears. The ego is in the universe and not in Atma. When with this understanding the ideation becomes quiescent, ego also vanishes. When ego vanishes, then there is no feeling of gain and loss, give and take and all the qualities of oneness (non-dual existence) are manifested in the jiva.
Question 156: Sir, what is the form of ego and how can it be abandoned? How does ego disappear from the body and what are the results?
Answer: Ramji, ego is of three types. Of these, one type of ego must be abandoned and that is the ego associated with the body.
The ego of the second or the third types is worthy of adoption and I shall explain this to you. Due to the second type of ego it is realised that ‘I am the entire universe, I am the non-dual Paramatma and there is nothing distinct from me‘. This faith represents the supreme ego and it leads to liberation. The jivanmuktas bear this faith. Due to the third type of ego, it is realised that ‘I am absolutely subtle and distinct from everything’. This too is the faith of jivanmuktas (self-realised ones) and it also grants liberation. My description of these two (second and third) types of ego is also an ideation only; in truth there is nothing. Only the non-ideational Pure Consciousness exists in itself.
Due to the ego of the first kind, one cognises oneself as a body and senses. This type of ego is only a trifle and a cause of bondage and those who bear it do not progress spiritually. It is a great enemy of a jiva, as it binds him to the cycle of birth and death and drives him to numerous vices such as desire, anger and feelings of joy and sorrow. The state sustained after abandoning this ego is liberation. The feeling of individuality and its attribute that ‘I am so and so and such a great man’, is a cause of great sufferings. That is why holy persons renounce this type of ego.
Question 157: Sir, what is the state attained by an individual when he abandons this undesirable ego and what are the qualities thus acquired by him?
Answer: Ramji, when an individual abandons body-ego, he attains to the supreme state. You must abandon this ego, so that you are established in the bliss (ananda). Always strive to keep this harmful ego away from you. It is a strong veil before the supreme bliss. When this ego is lost, the body becomes highly virtuous, the supreme bliss is attained and peace is enjoyed in all functions.
Ramji, you must have a firm faith in that I do not exist nor does anything belong to me, or, in that I am everything and there is nothing but me. When you attain this state with a firm faith, you will be relieved of the feelings of multiplicity and attain the non-dual state (oneness) of Atma.
“The mind absorbed in the Divine even while engaging in earthly activities gets purified. Purifying your mind means that your sense of doership vanishes and God becomes the doer. It also means that you realize your Self as the Atma in all beings. This purity of mind and heart leads to higher spiritual discipline and thus to true oneness with the Godhead. It is at this highest of high places where the paths of renunciation and action converge. Bhagavad Gita 5:7
Why is it that people do not know this deep truth? Because as soon as they are born they are led to believe that the world around them is ‘real’. They forget their oneness with Divinity and fall into a pattern of likes and dislikes that gives rise to all sorts of desires, attachments, and aversions. With their nervous systems thus conditioned, their sense of individuality (ego) is reinforced time and time again. It does not dawn on the impure mind preoccupied with ego to make room for devotion to God. Without that devotion it is impossible to see one’s oneness with God.
“But those who purify their actions by dedicating them all to the Divine gradually grow less influenced by their own habits and desires. One step at a time, they overcome the lower self, worshiping Me, the One who is not separable.
“No matter how strongly you ascribe to the universal delusion that you can avoid pain and only have pleasure in this life (which is utterly impossible), sooner or later you must confront the fact of your inevitable aging and eventual death. Some people, trying to escape the fear of death, come to Me for refuge. Once with Me, they learn of their True Self (Atma) and ascertain the nature of Divinity. Therefore, because death stirs people to seek answers to important spiritual questions, it becomes the greatest servant of humanity, rather than its most feared enemy. Bhagavad Gita 7:27-29
Hamsa Gayatri
Om Hamsaaya Vidmahe
Paramahamsaya Dheemahi
Tanno Hamsa Prachodayat
“May we realise Hamsa that is our own Self as the Swan. Let us meditate on that Paramahamsa, the Supreme Self. May Hamsa illumine us.”