EGO - THE SOURCE OF ALL EVILS
-By: Lt. Col. (Retd) B.L. Sachdeva
Spirituality calls for total negation of self. All the teachings of the spiritual masters have been directed towards the goal of eradication of ego without which union with God and God-realization is not possible. One of the principles of the Sant Nirankari Mission that our body, mind and all our worldly possessions are a gift of God, reminds us that man is just a puppet in the hands of God and his pride is misplaced. The practice of bowing at the feet of the Lord Master and fellow saints here is also directed towards this end of eradicating egoism. It means that for making spiritual progress one has to unlearn all past convictions and start afresh.
Golf professional was once asked by a week-end golfer as to how long will it take him to learn playing proper and scientific golf. He replied, it will take him four years. The questioner was shocked since he thought that he already knew enough and it should not take him so long. He expressed his misgivings to the professional. The professional explained that if he were a beginner he would take only two years of coaching and practice to become a proficient golfer. On the other hand it would take him four years, because two extra years were required for unlearning all that he hand acquired while playing so far.
The newborn child is without any ego. It is full of love for all with total absence of hatred. It takes about two years for the child before it starts responding to the name given to it for its individual identity. As it grows, it is the influence of its elders, which inflates its ego. If it is boy, parents tell him that boys are superior to girls in all spheres of human endeavour. The pride of his caste, religion, race and nationality is instilled in him. Generally speaking women are less egoistic than men. Consequently it is easier for them to make spiritual progress. If statistics are taken, it will be found that women are more religious than men. In fact in most cases, it is they who inspire their men folk to take to God worship.
Children are less egoistic than grown-ups. That is why we find that children of saints if they remain in touch with the Lord Master and the Sangat make for greater and faster progress than their parents in their spiritual level. I have seen a number of cases where children have continued to attend regular sangats even after their parents have stopped coming due to some reasons.
Self-aggrandizement
Now we come to the question as to why egotism is harmful for society. Both egoism and egotism refer to a preoccupation and concern only for oneself. In this sate where self-interest becomes a predominant motive, both fair and foul means are used for self-aggrandizement. The result is oppression and exploitation of fellow human beings, which appears to be at its peak in the modern society, particularly in our country. Ego leads to unbridled ambition, when worldly success is the solitary aim and justifies the means.
This gives rise to monsters in society. We have examples of tyrants like Alexander, Hitler, Aurangzeb, and Mussolini in history. Even today there are people who are busy amassing crores for the satisfaction of their ego and ambition. On the other hand ego is the root cause of most disputes between individuals, families, tribes, clans and states as also amongst married couples. Most of the divorce cases could be avoided if one of the contestants sheds ego and apologizes for his/her mistake and takes the initiative for reconciliation or reunion. But in most cases, this first step is never taken due to false sense of prestige and egotism even though there is a desire to patch up on both sides. The same applies to family, tribal and national dispute. Many wars have been fought for satisfying the ego of the rulers.
The Doer
The presence of ego in man is due to ignorance. Because of ignorance, man regards his self as the doer of actions. As per Gita Chapter 18 Shalokas 13 and 14, the following factors are mentioned as contributory to the accomplishment of all actions, right or wrong:-
Adhistanam : The seat of activity which is this body and material universe where actions are performed;
Karta (agent):- The soul rooted in the matter;
Karnam:- All activity connected with accomplishment of actions: and
Devam:- Destiny of fate which includes Prarabdha which is made up of latencies of past actions, both good and bad.
Action where the above ingredients are present must bear fruit. If one of the ingredients is missing, action will not lead to fruition. The cycle of birth and death is due to reaping fruits of actions performed in previous lives. We have no control on the presence of other ingredients save Karta. He whose mind is free from the sense of doer-ship and whose mind is not tainted by worldly objects and activities becomes free from the fruits of actions. To illustrate this point, I will give the example of fire. For fire to start, three ingredients must co-exist. They are: (a) Oxygen; (b) Material like wood or petrol; and (c) Source of ignition for raising temperature to required level. If one of the ingredients is missing, fire cannot start. Similarly, to extinguish fire we either remove oxygen or take away combustible materials or cool the temperature by pouring water.
The Salvation
After God realization and gaining true knowledge from the perfect master, we know our true self to be non-doer, and all actions performed without ascribing sense of doer ship to self will not cause us to reap their fruits, and consequently lead us to Moksha or salvation. In fact Sewa (actions performed for general good without selfish motives) burns the residual effect of past Karma. Nirankari Baba Avtar Singh Ji rightly proclaimed all actions to be chains leading to bondage. He said, good actions are golden chains and bad actions are iron chains. Only actions performed without attachment and sense of doer-ship can lead us to salvation. Obviously a person who has rid himself of ego can do no wrong. His actions will not lead to fruition. Gurbani says:
HUKME
ANDAR SABH KO,
BAHAR
HUKAM NA KOYE;
NANAK
HUKME JE BUJHE
TA
HOME KAHE NA KOYE;
(Japji
- 2)
Everyone is subject to the will of God. Says Nanak, anyone who understands this fact will not speak with egoism.
In Asa Di Var, before Pauri 7, Guru Nanak explains egoism, which I try to translate as under:
"Man comes or takes birth and goes or dies due to ego. Whatever he gives or takes is also under the influence of ego (because the actual giver or taker is God.) Whatever he earns and loses is also under the effect of ego. He is honest or dishonest because of ego. The concept of good or evil deeds is based on sense of ego. The man laughs and weeps under the influence of ego. The act of getting soiled or corrupted and later effort to purity himself (by performing austerities) is done under the influence of ego. The basis of casteism is ego. If a person is foolish or wise, this is also the result of egoism, while in actual fact no one knows the path to salvation. The man is deluded by Maya due to ego. One can realise truth only by understanding the concept of ego. Without knowing the Reality or God all talk is nonsense and exercise in futility. Says Nanak, Man’s destiny is decided by the will of God. We see only what He wants us to see."