Saturday, August 23, 2014

AHAMKARA or egoism By Swami Sivananda



 AHAMKARA or egoism

The elimination of egoism is the sole condition of Self-realisation. 

AHAMKARA or egoism is the self-arrogating principle in man. It is a Vritti or modification that arises in the mind. Patanjali Maharshi calls this by the name 'Asmita'. The same mind assumes the form of egoism when man self-arrogates himself. Ahamkara manifests first and then comes 'Mamata'.
This baneful egoism generates actions, desires and pains. It is the source for all evils. It is illusory. It deludes people. Through it is nothing, it is everything for the worldly people. It is associated with mineness.

It is the greatest enemy. If one renounces this dire Ahamkara he will be happy. The secret of renunciation is renunciation of egoism. Ahamkara has its seat in the mind. It is under the influence of egoism man commits evils and wrong actions. It is deep-rooted. Anxieties and troubles proceed from egoism. Ahamkara is a veritable disease. Pride, lust, anger, delusion, greed, jealousy, love and hatred are the attendants of Ahamkara. Ahamkara destroys our virtues and peace of mind. It spreads the snare of affection to entrap us. He who is free from egoism is very happy and peaceful. Desires multiply and expand on account of egoism. Our inveterate enemy, egoism, has spread about us the enchantments of our wives, friends, children, etc., whose spells it is hard to break. There is no enemy greater than egoism.
 An aspirant who treads the path of devotion destroys his egoism through self-surrender or Atma-Nivedana to the Lord. He say I am Thine my Lord. All is Thine. Thy will be done. He feels he is an instrument in the hands of the Lord. He dedicates all his actions and the fruits of his actions to the Lord. He feels that there is nothing but the Lord, that everything is done by the Lord, that even an atom cannot move without Him and that all live, move and have their very being in Him alone.
A Karma Yogin destroys his egoism through self-sacrifice. A Jnana Yogin kills his egoism through self-denial or self-abnegation, through Vichara and the practice of Neti-Neti - I am not this body, I am not the mind, I am not Prana, I am not the senses, and through identification with the Supreme Self by meditating on the formula, 'I am all-pervading Self or Brahman.'
May you rest in the big Infinite 'I', the pure Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman and enjoy Eternal Bliss by annihilating this little illusory 'I', the product of Maya, through self-denial or self-sacrifice or self-surrender! 

"Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise;

Be good, Do good, Be kind, Be Compassionate;