EGO and the SELF

“One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego.” -- Anonymous

Ego has remained as the biggest enigma of mankind. None can fathom the origin of ego or the end of it if any. The funniest part is everyone is aware that it exists in everyone and also it could be detrimental to the elevation of mankind. Ego is one of the few mysteries which have attracted attention of many mighty brains of all times. Before hunting its origin or contemplating its effects, we should first understand what is EGO. A zillion dollar question or even more. Comically, it can be regarded as a mistress of the internal moral judge called conscience.

Ego is to date predominantly understood as a reverence for individuality. The respect and regard we like to give to our selves. But it is not the reverence for individuality, but the feeling of importance attached to the individualism to an extent till its masks the need of logic or reason behind any thought. The bitter irony is once we start respecting our egotistic mind, we tend to respect its decision. Once we tend to respect the decision of our mind, then it blinds our contemplative eye and we start believing that we are right. We tend to ignore the logic behind the decision or choice. This is nothing but akin to blind belief. It is like a black hole. Once enough mass is accumulated, then it shrinks on its own gravity. When we dare to condemn the concept of blind belief socially, I wonder how do we keep ourselves mum when it comes to condemnation of blind beliefs of our own mind. Human mind has always been irrational. Mind should be given utmost importance. The logic or the thought behind the choice of action should be of paramount importance. The body which houses the brain which could be causation for any noble thought or deed is just a mere coincidence. It in no way has a right over the idea or thought or its implications. It is important to note that the individual’s brain which gave birth to a noble thought would also be the mother of other detrimental thoughts. So here the thought is more important than its cause. The effect of thought is purely a function of the nobility and relevance of thought, and completely independent of its causator.

The concept of selflessness was revered by most of the well known thinkers of all eras. Albeit the bitterness in the truth exists, it is the Absolute truth and will cease to change whatsoever the circumstances or situations be created by lesser mortals. As most of us agree that truth is the only energy that prevails, the very prevalence of this truth even after being despised by many big and materially powerful die-hard egotists testifies the words itself. The ill effects of ego are innumerable. It is interesting and devastating to know that ego manifests in various myriad forms. Pride, malice, avarice, spite are some of the various other possible forms of its manifestations. It is like a fatal virus which eats away all the naivety present in the mind during our infancy. Society carries out its duty to infest this virus into every mind with a priest like precision. Despising the convention and reasoning out every action of ours at the same time testifying the nobility of each action is the only way to rid ourselves from such a fatal attack.

We have a rich history wherein the great sages and all the great thinkers of that time made “Self Realisation” or the “Enlightenment” or the “BrahmaGyan” as their goal and the singular purpose of their life. Renunciation is nothing but renunciation of the self or the feeling of ‘I’, realization is nothing but the realization of our ignorance, BrahmaGyan is the gyan that is selfless and the knowledge of the omniscient. The first step towards these is to realize the ill effects of our ego. The second being the conscious decision to forego this monstrous evil and the rest is self revealing.

To understand the harmful impact of ego, it will become easier if we try to emphasize the joy of the egoless mind. A man devoid of ego is a man in a blissful state. It can be easily deduced. When ‘I’ don’t exist, then we think as ‘we’. When I cease to exist, then everyone starts to think for the benefit of others. Overall, it becomes a collective thought wherein every thought or action will intend towards the benefit and the upheaval of our mankind. When we participate in such events, our benevolence brings joy to us. We tend to float in the state of ecstatic joy where in individuals lose all significance, still enjoy the fruits of collective benevolence. All conflicts which are in the status of likelihood will even cease to remain as a possibility. It’ll be a total annihilation of the very root of ego. Once this is achieved, then the state will be in the self sustenance mode.
The presence of ego as it is now, will devoid us of all the pleasure of collective benevolence.

It is only possible when man begins to think beyond the mundane, when he gradually realizes that the excessive regard for self or the ego is a trap laid by ourselves which was further encouraged by the largely ignorant society. It is a challenge to swim against such a high tide and reach the shore of selflessness and bliss. But if we hesitate to make an attempt the possibility to reach will remain zero. A ship is always safe in the harbour, but it is not built for that.

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” --Albert Einstein

THIRUMAL RAO

FAITH

New born child cries as soon it is born
Afraid of the wordly scorn.
It chuckles when it sees the mother
As it knows there is no need to bother.
No more do they share umbilical cord
But they feel bound by a magical word.

Man concedes all to his wife
Even at the cost of his own life
Reason behind this is what I strive
to unravel while I'm still alive.
Logic needs to scutter
While I stand to Utter.

Mountains and moors have no remorse
for the difference in their course.
I stand and wonder at their peaceful gaiety
and try to fathom who's their deity?
All I gather from my wonder
is its the same which works from under.

Farmers sow their seeds on the earth
Hoping to fill in all their dearth.
I wonder at their decision to sow
as I fail to comprehend what they know.
Once I got it, I'm ever so astonished
that all my fears are forever perished

I now stand to face thine
To accept the decree of divine.
I shout for all to hear
that Faith will remove all our fear.
As I realised the power of faith
My mind became free of myth.

The child was bound by faith and love
Man and wife lived with trust filled trove
Mountains and moors had faith in Lord
as the Farmers who trusted in god
Faith and love, trust and belief
Will always give you lot of relief.


THIRUMAL RAO R