Sagun Nirgun
46: Egolessness
Sant Shrestha Namdev Maharaj tells the secret of human life. “’Humility’ is the ornament of learning and wealth, and forgiveness are the ornaments of the mighty.” However, a conceited man ignores this because of his ego. A self-centred person interferes in others’ business, despises others, slanders them, hates them. He has a false pride about himself. He thinks everyone is afraid of him. The rule is as you sow so shall you reap.
In the epic Mahabharata. Karna was over-confident and strived to hard so the world would recognize him as the greatest archer compared to Arjuna. During the Kurukshetra war, when the wheel of Karna’s chariot got stuck in the ground during the war, he said to Arjuna, “You are brave and virtuous. You know the rules of the war. Let me remove the wheel first.” Hearing this, Shree Krishna said to Karna, “Karna! Now you remember right and wrong? You have forgotten your previous wrongdoings. All of you killed Abhimanyu unjustly. Now time has passed.” Karna meets his end. This tells us that ‘Ego is the seed for disaster. It is a major obstacle in life. Egoism pushes a man to the brinks of defame and misfortune. Hence P. P. Shree Vasudevananda Saraswati Swami Maharaj says, “Liberation is not in heaven or earth or anywhere else. Liberation resides in the heart of the person who has destroyed his ego.”
Hence everyone should be righteous and disciplined. Shree Samarth Ramdas Swami Maharaj says, “Egoism destroys Knowledge.” In the association of saints, one must learn to enhance good qualities and become eligible for the Lord’s grace.
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