EGO IN A TRANSITIONAL WORLD

What is ego? Ego is an outward sense of perceptive feeling emanating from the body-mind-intellect conundrum in a phenomenal world. The conception of “I” is located in that conundrum. Ego is always inflated and a manifestation of the “I” conception emanating from that conundrum. Instead of locating “I” in the Self as a subject, the ātman (inner self or inner spirit) within every being, is viewed as a psychophysical conception in a bipolarity of subject and object; eternality is the former and ephemerality is the latter. Accordingly, the world is transitional, as is everyone within its confines.

The human being regards this body-mind-intellect complex as the ultimate reality, and everything connected to it is equally real. Equally valid are sensual reception and perception. The apparatus of knowledge in this world comprises the senses, comprehension, and logical reasoning. These are the tools used to assess, evaluate, coordinate, and organise the underpinning paradigm of ethical, moral, social, cultural, economic, and political order and processes. Consequently, over time, the paradigmatic base, although transitory, became the dominant premise for outlining the perimeters of the norms of society. Such normative values are being transmitted to successive members from generation to generation as long as the paradigmatic base remains the governing framework. Self-elevation based on discrimination in identifying the real and unreal, equanimity, forbearance, steadfastness, thought, and reasoning are clouded by the inflamatic sense-driven ego syndrome. Although it would seem that thinking, understanding, and reasoning exist independently of the senses, in reality, they are the senses' handmaidens, seeming to validate what the senses perceive as fact by their own logic while providing no new information. The veil of ignorance emanating from the ego clouds the true self of a being and is thus pernicious in its manifestation and elevation in the life journey processes. Unfortunately, reason can quickly converge with this empirical understanding if it isn't employed carefully to weigh the implications of its operations, leading to acquiescence by being what his senses tell him. These are his justifications, and they are also the justifications he offers to support his emotions and the drive to gratify his desires at all costs.

1. Outline

The mind is in perpetual attachment. It seeks a place to manufacture the thought process, its principal activity, so as to drive a being in multiple directions. But the material body or object is kshara (decay) and subject to birth, growth, and decay. The human body is enshrined with six Bhava-Vikaras, or modifications: Asti (existence), Jayate (birth), Vardhate (growth), Viparinamate (change), Apakshiyate (decay), and Vinasyati (death), succinctly put by Swami Sivananda. Desires flowing from it are the basic governing principles of the ego, and the basics of desire are insatiability. In this framework, nothing is inside of what is outside, as are all ego-driven thoughts, actions, and processes as per the whimisicality of the phenomenal world. Ego, deriving from the body-mind-intellect complex, has a built-in tendency to move outwards, towards objects or the world of phenomena. Its paradigm of sustainability is always in a state of flux. Apparently, it feels sustainable to gratify its senses with a multitude of sense-driven desires. But the fragility of the framework at any given moment makes it incapable of accommodating the continuous flow of desires on a scale of multidimensional proportion. This is due to the three inherent constraints of such structuring and functioning. The first thing to consider is the multiplicity of sources, causes, and effects. Secondly, objects anywhere that generate desires for the ego framework are transitory and evanescent. Lastly, insatiable desires are ego-driven desires. Insatiable are sensual desires. Insatiable desire drives beings into a conundrum when it emerges from the senses. It induces a strong and unquenchable craving or longing to gratify the senses that burns like a fire. It implies a relentless, persistent, and often overwhelming urge that cannot be satisfied no matter how much one tries. These ego-driven cravings are unquenchable and stem from the body-mind-intellect complex's sensory paradoxes.

Even at the expense of everything in the world, the human ego harbours a deep-seated, covert desire to be self-sufficient and content. Although it is not something to think about consciously, humans are fundamentally greedy. According to Swami Krishnananda, the drive to sustain oneself in a bodily complex is present in everything, not just humans. The logic of the human mind takes this body as a final reality, everything connected with it as equally real, and the reports of the senses as wholly valid. He goes on to say that the greatest of all fears is the fear of death, and the greatest of all loves is the love of life. One's fear of dying and their passion for their own life are interdependent, and both demonstrate a human being’s view of his body-mind-intellect system as his complete possession, identity, and property.

However, instead of loving the evanescent material body, there is a need to imbibe love for the subjective self, which is part of the Supreme Self, Brahman.

2. Scriptures

There are certain cardinal principles outlined by Adi Sankaracharya, that a follower must imbibe through inward movement towards the self, or atman:

a. Aparokshanubhuti (Self-Realisation);

b. Vairagya (Detachment);

c. Titiksha (Forbearance);

d. Discrimination: Atman (the seer) is permanent, and seeing is transient;

e. Shama (Abandonment of desires at all times);

f. Dama (restraint of the external functions of the organs);

g. Uparati (Turning away completely from all sense objects);

h. Shraddha (Faith in the words of the Vedas);

i. Samadhana (concentration of the mind on the only object, Sat-Brahman);

j. Knowledge by Vichara (enquiry) only;

k. Who am I? How was this world created? Who is its creator? Of what material is this world made? This is the way of that Vichara (enquiry); and

l. Mumukshuta (final emancipation or liberation).

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita expounds that an ego-clouded person imbibes demonic qualities of hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance. These qualities lead to bondage and subjugation.

Whereas a person with divine qualities is of steadfast nature and discards all selfish desires and cravings of the senses that torment the mind and becomes satisfied in the realisation of the self, such a person is said to be transcendentally situated.

Such a person, according to the Bhagavad Gita, imbibes qualities of fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of the sacred books, austerity, and straightforwardness; non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, restraint from fault-finding, compassion towards all living beings, absence of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and lack of fickleness; vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, bearing enmity towards none, and absence of vanity. These qualities lead to liberation, the ultimate aim or birthright of every being.

Similarly, the Srimad Bhagavatam denigrates the ego-clouded person and advises the devotee to seek gratification in the self that is within every being. In it, Sanat-kumāra advised the King, Prithu, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is living within everyone’s heart along with the individual soul, in each and every body, either moving or not moving. The individual souls are fully covered by the gross material body and the subtle body made of life, air, and intelligence.

The Upanishads, according to Swami Krishnananda, bluntly say, Brahman is one and infinity, which has profound significance as a pointer to Reality. Consciousness of the Supreme Being is the foremost virtue.

 3. Remarks

Ego is in perpetual transitory mode. Its pernicious effect is well established. World history is replete with ego-driven death, destruction, war, conflicts, and instabilities. There is no need to provide any further examples or citations. It can never have a positive effect as it is rooted in an objective world where the mind is the driving force and everything is evanescent. A human being needs to break free from the clutches of material qualities or gunas (sattva, or goodness; rajas, or passion; and tamas, or ignorance) through the pathways of Yoga (meditation) based on Karma Yoga (the path of selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (the path of exclusive devotion), Raja Yoga (the path of self-restraint or self-surrender), and Jnāna Yoga (the path of wisdom). remove the veil of ignorance that clouds the self, or atman, and needs to move inwards through sense abnegation until he realises his consciousness of the self. As long as the human ego is the centre of objectification, its journey is in the vicissitude of ignorance, and it rules the roost.

-Asutosh Satpathy