Man is not free. He is dependent on others. In a way, he is like a prisoner of himself. He remains tied up with many worldly issues all the time. He wants to be free but circumstances do not allow him to escape from the bondages.
His greatest bondage is his egoism. The ego keeps the man tied up in its bonds. The feeling of ‘I’, the feeling of ‘mine’ and the feeling of ego is nothing else than the bond that keeps the man tied up. Due to the bondage the man is unable to reach the destination where he wishes to reach. Egoism keeps him tied down and does not allow the man to rise or make any progress.
Ego pulls the straightforward-looking person backward. He becomes confused and loses all his initiatives of progress. He becomes unaware that he is tied up in the knots of egoism. If one is able to overcome ego or can successfully remove ego from the life then there is no power which could retard the progress of the man. If we look at the history of our country and also of other civilizations, it was due to the ego of certain individuals that there had occurred widespread bloodshed and many forward- looking countries got eliminated. Great civilizations had perished and, even at our local household levels, many prosperous families got destroyed for nothing.
If a person is able to overcome the traits of ego, one can easily reach the doors of the Supreme Power. Remember that God does not feel inclined to listen to the prayers of the arrogant and of those who are intoxicated with egoism. There is no place for arrogance or indifference in the court of the Almighty. He is Supreme and there is none who is above the Supreme.
The feeling of ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘me’, and ‘mine’ does not allow any two persons to get together. This feeling does not allow union, rather it divides individuals and communities. Egoism is the cause of social and political upheavals in the world. Great wars have been fought because of egoism and arrogance of few people in power.
It was the egoism of Duryodhana that the great Mahabharata War was fought which had caused untold and unaccountable deaths and destruction. Lord Shri Krishna, Bhishm Pitamah and many others had counseled Duryodhana against the war but he remained adamant and became the cause of annihilation of the entire Kaurava clan.
The great loss which had resulted from the war was due to the ego and arrogance of one single person. In the same way we also see the dance of death and total destruction during the two World Wars in our times. These were also the results of egos of a very few individuals.
If we turn the pages of history, examples of arrogance and ego of individuals spring up. Ravana was another example. Our Epics are full of such instances which go to teach people at large to get rid of ego and suppress it to create a more congenial environment in the world.
In the present times when we have developed new and more modern methods and tools of management and information, a control of ego is more necessary. It is the era of ‘button’ technology – pushing of just a small button to start a large-scale and highly destructive atomic war. We need people with cool mind and logical thoughts to govern the world. Just out of a short bout of frustration, anger and arrogance a crazy ruler can destroy the lives of millions and even destroy our lovely planet.
Wisdom, together with the application of knowledge, ushers widespread peace and prosperity in the world. As per the norms of Hindu religion wisdom does not approve of destruction and frustration in the society. Wisdom calls for all round peace and progress. Our Scriptures and Vedic literature abjure violence in any form.
Bhagwan Shri Ram Chander, through his actions, tried to establish a realm of norms and ideals. Bhagwan Shri Krishna promoted religion based code of conduct. None of them appreciated the egoism.
My submission is to adhere to the concept of compassion and mutual understanding and respect for each other. Cohesion within the family needs to be promoted and arrogance and egoism need to be shunned and eliminated.
Shri Sudhanshuji Maharaj
