Universe: The path to tackling ego

We all, at some point, have an exaggerated sense of our own self. It’s a universal human experience. We call it ego when we see it in others, and term it self-worth when we look at our own selves. No wonder we struggle to recognise ego, which is referred to as haumai or hankar in Punjabi. It is instructive to trace the word back to the term ahankara in Sanskrit, which is a combination of aham, which means ‘I’, and kara, which translates into ‘doing’ or ‘making.

Instead of recognising the all-pervasive power of the Divine, we, His creations, exaggerate our identity to the extent that we believe ourselves to be at the centre of the universe. Naturally, this causes disconnect with the Divine and leads to spiritual ignorance. Attachment to worldly desires follows, and we confuse their transience with permanence.

Most religions recognise the detrimental nature of ego. There is almost universal agreement that ego impedes spiritual development and leads to selfish and immoral behaviour. The means of tackling it vary, depending on cultural and religious perspectives.

In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak asserts: “Hukamai andar sabh ko, baahar hukam na koi/Nanak hukamai je bujhai ta haumai kahai na koi.” (All are under His command, no one is beyond it. O Nanak, one who understands His command silences his ego).

Understanding the true nature of God leads to the eclipse of ego. When you are self-aware, you realise your true place in the universe and subsume your ego to the Divine. As Guru Nanak says: “Ego is a chronic disease, yet its cure is also within it.”

The cure to ego is humility, a powerful force that comes from truly following the Guru’s teachings, meditating, and performing sewa.

Self-awareness is the key to understanding your true place in the cosmos, and to keep your ego in check. Let’s recognise that ego cannot be truly eliminated; however, it can and must be kept in check. With self-awareness, you have the power to manage your ego and lead a more fulfilling life.

As individuals grow, they accumulate experiences and accomplishments. Unfortunately, this often leads to an explosion of ego, and they become self-centred. Their vision is blinkered, closing their minds and eyes to reality. Consequently, they are open to maya, or illusion. Thinking of ‘I’ is a sure way of separating the soul from the Divine, as also from other beings. The ego is thus seen as the root of suffering. The five evils — duality, attachment, anger, greed and lust — are attributable to it.

How does one go about tackling one’s ego? The Gurus tell us that the cure is in humility. Sikh religious practices lay enormous stress on it. A follower is expected to be humble in manner and perform sewa. Indeed, sewa, or service performed for strangers, is a central concept of Sikh religious conduct. We see it manifested in langar, where devotees cook food, serve meals, and clean the dishes.

In many gurdwaras, we see well-dressed people polishing and cleaning shoes: sewa that shows their devotion to Sikh religious practices, and their humility. Indeed, many devotees consider their pilgrimage incomplete unless they have performed sewa in some form or another.

Understanding Gurbani and meditation is also necessary to learn the proper place of human beings in relation to God. Once that realisation comes, ego is subsumed by knowledge and the humility that results from it.

As the Guru says, we are all born with ego, and only the person who realises the true nature of God can truly escape ego. Let’s recognise that we are all struggling to reach a goal that is far away from us. Even as we realise it, we come face to face with our limitations, and thus penetrate the self-indulgent but illusory world of maya that draws a veil across our perception.

— The writer is a journalist and author