Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

Philosophical Studies in Egoism And Its Elimination
by Sri Swami Sivananda

Ego or egoism or Ahamkara in Sanskrit is the self-asserting principle or Tattva born of ignorance or Prakriti. Abhimana is egoism. Garva is egoism. The seed of this ego is the differentiating intellect or Bheda Buddhi. It is the ego which has created the idea of separateness from God or Atman. It is the ego which is the root cause for all human sufferings and births and deaths.

This ego identifies itself with the body, mind, Prana and the senses. Wherever there is ego, there are mineness, selfishness, likes and dislikes, lust, anger, greed, hypocrisy, pride, jealousy, delusion, arrogance, conceit, impertinence, Vasanas, Trishna or cravings and Vrittis "or Sankalpas, clinging to this earth-life (Abhinivesa), agency, doership (Kartritva) and enjoyership (Bhoktritva).

You must have a very clear understanding of the nature of this ego, if you want to annihilate egoism. Killing of egoism is killing of mind. Destruction of thought, desires, cravings, mineness, selfishness, jealousy, pride, lust is really destruction of mind or egoism. Control of senses also is annihilation of the mind or egoism.

This egoism assumes a subtle form. The gross egoism is not so dangerous as the subtle egoism. Institutional egoism is a subtle form of egoism. The man identifies himself with the institution and gets himself attached to the institution or cult. He has no broad-mindendness or catholicity. The working of egoism is very mysterious. It is very difficult to detect its various ways of working. It needs subtle and sharp intellect to find out its operation. If you practise introspection daily in silence you will be able to find out its mysterious ways of working.

This ego likes his own birthplace and district, people of his district, his own mother-tongue, his own relations and friends, his own ways of eating, mode of dressing. He has his own predilection and preferences. He dislikes others’ way of eating, dressing, etc.

This ego wants to exercise power and influence over others. He wants titles, prestige, status, respect, prosperity, house, wife, children. He wants self aggrandisement. He wishes to domineer and rule over others. If anybody points out his defects his vanity feels offended. If anyone praises him, he is elated. This ego says: "I know everything. He does not know anything. What I say is quite correct. What he says is quite incorrect. He is inferior to me. I am superior to him." He forces others to follow his ways and views.

This ego will lurk like a thief when you start introspection and self-analysis. It will elude your grasp and understanding. You must be ever alert and vigilant. If you obtain the grace of the Lord through Japa, Kirtan, prayer and devotion you can easily kill this ego. Through Lord’s grace only your self-surrender will become perfect. When this ego melts in the cosmic ego you will attain communion with the Lord or Self-realisation. May you realise the goal of life and attain everlasting Bliss through annihilation of this little ego.

Ahankara or egoism is the self-arrogating principle in man. It is a Vritti or modification that arises in the mind. Patanjali Maharshi calls this by the name "Asmita". The same mind assumes the form of egoism when man self-arrogates himself. Ahankara manifests first and then comes Mamata.

Read complete article

---

Kindly take note that our Post Office is closed until 14th April due to the lockdown imposed by the Indian government to contain the spread of Covid-19 virus. As such we have stopped taking orders on our online bookstore until the lockdown is lifted.

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

---

BOOK SYNOPSIS

The Heritage of Indian Culture
by Sri Swami Krishnananda

This lecture series entitled The Heritage of Indian Culture was given by Swami Krishnananda during the course of eight Sunday evening satsangs in 1980. Here Swamiji highlights the vision of India, which sees the totality of the various manifestations of life and visualises the One in the many, and how this has relevance in our lives today. Swamiji explores the meaning and development of culture and civilisation, the role that philosophy, religion and scripture have played, and why Indian culture has remained so rich and vital through the passage of time while other cultures have perished. Swamiji also discusses the individual’s role in society and integrates this with our process of evolution towards the attainment of the Ultimate Reality.

Swamiji’s masterful analysis and in-depth, all-inclusive understanding, combined with his brilliant style of expression, give us a penetrating insight into this important subject.

For more information, please see: The Heritage of Indian Culture

---

ADVICE TO A YOUNG ASPIRANT: During the Master’s All-India Tour in 1950, a young devotee of Bihar met him at Sri Sinhaji’s house. He had a peculiar problem, and the Master answered it in a still more paradoxical manner.

“Swamiji, I am not getting co-operation in my Sadhana from the people in the house. They always put obstacles on my path. What shall I do?” the aspirant pleaded.

The Master advised, “Behave like the most worldly man! Do not reveal to anyone your piety, your spiritual bent of mind and your devotion to God. Pretend that you are thoroughly worldly. They should not at all know that you are spiritually inclined. Then you will not have any opposition from your parents. But internally you must long for God. You must be regular in your Sadhana. You must weep in solitude over your separation from God. Then all difficulties will vanish quickly.”

---

“The Roman and Greek cultures were mighty, no doubt, but they no longer exist for a single reason—namely, their incapacity to accommodate themselves with the requirements of the passage of time. When the times required them to change their ideals and ideologies, they refused, and they were crushed by the iron hand of nature. Nature does not respect persons. Nature has no friends, even as nature has no enemies. Nature has a purpose; this is something very important to remember. Nature loves only its purpose and nothing else, and it also loves those people who are in a position to help in the fulfilment of its purpose. Those who adamantly cling to an ideal which was once in conformity with certain activities of nature in the interest of the fulfilment of its own purpose, but which are now not required, will be shunned.” – Swami Krishnananda

---

Sivananda Day-to-day is sent out weekly.
To subscribe to this mailing list please go to:
http://www.dlshq.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi

Other Sivananda related lists:
1) Sivananda Daily Readings

2) Various Selections from Sivananda's Works