What is ahankara?

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

The Bhagavad Gita describes ahankara as follows:

 

ahankara-vimudhatma

kartaham iti manyate

 

"Being bewildered by ahankara, the foolish soul thinks 'I am the cause'."

 

What is ahankara? The conception that "I am (aham) the cause (kara)" Thus when the transcendentalist comes to the point of 'karta aham iti manyate', thinking, "Ultimately I am the cause of all causes," he is factually on the platform of 'ahankara-vimudha atma', a foolish soul completely bewildered by ahankara.

 

In attempting to become free from the conditionings of ahankara (false ego), the impersonalists have expanded their false identification to the superlative degree, by imagining themselves to be the absolute truth.

 

In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna explains the ahankara-prakriti:

 

bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh

kham mano buddhir eva ca

ahankara itiyam me

bhinna prakrtir astadha

 

"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ahankara - all together these eight constitute My separated material energies."

 

Ahankara is not just a conception, but a factual subtle element that pollutes the original consciousness of the soul, just as dirt pollutes water. As water may be filtered to return it to its original pure state, so in the same manner the consciousness may be cleansed by the process of sadhana: ceto darpana marjanam. We must cleanse the mirror of the consciousness from the accumulated dust of countless lives. When the ahankara - or false identification is removed - the true conception of self remains. This is atma-vidya, or knowledge of the self.

 

Those who have not purified themselves of the ahankara remain in the grips of illusion. They are described by Lord Krishna as follows:

 

ahankaram balam darpam

kamam krodham ca samsritah

mam atma-para-dehesu

pradvisanto ’bhyasuyakah

 

"Bewildered by ahankara, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demons become envious of Myself, even though I am situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme Me."

 

The conception that 'I am the doer' bewilders the living entity. Why? Because at every moment we are completely at the mercy of the material nature. Factually we are not the doers. This is the illusion of maya.

 

karya-karana-kartrtve

hetuh prakrtir ucyate

purusah sukha-duhkhanam

bhoktrtve hetur ucyate

 

"Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world."

 

How many people realize the functionings of the modes of nature? When I decide to raise my arm, my arm raises. Thus I am fooled into thinking that I have raised my arm. Factually this is not the case. The gunas are carrying out the movement. The soul conditioned by ahankara desires to raise his hand. The nature then alligns the desire with the individual's karma. If they are compatible, the nature raises the hand of the living entity. If they are not compatible, the desire does not fructify into an action.

 

prakrteh kriyamanani

gunaih karmani sarvasah

ahankara-vimudhatma

kartaham iti manyate

 

"The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of ahankara thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature."

 

The soul is actually inactive in the material sphere of existence. That is why he is described in the Gita as 'acalah'. He is a non-mover. Why? Because he is spiritual in nature, he is not a product of the material energy. The soul does not occupy or possess material space (akasha), thus he cannot move. Movement is shifting from one point in space to another. The soul is not situated within material space, and thus cannot move to another space.

 

Without movement, there is no question of being the doer of action. Therefore the idea that the soul is the 'karta' (or 'I am the cause', aham-kara) is absolutely false. Thus ahankara is a false identification or a false ego.

 

In the Gita Krishna tells us we must become free from this ahankara in order to attain self-realization:

 

ahankaram balam darpam

kamam krodham parigraham

vimucya nirmamah santo

brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

 

"One who is free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and full of peace - such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization."

 

What is the qualification for self-realization? 'Nirmamah' and 'nirahankarah' - Freedom from false proprietorship and false identification. If one becomes free from the identification with the body, one will be able to sever the false conception that the possessions of the body are mine. This is 'nirmama'.

 

If one does not become free from ahankara, he will have no hope on the path of self-realization, this is the conclusion of Lord Krishna in the Gita:

 

mac-cittah sarva-durgani

mat-prasadat tarisyasi

atha cet tvam ahankaran

na srosyasi vinanksyasi

 

"If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost."

 

The false ego is the concept that I am the doer - aham kara; the true ego is that I am a spirit soul, part and parcel of Krishna - aham brahmasmi. When one comes to the platform of aham brahmasmi, by the purifying process of sadhana, then one is able to attain ultimate peace:

 

vihaya kaman yah sarvan

pumams carati nihsprhah

nirmamo nirahankarah

sa santim adhigacchati

 

"A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship (nirmamah) and is devoid of false ego (nirahankarah) - he alone can attain real peace."

 

 

[krsna]

 

 

The conception that 'I am the doer' bewilders the living entity. Why? Because at every moment we are completely at the mercy of the material nature. Factually we are not the doers. This is the illusion of maya.

 

karya-karana-kartrtve

hetuh prakrtir ucyate

purusah sukha-duhkhanam

bhoktrtve hetur ucyate

 

"Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world."

 

How many people realize the functionings of the modes of nature? When I decide to raise my arm, my arm raises. Thus I am fooled into thinking that I have raised my arm. Factually this is not the case. The gunas are carrying out the movement. The soul conditioned by ahankara desires to raise his hand. The nature then alligns the desire with the individual's karma. If they are compatible, the nature raises the hand of the living entity. If they are not compatible, the desire does not fructify into an action.

 

prakrteh kriyamanani

gunaih karmani sarvasah

ahankara-vimudhatma

kartaham iti manyate

 

"The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of ahankara thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature."

 

The soul is actually inactive in the material sphere of existence. That is why he is described in the Gita as 'acalah'. He is a non-mover. Why? Because he is spiritual in nature, he is not a product of the material energy. The soul does not occupy or possess material space (akasha), thus he cannot move. Movement is shifting from one point in space to another. The soul is not situated within material space, and thus cannot move to another space.

 

Without movement, there is no question of being the doer of action. Therefore the idea that the soul is the 'karta' (or 'I am the cause', aham-kara) is absolutely false. Thus ahankara is a false identification or a false ego.

 

 

[theist]

 

"Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world."

 

How many people realize the functionings of the modes of nature? When I decide to raise my arm, my arm raises. Thus I am fooled into thinking that I have raised my arm. Factually this is not the case. The gunas are carrying out the movement. The soul conditioned by ahankara desires to raise his hand. The nature then alligns the desire with the individual's karma. If they are compatible, the nature raises the hand of the living entity. If they are not compatible, the desire does not fructify into an action.

 

Yes we can see this in the case where someone is paralyzed in one arm. The man most certainly desires to move his arm but is inhibited by nature.

 

How subtle this is. I am convinced that I am typing out this response right now using my fingers and hand. That feeling is so completely permeates my consciousness that this is one of the rare times I even question it.

 

JNdas, I have a question. Since the living entity is not really the doer how can it be said that the living entity is cause of of suffering and enjoyments in this world? Is it simply misidentification of the 'I am' with the objects of this illusion or what. Could you explain that please.

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him!

 

JN Das prabhu, this is a very nice post. Very nicely the concept of self, false ego and action has been explained with correlation and Vedic references. Very lucid.

 

If i can take the liberty to answer the prabhu's question about

 

"JNdas, I have a question. Since the living entity is not really the doer how can it be said that the living entity is cause of of suffering and enjoyments in this world? Is it simply misidentification of the 'I am' with the objects of this illusion or what. Could you explain that please"

 

though this was addressed to JNDas prabhu....

 

Per my understanding, you are right when you say the soul falsely identifying itself with the body thinking itself as the doer when in reality it is not. The original post, obviously, has nicely explained it. Hence, the soul due to its aham kara falls into MAYA and endures suffering/enjoyment in the form of 3 modes of material nature, hence, causing suffering/enjoyment.

 

In other words, the 3 modes of material nature is eternal and that is going on..the soul due to its aham kara gets caught in this 3 modes and resultant is suffering/enjoyment.

 

The soul when it comes in contact with MAYA/3 modes of nature, immediately it is subjected to good/bad reacitions in the form of fruitive actions (karma). Why....simply beacuse it is thinking i lifted my arm...when actually...the soul is not doing it but the modes of nature with permission from God is doing it...but the fact that the soul is under false position thinking itself as the doer which is the aham kara, then it suffers reaction to this aham kara nature and hence the 3 modes affect the so called doer (the soul) when in reality the soul is not really impacted by nature but its false identification is the cause of pain/suffering.

 

It is interesting because....if you can come to the platform that IAM NOT LIFTING MY ARM and IAM NOT THIS BODY.......then there is no question of MODES IMPACTING YOU because it is not IMPACTING YOU (the REAL SELF) but your COVERING (your material body)..so then there is no question of CAUSE OF PAIN/ENJOYMENT as you will not react to it in the first place.

 

It is kind of circular logic...but makes sense...

 

Haribol!

 

anand

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

 

I have another question to whoever can answer...

 

Now the soul's original nature is Sat chit and ananda...qualitatively one with God.

 

But, for some reason it is in contact with material nature.

 

My question: In the original post, it says "soul conditioned by ahankara desires to raise his hand"....so since the soul has its own desire....it falls down into MAYA?..correct?

 

So...can we then say the soul is impure?...because it has flawed originally by desiring to enjoy...when actually there is no platform to enjoy as everything is in the mode of nature and the soul is falsely thinking it is enjoying/suffering.

 

So...my question...is the SOUL conisdered IMPURE since it DESIRES to ENJOY?

 

Haribol!

 

anand

[Guest guest]

 

Hare Krishna!

 

I have another question to whoever can answer...

 

Now the soul's original nature is Sat chit and ananda...qualitatively one with God.

 

But, for some reason it is in contact with material nature.

 

My question: In the original post, it says "soul conditioned by ahankara desires to raise his hand"....so since the soul has its own desire....it falls down into MAYA?..correct?

 

So...can we then say the soul is impure?...because it has flawed originally by desiring to enjoy...when actually there is no platform to enjoy as everything is in the mode of nature and the soul is falsely thinking it is enjoying/suffering.

 

So...my question...is the SOUL conisdered IMPURE since it DESIRES to ENJOY?

 

Haribol!

 

anand

 

Hari OM

 

actually this question is bewildering many people for long time--- if the soul is same as God then how it did fell into ignorance, if the soul is different from God --then how do we reconcile the fact that God created so many souls and reward/punish some of them without attributing prejudice or bias to Him?

 

My view in this point is something like this--- a soul is qualitatively same as God like saying a Seed is qualitatively same as the tree.

 

However the seed has to struggle a lot and out of its effort it becomes a tree itself. The original tree is neither interested in the seed becoming a tree nor gets angry if the seed does not turn into a tree.

 

However no seed can rest until it becomes a tree or dies , however the rate of growth of every seed would be different based on external conditions as well as the intention of that seed (the second part not scientifically proven)

 

In a similar (not same) analogy, every seed (Jiva) tries in its effort to become tree (Brahma) and can never rest in the middle, however the growth (or decay) rate may vary depend on external conditions and internal intention

[theist]

 

So...my question...is the SOUL conisdered IMPURE since it DESIRES to ENJOY?

 

The desire to enjoy separate from Krsna is an impure desire. So in that since the soul that has that desire is considered impure. Similar to the sky that carries smog. We consider the sky impure. But really the sky is not the smog so how can we really tag it as being impure?

[gHari]

I remember and curse the moment that ahankara poured over me again. It was desire, so many desires, so many remembered desires, as though they'd never really left, but they had somehow, for some time. Yet here he was again, a foreign fellow who I barely recognized directly. But it was him, it was me, I remembered him now. Oh the shame of ahankara.

 

I am the cause, 'aham kara', indeed = I will enjoy. Oh no, not again! Oh the shame. I'd better thread the Panca-tattva mantra through the mind!

 

But we move forward, and that is the consolation, the push to keep wanting the unreachable.

[theist]

What a feeling gHari. It rings a bell in my distant memory also. At this point I am so totally emersed in that fog of misidentification that that this condition of not knowing myself seems natural and the very idea of knowing myself as I am is so far away I can barely retain the idea of it for more than a few moments at a time.

 

It is like we are demonically possessed by some unknowable creature(s) of our own design.

[gHari]

Yes, so many egos are aligned on the battlefield all vying to possess me, some good some bad, but only five perfect. Arjuna in his chariot (the soul riding in this body) driven by Krsna must destroy them, as Krsna has pre-arranged. Only the five will remain, santa, dasya, etc. Armed with yoga, stand and fight, O mighty-armed.

[Guest guest]

 

What is ahankara (ego) ?

Ahankara is denying the existence of God, Lord Hari. If anyone denies existence of Hari, he separates from Hari, Father of Heaven and suffering starts. That was also mentioned in Bible and Koran how Adam and Eve had suffered by separating from Hari, by denying His existence.

[theist]

 

The Bhagavad Gita describes ahankara as follows:

 

ahankara-vimudhatma

kartaham iti manyate

 

"Being bewildered by ahankara, the foolish soul thinks 'I am the cause'."

 

What is ahankara? The conception that "I am (aham) the cause (kara)"

 

Ahankara is the most subtle of illusions. It presents itself in the seemingly most innocent of ways. I just got a glimpse of this this morning. My desk sits facing my main window looking out of my apartment. it's an ok view considering I am in the midst of an urban area. Lots of trees give me the illusion of solitude. Outside my window I have hung a hummingbird feeder. I love this little birds buzzing around only a three feet from where I sit, drinking in the sugar water that fills the feeder. As I was watching one take in the nectar this morning I noticed how I felt so good about it. I then realized that I had placed myself in the role of this birds provider as if if I didn't care for them they would go hungry. Their well being was sustained by me.

 

I then had a glimpse of the reality of what was happening. Krsna was alone sustaining them and He was simply allowing me to play out this part. Almost as soon as I saw the reality of the situation I was aware of myself? wanting that realization to end. I've beome so attached to my ahankaric (if that's a word) state that to lose it feels like death.

 

"Bound by a network of illusions..."

[gHari]

Die to live.

[Guest guest]

 

Die to live.

 

 

This is great advice, but how to stay in a constant state of dying to live, where that wicked imposter doesn't keep imposing on our unadulterated state of blissful existense, a life of uninterupted loving relationship of service, thinking, feeling and doing nothing but the pleasure of guru and their Lordships. That is Sat chit ananda ...living in our real self without a break.

Surrendering our thoughts, words and deeds to please Them.

 

Feed the bird so it can sing the glories of appreciation.

If it's a morsel of prasadam from the hands of a devotee what a beautiful song it will sing, maybe we'll hear it's hum ming as kirtan on a higher octave, for the whole environment responds to proper nourishment. Everything helping everything else remember their true self and it's function of affection for Sri Govinda, that's the world we want, where is it? Why does it come for a moment in time then elusively dissapear. Leaving us hankering for more.

Let me worship that time to stand still.

Not allowing this soul to slip back to it's corrupt and nasty nature.

[Guest guest]

 

This is great advice, but how to stay in a constant state of dying to live, .

 

You can only die to live substantially one time.

If it is real, then you can only do it once.

If it is partial, then it is not genuine to begin with.

 

Die to live?

Someday I hope to get to that point.

Right now, I can honestly say that I am not ready for that.

 

Die to live means that we completely give up our material false ego and totally commit ourselves to devotional service.

 

Sometimes the suicide of the ego doesn't quite follow through and we end up with a failed attempt at false ego suicide.

 

How old was Srila Prabhupada when he "died to live"?

[Guest guest]

Yes I hear what you are saying. Had quite a few shots at the false ego thought it was hangin out in the brain disguising itself as orgasms of exstacy but i missed it, leaving me more helpless and handicapped just 'living to die'. It's a tricky dude like the matrix or illusion herself it can duck and weave around all attempts to eliminate it, just when you think you have snuffed it, it comes back at you in a multiplicity of forms, so close to you but not you. It finds partners in crime, birds of a feather to run with and plunder what is meant for the Lord.

Not only can you be the Supreme enjoyer but you can have a divine compliment to share in the booty.

 

Imagine the siddhi of getting a form just like that of Krsna. What about a heavenly planet of beautiful feminine followers and adorers, and you're Mr. Universe on Fantasy Loka.

 

Thank God He has sent us some reps from His kingdom to guide us through the pitfalls on this ball of illusion.

[theist]

 

You can only die to live substantially one time.

If it is real, then you can only do it once.

If it is partial, then it is not genuine to begin with.

 

Die to live?

Someday I hope to get to that point.

Right now, I can honestly say that I am not ready for that.

 

Die to live means that we completely give up our material false ego and totally commit ourselves to devotional service.

 

Sometimes the suicide of the ego doesn't quite follow through and we end up with a failed attempt at false ego suicide.

 

How old was Srila Prabhupada when he "died to live"?

 

I believe it to be more gradual. A Biblical writer wrote "I die daily" meaning it is a constant warfare. Our victories build upon each other. But how do Vaisnavas approach this form of death? "I die daily" means that we confront our lower nature's desire to live for itself and replace it with a desire to live for Krsna. "Not my will but Thy will be done" -Christ in prayer. These choices are presented to us all day long and it behooves us to take up the challenge and consistently sacrifice our will on our own crosses to satisfy the will of the Lord. This is dying to the lower self not by mere negation but by like the mayavad but in dedication to the Supreme Lord.