Ego is neither Divine nor anti-Divine. It is a part of human nature whose purpose is to create the sense of individuality. Individuality is a necessary element in human evolution. Its purpose is to create the sense of freewill, within certain limits, of course. Freewill in this context simply means that the individual must choose from a number of forces impacting upon the person. The choices may be aligned to our deeper truth, swabhava and swadharma, which eventually would align us to the Divine Will in creation. Or the choices may be misaligned and driven by desires. In other words, there are two main functional modes of the ego: a tamo-rajasic mode driven by ambition, lust, fear, anger, desires, or a rajo-sattwic mode moved by principles, righteousness, self-control, balance, harmony moderation. Through this initial schooling the true individual, the psychic being, is silently developing inside, absorbing all the experiences good and bad, actions and consequences. Finally, when the psychic being is sufficiently developed, it begins to seek its true parents, the Divine. It begins to seek Truth and Beauty and Good, Ideal Love, Perfect Bliss, lasting Peace, etc. It is then that the ego becomes a bar by limiting the expanding soul to rules and regulations, rituals and habits. It is then that the tussle begins between the past, driven by certain ways of thinking and living, vis-ร -vis the new psychic principle.ย
Adverse forces are not individual. They are cosmic forces, just like the daivi or divine forces. Both claim the ego, pull and push it and based on the choices we advance fast or slowly. But if we can consciously surrender ourselves to the Divine, then He overrides our ignorant choices or takes us rapidly out of the Ignorance and through minimum consequences.
Affectionately,
Alok da
