The Origins of False Ego

(written May 3, 2018)

(References: BG 2.62-2.63, BG 6.5-6.6)

When one contemplates the sense objects, they develop a strong attachment for them. Like how a small boy would gain attachment to the ball that he plays with every day. With this attachment, lust, or ardent desire, quickly develops. When one doesn’t get what they lust after, they develop anger. From anger comes delusion. Delusion is when one imagines things that aren’t real and makes a fool out of themselves. From delusion, one loses all intelligence as they are not able to think straight. In this manner, one would constantly be in the cycle of material enjoyment. False ego’s main objective is to make the mind engage in sensual pleasures instead of focusing on the pure soul that is within. False ego is the one which forces the mind to contemplate on the sense objects, starting the cycle of contemplation, lust, anger, delusion, and loss of intelligence. “In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because the mind is involved with the false ego, which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore, the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may be saved.” (BG 6.5 Purport by Srila Prabhupada). This section from the purport explains that in order for a conditioned soul to be freed, it should make the mind the friend, not the enemy, so that it can be kept away from the false ego. One who has total control over the mind can make the mind a friend. Therefore one must control the mind and keep it away from the tempting false ego, in order to be freed from material attachment.