Individual vs. true self

INDIVIDUALITY VS.

TRUE PURPOSE OF SELF BHAGWADGITA

K S MadhavanMAR., 2013

1

INDIVIDUALITY VS.

TRUE PURPOSE OF SELF

BHAGWADGITA

MAR 2013

K S Madhavan

2 of 18

Most of us accept that there is a superior being, whom we call GOD.But why has He created individuals ?And why was he created with EGO?

Why has He instilled ego in individuals that make the person feel superior to the rest of

the community and get emotionally disturbed when the ego is hurt?

What is the difference between EGO & EGOISM?

Lord Krishna explains the purpose why God instilled egoism in man and how man has to

use it for common good. In the Bhagwadgita.

Lord Krishna talks about the importance of individual Self

& How and Why man was created and provided with intellectual capabilities

that man uses and misuses for glorification of self

or for taking Humanity forward.

Human beings have been created by God

- The purpose of human evolution is that

humanity shall constantly improve itself.

- That is, human genetic evolution shall

constantly take it forward from a lower

level of quality of existence to a higher

level.

- Individuals are only created as

instruments of humanity.

- If human species was not there is no

individual human being - Me or you of X

Y Z – nobody.

- God has also provided all human beings

with desire to protect self, sustain oneself

and take individual self forward.

- Without this instinct of survival and

sustenance of individuals, humanity

itself would perish.

- Because all of us want to live and do

well, our society is progressing.

- IF NO INDIVIDUAL EGO, NO

SOCIAL PROGRESS WHATSOEVER!

Hence God has provided

each individual with an ego.

- There is a purpose for which an individual

has been brought into existence in the

evolutionary process.

- They are there to do the work of

humanity.

- From genetic angle we are all there for

the single purpose of meeting the goal of

human evolution.

- As a part of our existence we have to

constantly work, do our karma.

- In order that we do our works properly,

individuality has been created.

Janma karma ça mé divyam

Évam yo vétti tattvataha

• Constantly human beings are born,

in order that humanity advances.

• At the same time, they have to

perform.

• Non-performing human beings do

not contribute to human evolution

at all.

- In addition to doing work, we have to

possess knowledge. Only with

knowledge we can do our work better.

- For the purpose of enabling human

beings to gain proper knowledge and

do work properly, individuality has

been created by God. They have been

provided with ‘Ego’.

- If human beings did not possess ego,

the concept of “I”, humanity would

not have been able to evolve better.

- Intellectual capability was created in man

so that he is able to understand what is

good for self, protection of oneself, making

self move forward.

- Man has to have Gnyānam (Knowledge).

- Without knowledge humanity cannot

evolve into a better species.

- However, this knowledge also creates the

problem of seeing the purpose of oneself

as distinct from the totality of the purpose

of humanity.

- If all human beings were thinking

exactly alike, representing a single

purpose, humanity could not have

evolved at all.

- We would have been like a rock –

- NOT EVOLVING, NOT MOVING

INTO SUPERIOR SPHERE OF

PERFORMANCE, NO SOCIAL

EVOLUTION AND MOVEMENT

INTO BETTER QUALITY OF

LIFE AT ALL.

Unfortunately KNOWLEDGE is of two kinds:

- One that takes humanity forward

- Another that takes individual forward.

- Without the former the greatest discoveries

would not have been made.

- Without the latter, social distinctions would

not have become sources of pride and

discrimination.

- We have to learn to combine the two

without affecting humanity negatively.

- Each one of us has a right to good happy and

satisfactory existence.

- Each one of us has a right to good

happy and satisfactory existence.

- However, we do not have the right to

project ourselves as superior to others

in society.

- We are all arms of the society.

- We shall perform and take ourselves

and the society (humanity itself)

forward through our work.

Brahmārpaņam Brahma havihi

Brahmāgnau Brahmaņā hutam ǁ

Brahmeņa tena gantavyam

Brahma karma samādhinā ǁ ǁ

- Bhagwadgita, Ch. IV, Verse 24

- Each individual human being is God’s

contribution to humanity.

- They shall be constantly creative.

- Even the lowest quality worker, or any one

just living has to create his next work.

Brahmārpaņam

The entirety of one’s work shall be

sacrificed for creativity.

We shall do work so that the society,

humanity progresses forward towards

becoming a superior species.

Brahma havihi

Burn your ego in the fire of

creativity.

Ego has been given to you so

that you are able to perform and

not for superiority complex.

Brahmāgnau

Brahmaņā hutam ǁIn the fire of creativity, all of one’s work is

offered.

Please note the wordings – it says the work

is offered in the fire of creativity by

creativity itself.

The implicit meaning is that creativity is

preceded by creativity, and followed by

creativity with the works of individuals as

the offerings to promote creativity.

Brahmeņa tena gantavyam

Work done by each individual is driven by

creative drive of human genes.

New creativity is sponsored, so to say, by

old creativity.

But while the driver is previous creation,

work (karma) pushes it forward.

Brahma karma samādhinā

The end of all work is new creation.

All work has to have an ending.

It meets with death.

Attains its Samādhi – fruitful end.

The fruitful end of all work is new

creativity.

Shiva – the Lord of Change –

Lord of constant creativity –

Nataraja - Dancer of creation

– the eternal dancer.Change is the essence of creativity.

Without change, creativity loses its value.

Today shall be better than yesterday And

tomorrow shall be better than today. This is

the essence of this sloka.