Harmonising the Ego

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
3 July 2013, Sri Nabadwip Dham, part 3

Question: To chant the Holy Name, we must have humility, tolerance, not want respect for ourselves and give respect to others, and it is said that the only thing that prevents us from that is our pride. How can we remove that pride?

Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Srila Sanatan Goswami, Srila Rupa Goswami and other goswamis have already told how to remove the ego. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur also explained it. He also explained,

কৃষ্ণসেবা কামার্পণে, ক্রোধ ভক্ত-দ্বেষিজনে,
লোভ সাধুসঙ্গে হরিকথা ।
মোহ ইষ্টলাভ বিনে, মদ কৃষ্ণ গুণগানে,
নিযুক্ত করিব যথা তথা ॥

krsna-seva kamarpane, krodha bhakta-dvesi-jane,
lobha sadhu-sange hari-katha
moha ista-labha bine, mada krsna guna-gane,
niyukta kariba yatha tatha

"I will engage lust by offering it in Krishna's service. Anger I will direct towards those who are envious of the devotees. I will be greedy to hear the topics of Hari in the association of devotees. I will feel illusioned without achieving my worshipable Lord. I will be maddened while singing the glories of Krishna. In this way I will engage these enemies in their proper places."

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 22)

It says here where you must keep all kinds of bad things—where you must keep lust (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), attachment (moha), ego (ahankar), etc. We have an ego, but we must think, "I am a servant of the Lord." That should be our ego. As for, trinad api sunichena (humility, tolerance, giving honour to others),

দৈন্য, দয়া, অন্যে মান, প্রতিষ্ঠা বর্জ্জন ।
চারিগুণে গুণী হই করহ কীর্ত্তন ॥

dainya, daya anye mana, pratistha-varjana
chari gune guni hai karaha kirtana

Humility, compassion, honouring others, and giving up prestige—become qualified with these four qualities and chant the Name.

(Sri Siksastakam Giti)

If you have these qualities and if you chant the Holy Name (engage in sankirtan), then all kinds of bad elements, all kinds of problems will be removed. It is necessary to chant properly—not alone with your mala, the result does not come like this; it comes through service and chanting. You should attend daily programmes, do parikrama in sadhu-sanga, in bhaka-sanga (circumambulate the holy dham, visit the holy places together with devotees, in devotees' association)—then ego can be removed. It is also removed through small service—if you follow Gurudev's instruction, that is very nice.

For example, before I came to Gurudev, I used to work as a teacher—I was a college teacher, then a college principal and had many security guards and other workers under me. But when I joined the mission and Gurudev gave me service, he told me first to guard the goshala and then to be the night guard of the temple. If I have ego, I will think, "Oh, what for will I be the guard? This is not my position! I am a college teacher! What for have I come here? To be a security guard?" But I did not think like that—whatever service Gurudev gave me, I accepted it. At first I may have thought, "What am I doing? I? A night guard?" but then I told myself, "No, Gurudev gave me this service, it is his service—being a night guard here means being a security guard in Goloka Vrindavan." Then I thought that it was a very great, a very high position—it is nothing like any college security guard. When I understood this, I harmonised with myself.

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