P for Pride and Ego

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of knowledge - all that you need to be is an inquisitive student, because only when the student is ready, the master appears! Join me this month in the 'April A to Z challenge,' as I take you through selected verses of this monumental scripture, and try to decipher the amazing lessons it has in store for us.       

Read O for Oneness here.  

         

Translation

Those who are blinded by ego (ahankara), power (balam), pride (darpam), desire (kamam) and anger (krodham), fail to realise that Krishna is the doer. We are merely 'nimitta' - the cause. Knowing this fact, keeps us humble and helps us dive deeper into devotion.

The story of Mahabali and Vamana.

Mahabali, often called Bali, was a powerful king and the grandson of the Lord’s greatest devotee Prahlada. Though he was an asura or demon, he was known for being generous, truthful, and a capable ruler. His kingdom was prosperous, people were happy and he ruled with justice and compassion.

Pride comes before a fall.

Yet, he was arrogant and proud. His vast power and victories had made him feel invincible. Bali had become extremely powerful after defeating the gods and gaining control over the three worlds. His strength, wealth, and popularity made him feel almost unbeatable.

He also considered himself to be the most generous king. He believed he could grant anything and that no one was greater than him.

Vamana humbles Bali.

This is why Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, appeared, not to punish him harshly, but to remind him that even the greatest beings must remain humble.

To teach him a lesson, Lord Vishnu took the form of a small Brahmin boy, Vamana. Vamana approached Mahabali during a ritual and politely asked for just three steps of land. Bali was surprised. How much land could a dwarf boy measure with just three footsteps, he wondered. He nudged the boy into asking for more. But Vamana said it would be enough.

No sooner had Bali pledged three footsteps of land to Vamana and poured water from his kalash to complete his vow, Vamana started to grow in size. Bali immediately understood that this was no ordinary boy. It was Maha Vishnu himself. In his form as Trivikrama, the Lord lifted his feet. With one step, Lord Vishnu covered the earth, and with the second, the heavens. There was no place left for the third step.

Bali’s pride is broken.

His pride subdued, Mahabali bowed his head in humility and offered it to the Lord. Vamana placed his foot on it, pushing him to the netherworld. But the ever-compassionate Lord also blessed him for his humility and devotion.

 

Learning to stay humble.

Pride can blind the best of devotees. Staying humble and knowing that whatever we have been able to achieve is only due to the grace of Krishna and not by our own strength or capability, keeps us rooted in bhakti (devotion) and not in darpa (pride) and ahankara (ego).

Read Q for Quietude here.