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Aptavani-9
(ahamkar), pride (maan) and pride with ‘my-ness’ (abhimaan)?
Dadashri: The extended form of ego is called pride
(maan) and if it is associated with ‘my-ness’ (mamata), then it
is called abhimaan. When there is even the slightest of
mamata, one will say things like, ‘this is my car.’ Why does a
person show people his car? It is because of his abhimaan. If
he has good-looking children, he will say, ‘Wait till I show you
my four children.’ That is mamata and abhimaan. So where
there is abhimaan he will keep showing you such things. And
pride (maan) is an extended form of the ego.
Questioner: Is abhimaan born out of maan?
Dadashri: No. When is abhimaan born? It is born when
‘my-ness’ (mamata) is present.
Ego (ahamkar) is a different state and abhimaan is a
different state. People have no awareness of this whatsoever
and yet they go around using inappropriate words; they say
whatever comes to their mind. They will say, ‘He is an
abhimaani man, he is ahamkari man.’ Every human being is
ahamkari; there is not a single person who is not. Only the
Gnani and his followers are not ahamkari, everyone else is.
What is ego (ahamkar)? It is to claim to be something
you are not. One does not know who he really is and he claims
to be what he is not. That is ego. So to whom does this
statement apply? It applies to everyone; everyone is considered
ahamkari. Ego implies independence. It does not depend on
any other thing. What is his belief? He believes to be what he
is not. The ‘I’ (the real Self) is not Chandulal but he believes ‘I
am Chandulal’ and that is ego (ahamkar)! Therefore, if one is
‘Shuddhatma (the pure soul)’, then there is no ego. There is ego
in ‘I am Chandulal’. Then, ‘I am this lady’s husband’, is another
ego. Then, ‘I am this child’s father’, is a third ego. So how many
different forms of egos are there? Then even if he does not have