Ego – Who is it?

Soul in conjunction with the Intellect is Ego. The basis of Ego is Intellect. As the Intellect is the cause for this differentiation (this little “I”), Intellect is the cause or seed for Ego. 'I'-ness and 'mine'-ness are human creation from birth. It binds a man to the world. God's creation helps man in his God-realization or Self Realization.

The seed of mind is Ego. Ego is development through the thoughts of the mind. As the first thought is the 'I' thought and as this 'I' thought is at the base of all other thoughts, Ego is the seed for the mind. This idea of 'I' will bring in its train, the idea of time, space and other potencies. With these environments, the name Soul accrues to it. Contemporaneously with it, there arise Intellect, Memory, Mind which is the seed of the tree of Thoughts.

When you are a kid, the Ego is not very potent. It is like a shadow in a glass. It gets developed and firm-rooted during your adolescence after you marry and entangle yourself in the achievement of various worldly desires. You are fearless in your childhood. The moment this little 'I' becomes stronger in your, side by side, various sorts of fears, various sorts of desires, a host of delusions take firm hold of you. The world appears to you more real, too.

The Curse of Egoism

Ego is, after all, nothing. But, tremendous is its influence! Delusion means Ego. Mind is another name for Ego. World means Ego. The sprout of Ego ramifies here and there with its long branches of 'mine' and 'thine'. It is inveterate. Ego wants to live in flesh (clinging to life), to eat flesh and to embrace flesh. This is pure Ignorance only. Look at delusion's deception and wholesale swindling! Beware! Awake! Get Knowledge.

Just as the cloud screens the sun, so also this cloud of Ego screens the Sun of Knowledge, the Infinite Sun of Knowledge, Supreme Soul. You cannot realize God, if you have the least tinge of egoism, if you have the slightest attachment to name and form, if you have the least tinge of crave or if you have the least trace of worldly desire in the mind.

Reference

Mind – Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda