What is Ego? The Intelligence of the Mind

Announcer: Obeisance to Sri Sri Gupta Sadhak Shamakhapa. Greetings. We are beginning today’s program from Shantikunj by offering our respects to Guru Gupta Sadhak Sri Sri Shamakhapa. Let us all listen together to the invaluable words of the Gurudev.

Devotee: Salutations, Gurudev.

Gurudev: Salutations to you. Tell me.

Devotee: Gurudev, today I would like to ask you about the sense of ego in humans and society.

Gurudev: See, ego does not emerge on its own. First comes the Mind, then the Intelligence, and then the Ego. Ego is essentially the "intelligence of the mind."

In our spiritual practice, there is a type of worship where nothing else is required—no flowers, no fruits. Only the body is needed. We use this body as an offering (Naibedya), as food for the Divine, the mother’s offering. Our inner self is filled with darkness, so a lamp is lit there to dispel that darkness of the mind.

Next is incense (Dhup). The incense represents the mind. Just as smoke from the incense drifts in every direction with the wind, the mind also wanders everywhere. From this wandering, intelligence is born. The more we observe the external world, the more our intelligence flourishes. We compare this intelligence to "flowers."

Finally, Ego is the "garland of flowers." We envision these elements—Mind, Intelligence, and Ego—and perform an internal worship. We surrender this body to the Mother, use the mind as incense, intelligence as flowers, and ego as the garland. This is how the "Mind-Intelligence-Ego" ritual is performed.

Ego is simply the intelligence of the mind. History shows that those who succumbed to pride were destroyed. "Lanka was lost due to excessive pride." Ravana lost his kingdom because of his ego. Whenever someone displays extreme pride, the Divine shatters it. That is why Lord Narayana is called Darpa-hari Madhusudan—the one who destroys pride and ego. He cannot tolerate ego and humbles whoever possesses it.

Let me tell you a story. A sage (Sadhu) was once meditating under a tree. Suddenly, a crow perched on a branch and defecated on his head. The sage glared at the crow in anger, and instantly, the crow was reduced to ashes. Seeing this, the sage felt a surge of pride. He thought, "I have attained such immense power that a single glance can turn something to ash!"

Later that day, he went out for alms (Bhiksha). He reached a house and called out, "Mother, please give me some alms." A lady replied from inside, "Father, please wait a moment. I am busy serving my husband. Once I finish, I will give you such food that you won’t need to go anywhere else today."

The sage, fueled by his ego, thought, "How dare she make me wait? I just turned a crow to ash! Let her come out, I'll show her." When the lady finally came out with food, she saw him glaring. She smiled and said, "Father, do not waste your time. I am not that crow you burned. You cannot harm me. I was serving my sick husband, and that is my duty. Remember, no one can harm a person who performs their duties faithfully—not even the Divine."

She then said, "Your consciousness is not yet fully awakened. Go to the market and find the butcher who slaughters goats. See what he has to teach you."

The sage was stunned. "A butcher?" He went to the market and found the man. As soon as the butcher saw the sage, he stopped his work, offered him a seat, and said, "Father, please stay and have a meal at my house today. Let me finish my work, and I will take you home."

The sage waited. The butcher took him home, served him food, and prepared a bed for him. The sage asked, "Aren't you going to eat?" The butcher replied, "I haven't bathed yet, and after that, my prayers take a long time." The sage was confused—a butcher who performs such deep prayers?

He listened as the butcher chanted mantras with such perfection that the sage was amazed. When the butcher finished, the sage asked, "How do you know these mantras? You are a butcher!" The man replied, "This is my ancestral trade. My father told me on his deathbed never to abandon the family profession, no matter what else I do. I perform my duties, and I pray to the Divine. That is all."

At that moment, the sage’s ego finally vanished. The butcher told him, "Your awakening is still incomplete. Go back to your meditation." This is the nature of ego.

Devotee: Gurudev, I have a related question. Before the lockdown, I went to Tarapith. As I was leaving the temple, a man approached me and started telling me about my past and my future with great accuracy. How is this possible?

Gurudev: In Tarapith, there is a Mazar (shrine). If you go through the market road, about two kilometers in, you will find it. There are people there who master a specific craft called Kakcharit (Crow Lore/Practice). You will often see practitioners who have learned this. They stand in Tarapith waiting for "customers." They can look at you and tell you everything about your life—from childhood to the future. I have even seen them tell people exactly how much money they have in their pockets.

Devotee: Is it a form of Tantra?

Gurudev: Yes, it is a form of Tantra, but it is considered a lower or "worldly" level of practice (Aparavidya). Crows are called "friends of the environment" because they consume waste, but in this practice, certain rituals are performed using them. These practitioners use the crow to gain information. They might ask for 500 rupees, and after some bargaining, settle for 50 or 100 rupees and give you a talisman (Maduli).

Devotee: Yes, they took 100 rupees from me too.

Gurudev: Exactly. They give you a talisman and tell you everything will be fine. While they are very good at hypnotizing people and their accuracy is shocking, it doesn't lead to spiritual advancement or the welfare of the soul.

They master this by working with crows, sometimes even sacrificing them. There is a similar practice in Nepal called Ullu Tantra (Owl Tantra), where they work with owls. These are dangerous and dark practices. If the bird escapes during the ritual, it can be fatal for the practitioner.

In our tradition, we also respect the crow because it is associated with Ketu and the Goddess Dhumavati. In the hidden sciences, finding a twig from a crow's nest is considered very auspicious for certain spiritual goals because of this connection.

Devotee: Does this Kakcharit actually help people?

Gurudev: It is mostly a way to earn money. It is a form of hypnotism. It has no connection to the Divine or the improvement of the soul. There are many such "dark" arts—like Daini Vidya or Dakini Vidya—that people practice in deep forests. They are difficult to master but provide no spiritual benefit. It is purely for worldly gain.

Devotee: Gurudev, we often see people hurting others with harsh words because of the ego of money, power, or position.

Gurudev: As I said, it is the "intelligence of the mind." When the mind and intelligence combine within the body, they create this ego.

Announcer: Friends, we have heard in detail from Gurudev about ego. Please subscribe to the Gupta Sadhak Shamakhapa YouTube channel, like the videos, and leave your thoughts in the comments. Salutations, Gurudev.

Gurudev: Blessings to you.

Announcer: You were listening to the words of Guru Gupta Sadhak Sri Sri Shamakhapa. Please let us know how you liked it. To hear his invaluable words regularly, subscribe, like, and share the Shamakhapa channel.

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Offering our salutations to Gurudev and wishing you all his blessings and well-being, we conclude today’s program. Stay well. Namaskar.

Spiritual Insight

Guru Baba Shyama Khyapa explains the spiritual nature of ego, its relationship with mind and intelligence, and shares a powerful story about a sage, a crow, and a butcher.