Egotism is a very big obstacle in the future-building of students. This is one vice which destroys all other qualifications of the student. To become proud is suggestive of downfall for a man. Foolishness gives rise to egotism which does not persist even for a moment on reflection.

If a student has not been able to comprehend something in the class he hesitates to take help from others because of egotism. He does not even ask the teacher due to hesitation and fails to give the correct answer in examination. Some student studies hard, gets good marks (top rank) then feels proud and thinks that there is no other student as sharp as he. This is also pride. As a result, due to vanity he does not work hard and digresses from his goal. Everywhere, pride makes a person fall down.

To be ready to go to any level of lowliness just to get cheap praise from friends, to be misled unwillingly under pressure from friends, to commit wrongdoing impulsively against sensibility - these are also deceptive forms of pride. “I am not proud”- this is also pride. This is very subtle, so subtle that it is next to God in subtlety. It has many forms. Pride, egotism, ‘I’ and ‘mine’, ‘you’ and ‘yours’- all these are the feelings which bring about the downfall of a person. Saint Tulsidas says:

Mein Aru Mor Tor Tein Maya.

Jehin Bas Kinhe Jeev Nikaya.

“The feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and ‘you’ and ‘yours’ is Maya which holds sway over all created beings.”

(Shri Rama Charita Manasa, Aranya Kanda: 14.1)

Pride and ego are illusory, being overcome by which the jiva gets destroyed. The same illusion produces a desire of physical pleasure in the human mind. To attain this pleasure and to remove any obstacle coming in the way of achieving this, the person becomes ready to commit any sin. That is why it has been mentioned in the ‘Rama Charita Manasa’ (Uttara Kanda: 73.3)

Sakal Sok Daayak Abhimaanaa.

 “Pride is the cause of every form of grief.”

It comes in the ‘Vidur Niti’ also that pride destroys everything.

Those who are very arrogant fall because of their vanity. Hence no one should be arrogant. This is the reason for defeat and downfall.

God bears all (other vices) but not egotism of his devotee. Pride could not survive be it of Ravana, Kansa, or Alexander. There is nothing worth being proud of in the world because many persons in the world possess better things than what one feels proud of. Ego blocks the way to the attainment of God. This is a big stumbling block in progress. Hence, cultivate humility in your life. It can be cultivated by hearing satsang, reflecting on it and by participating humbly in the divine works of Self-realized great men. Humility with discrimination roots out ego from your mind and sows the seed of Self-bliss. His/her mind becomes firmly fixed in the Supreme Self, whose ego is effaced.