SikhiWiki:Today's featured article/May 18, 2009
| ਜਬ ਹਮ ਹੋਤੇ ਤਬ ਤੂ ਨਾਹੀ ਅਬ ਤੂਹੀ ਮੈ ਨਾਹੀ ॥ |
| Jab ham hoṯe ṯab ṯū nĝhī ab ṯūhī mai nĝhī. |
| When there is me, God is not there. Now there's only you, Ego has vanished! |
When there is ego, there is no God; when there is God, there is no ego!
If one needs to be near God, then one has to remove one's ego. Ego is a barrier to the path that leads to the Lord.
Ego which in Punjabi is referred to as Ahankar represents the feeling of excessive pride or acute self-importance.
An individual may feel excessively proud due to many things - due to one's enormous number of worldly possessions, one's outstanding beauty or attractive physical appearance, personal talents, material wealth, mental intelligence, superior spirituality, authoritative powers, great charity work, etc.
Sikhism requires one to shed this internal evil. Sikhs believe that this negative trait can be subdued by engaging in community service and by meditation or engaging in simran. Engaging in community work reduces the feeling of self-importance and brings respect for the community spirit.
The tradition of free selfless service for society and the community with Nimrata or humility is well established in Sikhi. .....More
