Avidya And Ahankara

Avidya And Ahankara

by Swami Sivananda

Avidya

The mind itself is a creation of Avidya (ignorance). It is a Karya (effect) of Avidya. It is filled with delusion. That is the reason why it deceives and tempts you. It makes you go astray. If you can destroy the cause of the mind, Ajnana, by getting Jnana (knowledge of the Supreme Self), mind is nowhere. It dwindles into an airy nothing. Manonasa (annihilation of mind) takes place when Jnana dawns.

Avidya works through Upadhis (attributes, limiting adjuncts). All the special apparatus required by Avidya constitute the Upadhis of the soul. Mind is an Upadhi; Buddhi is an Upadhi and Ahankara also is an Upadhi.

The sea of Avidya (ignorance) is in the mind of man. The explanation of the empirical concept must be sought in the nature of our cognitive faculty. Sri Sankara explains Avidya in this way. It is Naisargika; it is innate in our mental faculty. It is Mithyajnananimitta, based on wrong knowledge; and, knowledge is a function of the mind. It is Nityapratyayarupa; it consists in the form of a wrong conception. “All Jivas-human entities-which are really non-existent, are (with all concomitant appearance of birth, death, etc.) mere results of the objectivising tendency of the mind and nothing else.”

The whole experience of duality, made up of perceiver and perceived, is pure imagination. There is no Avidya apart from the mind. On destruction of the mind, all is destroyed. The activity of the mind is the cause of all appearance. On account of Avidya or Bhranti (illusion) in the mind, you see the objects, trees, etc., outside and feel as if they are separate from you and real.

So long as there is mind, there are all these distinctions of big and small, high and low, superior and inferior, good and bad, etc. The highest Truth is that in which there is no relativity. If you can transcend the mind by constant and profound meditation on Atman, you will be able to attain the Nirdvandva state (a state beyond the pairs of opposites) wherein lies the supreme peace and highest knowledge.

There is no Avidya outside the mind. The mind itself is Avidya. Imaginations and Sankalpas are products of Avidya. Ignorance is imbedded in the mind. The mind needs thorough cleansing with Japa, Pranayama, Satsanga, Vichara and Nididhyasana, just as a rusty copper plate needs cleansing with earth, ash, tamarind, powder, etc.

Ahankara-how It Develops

Atman in conjunction with the Buddhi is Ahankara. The basis of Ahankara is Buddhi. As the Buddhi (Bheda Buddhi) is the cause for this differentiation (this little “I”), Buddhi is the cause or seed for Ahankara. Ahamta and Mamata (‘I’-ness and ‘mine’-ness) are Jivasrishti. It is Jivasrishti that binds a man to the world. Isvarasrishti (God’s creation) helps man in his God-realisation.

The seed of mind is Ahankara. Ahankara 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, Ahankara 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 Jiva accrues to it. Contemporaneously with it, there arise Buddhi, memory, Manas which is the seed of the tree of Sankalpa.

When you are a boy, the Ahankara 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 boyhood. 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

Ahankara is, after all, nothing. But, tremendous is its influence! Maya means Ahankara. Mind is another name for Ahankara. World means Ahankara. The sprout of Ahankara ramifies here and there with its long branches of ‘mine’ and ‘thine’. It is inveterate. Ahankara wants to live in flesh (Abhinivesa or clinging to life), to eat flesh and to embrace flesh. This is pure Ajnana (ignorance) only. Look at Maya’s deception and wholesale swindling! Beware! Awake! Get Jnana.

Just as the cloud screens the sun, so also this cloud of Ahankara screens the ‘Jnana Surya’, the Infinite Sun of Knowledge, Brahman. You cannot realise 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 Vasana or if you have the least trace of worldly desire in the mind.

How To Eradicate Ahankara

The deep roots of Ahankara should be burnt by the fire of knowledge (Jnanagni). Then you will quite easily get the wealth of Moksha. All tribulations, sorrows, miseries and afflictions will terminate now. Control of the Indriyas and Pranayama help to develop the Buddhi (Vikasa of Buddhi).

You cannot, all at once, eradicate Ahankara altogether. You can easily give up wife, children, money, anger. But it is extremely difficult to give up Ahankara. Try to minimise it little by little. Remove one anna of Ahankara within three months. Within four years, you will be able to root it out completely. You will have to remove it either by self-sacrifice through Karma Yoga-or self-surrender through Bhakti-or self-denial through Vedantic Atma-Vichara.

Through the Sankalpas of Manas, Ahankara is generated. If the modification of the mind which leans to sensual pleasures is destroyed, the Atman, divested of its Ahankara, becomes the unnameable Brahmic Reality.

Ahankara is like a thread. It connects or links all the Indriyas on itself. When the thread is broken, all the pearls fall down. Even so, when the thread of Ahankara is broken by ‘Aham Brahma Asmi’ Bhavana or Sakshi Bhava or self-surrender method by taking the Nimitta Bhava (instrument-in-the-hands-of-the-Lord attitude), all the Indriyas will be broken down or destroyed. The connection with Indriyas will be severed.

Even if you identify yourself with a subtle body inside, it will help you in your Self-realisation. It is only the identification with the fleshy physical body that brings all sorts of troubles through gross Ahankara and ‘mineness’. The physical ‘I’ is a very great menace.

Whenever Ahankara asserts itself, raise a question within thyself, “What is the source of this little ‘I’?” Again and again, moot this question and enquire. When you remove layer after layer, the onion dwindles to nothing. When you analyse the little ‘I’, it becomes a non-entity; it will gradually vanish. It will dwindle into an airy nothing. Body is not ‘I’. ‘I’ remains even after the leg is amputated. Give up Jivasrishti.

Within the time taken to pluck a flower, within the twinkling of an eye, this Ahankara can be easily eradicated by right Sadhana or Brahma-Bhava.

Sattvic Ahankara

When you assert ‘Aham Brahma Asmi’ (I am Brahman), it is Sattvic Ahankara. It is Moksha Ahankara. It will not bind you in any way. It will help you realise Brahman. The fire in a picture will not burn anything. A light in the presence of midday sun will not shine and shed its light. Even so, the Ahankara of a Sattvic person cannot do any harm to any person.

Avidya And Ahankara – Ignorance, Ego, and the Path to Self-Knowledge

Avidya And Ahankara are two important concepts in Indian philosophy that explain the root of human bondage, confusion, and suffering. Avidya means ignorance, especially ignorance of the true self. Ahankara means ego, the false sense of “I” and “mine.” Together, they make a person identify with the body, mind, name, status, possessions, and achievements, while forgetting the deeper reality of the self.

Avidya is not ordinary lack of information. A person may be educated, intelligent, and successful, yet still remain under the influence of spiritual ignorance. This ignorance makes us believe that temporary things are permanent, painful things are sources of lasting happiness, and the changing body-mind personality is the real self. Because of this wrong understanding, life becomes filled with attachment, fear, pride, and disappointment.

Avidya And Ahankara are closely connected. When there is ignorance of the true self, ego naturally becomes strong. A person begins to think, “I am the doer,” “I am superior,” “This belongs to me,” and “My happiness depends on this person, object, or result.” This false identity creates mental bondage. The ego wants praise, fears insult, chases success, and suffers deeply from failure.

Ahankara is not only arrogance. Even insecurity can be a form of ego, because the mind is still centered on the limited “I.” Pride says, “I am great,” while insecurity says, “I am not enough.” Both keep attention fixed on the false self. True freedom begins when a person sees that their real nature is deeper than praise, blame, success, failure, body, and thought.

Avidya And Ahankara also create separation. Because of ego, people divide life into “me” and “others,” “mine” and “not mine.” This leads to comparison, jealousy, competition, attachment, anger, and selfishness. A person may forget that all beings seek happiness and fear suffering. When the ego becomes strong, compassion becomes weak. When ignorance decreases, unity and kindness naturally increase.

The effect of these two forces can be seen in daily life. When someone criticizes us, ego feels hurt. When someone succeeds, ego may feel jealous. When we lose something, ignorance makes us believe that our whole identity is damaged. When we gain something, ego becomes proud. In this way, the mind keeps moving between excitement and sorrow because it is attached to false identity.

Avidya And Ahankara can be reduced through self-inquiry. A person should ask, “Who am I beyond my body, role, thoughts, and emotions?” The body changes, thoughts change, feelings change, and social positions change. But the awareness that observes these changes remains present. Recognizing this witness-consciousness is an important step toward self-knowledge.

Spiritual discipline is also necessary. Meditation quiets the mind and helps us observe ego without obeying it blindly. Self-study gives right understanding. Prayer brings humility. Service reduces selfishness. Truthful living purifies character. Good company strengthens noble thoughts. These practices slowly weaken ignorance and ego.

Humility is one of the best remedies for Ahankara. Humility does not mean weakness or self-hatred. It means seeing oneself truthfully. A humble person recognizes their abilities but does not become proud. They accept mistakes and remain open to learning. They understand that success depends on many factors, including effort, teachers, family, society, nature, and grace.

Avidya is removed by knowledge, but this knowledge must be lived. Reading about the true self is helpful, but real transformation happens when understanding enters daily action. If a person knows that ego is harmful but still speaks harshly, acts selfishly, and seeks constant praise, the knowledge has not become deep. Wisdom must appear in conduct.

Avidya And Ahankara also teach us to watch attachment carefully. The ego becomes strong wherever the mind says “mine” with fear and possessiveness. My body, my wealth, my opinion, my family, my success, my image, and my belief can all become centers of bondage. Love is natural, but possessiveness creates suffering. Responsibility is good, but egoistic ownership creates anxiety.

The path beyond ignorance and ego is not instant. These patterns are deeply rooted in the mind. A person may understand the teaching intellectually but still react with pride, fear, or anger. Therefore, patience is required. Every moment of awareness is progress. Every time we choose humility over pride, truth over illusion, and compassion over selfishness, the hold of ego becomes weaker.

In the end, Avidya And Ahankara explain why human beings suffer despite having outer achievements. Ignorance hides the true self, and ego binds the mind to false identity. Through self-inquiry, meditation, humility, service, and right knowledge, a person can move toward freedom. When ignorance fades and ego becomes quiet, the heart experiences peace, clarity, and a deeper connection with all life.

Sin is a Mistake Only