Monday, October 5, 2015

Monday Motivation for Success from Siva (52): Despite being the most powerful, can one be devoid of ego?

Hi,
Ego is a sense of feeling and a belief, "I am the most powerful. I only can do it, no one else. I am above all." This is quite a self-destructive thought. It is important to have self-assuring confidence and a high self esteem, but not ego. People in positions of high power and authority are prone to this ego malady and suffer a serious downfall due to it. Can one get rid of such an ego trap? Yes, it is possible.

Though god is above all and the most powerful, he does not show any egoism towards his devotees. Rather, he becomes obedient to them. He does not even shy away from doing smaller things that may belittle his authority. In order to protect them, he gets prepared to do even menial jobs that are not up to his capabilities. He does not even bother whether others would laugh at him seeing him doing those smaller jobs. There are many instances described in The Mahabharata when Krishna has done this. Let us look at a couple of them in this blog post of today. 
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Despite being the most powerful, can one be devoid of ego?
1) When the pandavas completed their 12 years of exile in the forests and 1 year of stay incognito, they sought the help of Krishna. They requested him to go to kauravas and tell them that they completed their period of exile and now they wanted their kingdom be given back. They wanted him to perform the role of a messenger  whose job is to carry the news like a postman. But he took it up and went to the court of the kauravas with the message of the pandavas.
 
2) Secondly, in the battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna sought the help of Krishna. He became a rathasaaradhi - the charioteer and helped Arjuna. The job of a charioteer is sitting in a lower seat on the chariot and guiding the horses, feeding them when they are hungry, massaging them (maalish) when they are tired, etc. He accepted even this job with all humility showing no signs of any ego whatsoever.  
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There is a dignity of labour. Every job has its own value and importance. There is nothing like a job that is menial. A good leader is always willing to take up any job that situation demands. It may be cleaning a floor, or serving a cup of tea, or any other jobs that generally his subordinates do. He takes it as an opportunity to demonstrate to his own team members that honour lies in every job that is done with sincerity. Yes, ego can be destroyed and gotten rid of. And, you can demonstrate it and lead by example.
To your continued SUCCESS,
With love,
Siva
PS: For "Monday Motivations" published earlier on this blog, please find them at the link given below:

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