How to get the reduction of ego?

[A question by Śrī Kishore Ram]

Swāmi replied: Ego is a big disease. It grows very much by happy situations like diabetes growing by eating sweets. When the ego increases beyond a level, you are declared as the patient of ego-disease. God is the divine Father of all souls and He is also a wonderful doctor. He immediately gives difficulties to you by which your ego gets reduced. These difficulties will bring you near to God and your devotion also increases. In happy situations, you will be going far far away from God. But, remember one thing that these difficulties are the fruits of your past sins only and you have to receive them in some time or other. This is inevitable. Instead of giving these difficulties when the ego is not present, it is better to give these difficulties when ego grows. In such case, these difficulties work as medicinal injections to decrease the intensity of ego-disease. In this way, double purpose is served like one shot two birds. The fruit of sins are exhausted and at the same time, ego gets reduced. Of course, whenever the injection (difficulties) is given a little pain exists. But you have to bear that pain in view of good effect of the injected medicine, which is cure of disease (ego).

In the Datta Veda, Swāmi told that difficulties come by the grace of God and happiness comes by the anger of God. Happy situation injects ego and laziness so that you will go far away from the God. When difficulties come, you will immediately become close to God, your brain becomes very alert and active and your ego gets destroyed. When Kṛṣṇa asked His aunt to ask for a boon, she asked Kṛṣṇa to bless her with difficulties only throughout her life. Hence, recognising the value of difficulties, you must welcome difficulties and in course of time, you must be able to internally enjoy and entertain with these external difficulties. In such case, you will be internally enjoying both external happy and tragic situations in the life. The result of this is that you are always enjoying and remain with eternal bliss, which is very important aspect of divinity. You can weep externally for the difficulties, but your external weeping shall not be your internal weeping. You can weep externally and simultaneously enjoy internally. You shall not say that this is impossible because while you are eating hot dishes, tears are coming and tongue is vibrating leading you to almost weeping externally. But you are internally enjoying the hot dish. Hence, you shall not say that external weeping means simultaneous internal weeping only. Such constant enjoyment of alternating happy and tragic incidents in your life making yourself associated with eternal bliss is called Yoga. Yoga means equanimity in enjoying internally both external happy and tragic situations of life. Such equanimity is called Yoga (samatvaṃ yoga ucyate… Gītā).

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