Beware the Ghost (Ego-sense)

 Sage Vasishtha 

VASISHTHA continued:

O Rama, a man riding the merry-go-round sees the world whirling in the opposite direction: even so, man whirling on the wheel of ignorance thinks that the world and the body are revolving. This spiritual hero, however, should reject this: this body is the product of thoughts and notions entertained by an ignorant mind. The creation of ignorance is false. Hence, even if the body seems to be active and doing all kinds of actions it is still unreal, even as the imaginary snake in the rope is forever unreal. What is done by an inert object is not done by it; though appearing to do, the body does nothing. 

The inert body does not entertain any desire (to motivate its actions) and the self (which is the infinite consciousness) has no such desire either; hence there is in truth no doer of action but only the witnessing intelligence. Even as a lamp in a windless place shines spontaneously and naturally, being a lamp, thus should one remain the self in all conditions. Even as the sun, resting always in himself and in his own essential nature constantly engages himself in the affairs of the day, you too, resting in your own self engage yourself in the affairs of the state. 

Once the deluded notion that this false body is a reality has risen, then like a ghost imagined by a little boy, there arises the goblin of the ego-sense or the mind. This false mind or ego-sense then roars aloud in such a way that even great men, frightened by it, withdraw themselves in deep meditation. He who however lays the ghost known as the mind (or ego-sense) in the body, dwells without fear in the void known as the world.

It is strange that even now people live considering the self to be the body created by the illusory ghost known as the mind. They who die while they are yet in the grip of the ghost known as the mind, their intelligence is ignorance! He who trusts in the house haunted by the ghost known as mind and lives in it is a goblin and he is indeed deluded, for that house (the body) is impermanent and unstable. Hence, O Rama, give up this subservience to the ghost known as ego-sense and rest in the self without bestowing a second thought on the ego-sense. 

They who are under the evil influence of the ghost known as ego-sense are deluded and in fact they have neither friends nor relatives. A deed done with the intelligence overpowered by the ego-sense is poisonous and it yields the fruit of death. The fool who is devoid of wisdom and courage and who is wedded to the ego-sense is already dead. He is like the firewood ready to be consigned into the fire known as hell.

Let this ghost known as ego-sense rest in or depart from the body. Do not let your mind even look at it, O Rama!