The Hindu : Flattery boosts man's ego

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Flattery boosts man's ego

CHENNAI JAN. 21 . It may be possible to remain balanced when maligned or criticised but not so when praised. Adulation boosts the ego and in the process the person will imagine that he is worthy of all that has been attributed to him as he loses his sense of discrimination. Ego is the greatest hurdle for spiritual progress as it distances man from God. Scriptural texts are replete with instances of how even great devotees and sages have found it difficult to overcome ego. So a devotee must always guard against flattery however deserving or well intended. God intervenes whenever His devotee succumbs to his ego by giving him experiences that will make him realise his folly.

The Ramacharitamanasa of Tulasidasa describes an incident in the life of the celestial sage, Narada, to show that even a great devotee like him was not exempt to the delusion of the ego. In truth it is the Lord's deluding power, which is responsible for ignorance and hence man can overcome it only by God's grace. But, human beings on their part must make themselves worthy of His grace by their devotion. Narada contemplated on Lord Vishnu always and his penance caused consternation to the chief of the celestials, Indra, that the sage would acquire great merit in the process and become worthy of his position. His insecurity made him send the god of love to disturb Narada's meditation. But can anyone dare to win over one who was so devoted to the Lord? He and his accomplices had to admit defeat but in the process, the sage became bloated with ego, so much so, he went to Lord Siva and boasted about his victory. He advised the sage against such vainglory and told him not to brag about it to Lord Vishnu especially.

In her discourse, Srimati Jaya Srinivasan said Narada did not heed such sane counsel. Only a person who is concerned about someone's welfare will take the trouble to give advice and mostly it may not be palatable also. It is a rare person who will listen and profit by it. This truth is highlighted in the context of Vibhishana's attempt to warn Ravana to return Sita to Rama. Ravana listened to counsellors who were only interested in pleasing him and hence his brother's well-intended words fell on deaf ears. When Narada related the incident to Lord Vishnu, He at once saw that ego had sprouted in the mind of His devotee and out of compassion decided to root it out.

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Flattery boosts man's ego

dated January 21, 1953: President Eisenhower's Inauguration

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