Sai Baba Gita - Egoism Develops when you Forget the Indweller

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Egoism Develops when you Forget the Indweller

What is the root cause of egoism? Why should you ever feel egoistic? Egoism

arises because of the ignorance which is inherent in you. You have to think out

for yourself what is the birthplace of this egoism, where did it come from and

where will it end? Consider these facts of the physical universe: Light travels

at the rate of 670 million miles per hour. At this rate, light travels a

trillion miles per year. We consider the sun to be very near; the distance

between the earth and the sun is approximately 90 million miles. For us, the

splendor of the light coming from the sun is exceptionally bright. But this is

the light from only one sun. There are billions of suns and stars. The distance

to the nearest of these is almost 4 light years, or something like 23 to 24

trillion miles.

The stars look as though they are very close to one another, but the distance

between any two stars is tens of trillions of miles. They look as though milk

has been spread all over the sky. The stars that you can see with a

high-powered telescope number in the billions. And there are many, many more

objects in the heavens which you cannot see. What is the size of the earth in

the context of such a vast universe, where there are billions upon billions of

stars, spread over distances of trillions upon trillions of miles? And what is

the place of this little planet earth in relation to the huge sun, which,

nevertheless, is only a minor star among the countless stars that speckle the

heavens?

On this earth, what is the size of the country in which you are a citizen? What

is the size of the state you are living in? Within it how small is this

district that you are now in? And how much smaller is the little town that you

call home? And then, how very much smaller still are you on this tiny plot of

land that you occupy within it? If such is the scale of the universe and such

is your size in it, why are you so puffed up with egoistic feelings? If you

were to take true cognizance of the vastness of the world, you would not have

any egoism. Only when you are oblivious of the greatness of the universe in

relation to your minute size can you ever be filled with such a foolish notion.

Perhaps you are proud of your own body. But the body consists of only the five

elements. One day or another it will perish. Only the indweller is permanent.

It does not have birth or death, it does not grow or decay. It shines

everywhere. In the whole world it is the one permanent entity shining as the

effulgent one, in a sea of changing forms. It is behind every form, it is the

splendor animating every feature in the vast universe. Even in utter darkness

it is there, for it is that which reveals the darkness to you. This

all-pervading splendor is the indweller, the eternal flame ever shining inside

this inert body. Look to this indweller, turn towards it, and you will not be

deluded by pride and egoism.

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita308.html

Sai Baba Gita, Compiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma Press -

http://www.atmapress.com - ISBN: 0963844903Online Edition:

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html