In plain words
Mamakāra, the sense that says ‘mine’; Ahaṅkāra, the sense that says ‘I’. It was with this very thing that Arjuna entered the battlefield in the great Bhārata war. From the very first day, ‘sva…’ that is the word he kept uttering. What does svā mean? His own interest and his own people. He went in with ‘My people, mine.’ This is just what they called moha. The very first chapter is the chapter of moha. Those sunk in this moha do not gain Mokṣa at all. Moha has to be there, but how far? It must stay as long as we live in this world. Man must understand his own humanness well. Neither the studies we have done nor the jobs we hold will ever go along with us. All these are things that slip away midway. All these are passing clouds. No one knows which cloud will go when. How are we to make a success of life if we take such passing clouds as our measure? Not a single thing is permanent. The Gītā said, “Anityam asukhaṃ lokam imaṃ prāpya bhajasva me.” Nothing is permanent. So we must fill our hearts with what is permanent and go on mastering this impermanent world.
Ahaṅkāra Is a Great Evil
Once, Emperor Bali began a yajña. That yajña was called Sarvajit. That is, he began the yajña in order to win everything. Taking this occasion, Vāmana set out. He went to that yajña. Emperor Bali honoured Him and welcomed Him. Though He had come so far, Vāmana asked for nothing. He kept making His plan only for one thing: how to crush this Ahaṅkāra. Men in the world make plans. But God makes no such plan. He makes a Master plan. He makes a master plan of all that must happen and all that He must bring about in the days to come. Going up to Emperor Bali, He asked him for the gift of three paces. But looking at it in the way of the world, they thought it very easy: only three paces, after all. His guru, Śukrācārya, came. He said, ‘My lord, you must not agree to this gift.’