How Do I Reduce My Pride?

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Gnani, the Enlightened One, explains:

“We can get to the solution if we understand that it is not the mistake of the person who’s insulted us, rather it is due to some of our mistake that someone insults us. For instance, if we have taken Rs. 10000/- from someone, and now that person comes back asking for his Rs. 10000/-, is there any fault of his in that? Similarly, here too, we have taken pride in this world, as a result of which insult comes in repayment. If we have taken a loan of Rs. 10,00,000/- from bank, then wouldn’t we have to repay it? Likewise, insult is repayment of pride.

Therefore, We Should Not Get Angry When Insulted

Instead, we should bring about a solution that, ‘why did this insult come in my life?… Oh! I had taken loan (of pride, in the past), and this is the repayment of it (in the form of insult, that is coming at present). So, come on, let me repay it, at least that much burden of loan is reduced! It is a reason for me to be happy! There is nothing to be annoyed about it’”

Also, We Should Not Fight Back, Take Revenge And Hurt The Other Person

If someone fights with us, takes revenge for something and hurts us physically or verbally, would we like it? No! Therefore we should understand, ‘If someone fights with me or hurts me in any way, I do not like it. Then, I too shouldn’t do this to anyone.’

In Any Matter, We Must Try To Deal With Love Rather Than Pride!

“The more we behave with love, the more will our interactions with people be sweet and ideal!” says Gnani. Then, we will neither have to get angry and fight with anyone nor will we have to hurt the other person in any manner and take revenge.

Guilt Will Not Help Solve The Problem Whereas Pratikraman Will!

Suppose we happen to get angry on somebody or hurt someone, at that time, rather than feeling guilty, we will do pratikraman i.e. repentance or feeling sorry for our mistake. Pratikraman means we apologize before God for our mistake, we repent for that mistake, and we also seek strength from God so that we do not do this mistake again, “Dear God, I couldn’t shut my mouth when one insulted me. Also, I fought with that person and hurt him physically and verbally to avenge my insult. I seek pardon for these mistakes. Please forgive me and grant me strength so that I do not repeat this mistakes.”

Pratikraman is imperative for cleaning up our wrong reactions; however, that is not enough. The mistake will occur again and again until we have not cleared the root cause of the mistake.

Gnani explains the ultimate and the permanent solution to pride and anger:

“Due to ignorance (of the real Self), you believe, ‘I am Ramona (you may insert your own name here).’ That’s why, when somebody insults, at that time anger comes out. The same bad words, when are said to Ramona, but if that Ramona is some other person, then you do not feel any bad effect, isn’t it? So, it is due to ignorance that anger is getting generated.”

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Sharing his own experience, Gnani illustrates,

“After Self-Realization, now if somebody says bad words to Deepak, I will know, ‘this is with Deepak, not with me. I am Pure Soul. So I don’t have any anger.’ Due to this knowledge of Self, I can remain in a state of bliss all the time. Thus, anger is due to ignorance only. Not only anger, even pride, deceit, greed, lust, everything is due to ignorance. With the knowledge of Self, we can win over all these enemies namely anger, pride, deceit and greed!”

Gnani explains how…

“Due to wrong belief, you feel oneness with Chandubhai (here too, you may insert your own name), his mind, his thoughts, intellect, speech, behaviour, etc. Whenever Chandubhai takes decision, you feel, ‘I have taken decision’, or somebody insults Chandubhai, you feel, ‘I suffered due to this insult.’

Your belief is wrong. And due to wrong belief, you are involved in Chandubhai. Now, after Self-Realization (attained through Gnanvidhi in Akram Vignan), Gnani changes your wrong belief to right belief.

Thereafter, by right belief, you keep separation with Chandubhai. This is the beginning of the experience of the Soul! Suppose, it is 1 degree (percent) of experience; we have to reach 100 degrees (percent). Slowly, if you practice the principles given by Gnani, your awareness will go on increasing you will get more experience of Pure Soul.

Sometimes, when Chandubhai becomes angry on somebody, you can watch, “Oh, it is with Chandubhai. It (Anger) is wrong.” When you can see the mistakes of Chandubhai, at that time you are a Pure Soul. Also, you can see others innocent. This is called flawless vision! If somebody has done any mistake (of insulting you today), the root cause of that mistake is Chandubhai only (the mistake of pride done in the past). Chandubhai had done mistake; that is why he is suffering for that mistake. And others are just one of the evidences for giving the result of that mistake.”

To conclude:

The main issue is that these mistakes of pride, anger, deceit, greed are in the form of tubers. Tubers are always buried ‘underground’ i.e. they remain hidden within. When circumstances are right, these tubers get water (eg. someone insults), they germinate and sprout. From that, one can discover which kind of tuber he has; he can discover what disease lies within him. Unless the nature of the mistakes is identified, the mistakes continue to get support and nourishment.

When we attain Self-Realization from such living Gnani, the Enlightened One, our right vision to see things in the right perspective opens up. We begin to see things as is! Thereafter, following Gnani’s words, we realize where the mistake lies, and learn ways and means to get rid of every mistake.

Gnani, the Enlightened One, is perfect light! With the help of this light, we are able to break free from all our mistakes and get liberated.