Nature of Self and Ego

The Bhagavad Gita offers profound insights into the nature of the self, the illusion of the ego and the path to realising our true essence. Let's break down the key points and connect them with the wisdom of the Gita.

1. Your Essential Nature: Unlimited Awareness

The Gita repeatedly emphasises that your true nature is eternal, unchanging and beyond the physical body and mind. This essence is pure consciousness (awareness) that is neither born nor does it die.

"The soul is neither born and nor does it die. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain."

(Bhagavad Gita 2:20)

Here, Krishna describes the Atman—the true self—which is beyond all worldly experiences and remains unaffected by physical death or mental turmoil.

2. What is the Ego or Separate Self?

The ego arises from identifying with the body and mind—the limited aspects of our existence. It is the mistaken belief that "I am this body, these thoughts and these experiences," rather than the pure awareness that witnesses all these.

"The spirit is indivisible and cannot be cut; it cannot be burned by fire, moistened by water nor withered by the wind."

(Bhagavad Gita 2:23)

This verse underscores the indestructibility of your true self. The ego, by contrast, is a temporary illusion because it is rooted in things that change—body, emotions and experiences.

3. How Does the Ego Arise?

The ego forms when awareness mistakenly identifies itself with the body, senses and mind. This creates a false sense of separation and limitation.

Krishna explains how desires and attachments trap the mind, reinforcing the illusion of separateness:

"While contemplating the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. From attachment, desire arises and from desire, anger is born."

(Bhagavad Gita 2:62)

This sequence shows how identification with external objects creates the ego and leads to suffering. Awareness itself is pure, but when it clings to experiences, the illusion of "I am this" is born.

4. The Imaginary Limitation – The Space Analogy

Just as space is unaffected by the objects within it, awareness is untouched by thoughts, feelings or physical conditions. However, the ego identifies with the "walls of the room" (the body-mind complex) and feels limited.

Krishna uses the metaphor of the field (body) and the knower of the field (awareness):

"This body is called the field, O Arjuna, and he who knows this body is called the knower of the field."

(Bhagavad Gita 13:1)

Awareness is the knower, while the body and mind are just the field—temporary and changing. Mistaking the knower for the field is the root of the ego.

5. Transcending the Ego

The Gita urges us to disidentify from the body and mind and realise our true nature as pure awareness. This realisation brings freedom from suffering.

"He who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among humans."

(Bhagavad Gita 4:18)

When you know yourself as pure awareness, you remain unaffected by actions or experiences—just as space remains unchanged regardless of what happens within it.

6. The Ego as the Source of Suffering

Krishna makes it clear that the sense of "I" and "mine" leads to bondage and suffering:

"Those who are free from pride and illusion, who have conquered the evil of attachment, who are ever devoted to the Supreme Self—such beings reach the eternal state."

(Bhagavad Gita 15:5)

The ego, by fostering attachment and division, causes internal turmoil and external conflict. Freedom from ego restores peace, clarity and harmony.

7. Living Without the Ego

The Gita teaches that true action flows effortlessly when we transcend the ego. Krishna advises performing selfless action without attachment:

"Perform your duty without attachment to the results, for by doing work without attachment, one attains the Supreme."

(Bhagavad Gita 3:19)

When awareness is free from ego, actions are motivated by wisdom, compassion and inner peace—not by personal gain or fear of loss.

The ego is an imaginary limitation, arising when pure awareness identifies with the body and mind. The Bhagavad Gita teaches that by recognising and disidentifying from these illusions, you awaken to your true nature—limitless awareness, ever-free and ever-present.