Forms Of Ego

Add as a preferred source on Google

"But Swamiji, I was thinking till now that claiming self-importance is the only manifestation of ego!"

No! Ego comes in various forms - active and passive, which we have been discussing till now. That is why it is such a tricky element to discern. The active ego is easy to recognize. People with active ego will behave in a highhanded fashion; they will claim self-importance openly; they will not bend down to people; they will be haughty. This ego is actually easy to deal with, for a Master. He just needs to bang on it a few times and it will break!

A small story:
One man lost all his wealth in gambling and got reduced to almost a pauper.
One day, he went to a roadside hotel and sat at the table for breakfast.
The waiter came to take orders.

The man was surprised. The waiter was his old friend who had been as rich as he had been earlier.
He looked at him and said, "You serve as a waiter in this sort of a hotel!"
The man replied, "I"m only a waiter, I don"t eat here."
(Laughter!)

Chat With The Devotees Of Paramahamsa Nithyananda