The Problem of Wrong Self-identification

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, the psychological state in which the desires are controlled is called Vairāgyam. Desires are the root cause for all unhappiness. Getting rid of desires means to cultivate long lasting joy in mind.

When the desire is reduced from the mind, the individual starts seeing deeply into his mind. It was the desires which veiled the true vision into his mind-stuff. As a result of the lack of self awareness, wrong identification develops. He wrongly identifies himself with external aspects like religion, caste, family, position etc. He must essentially understand himself as the individual Self (Ātma) because that is the truth. But the desires in him veil his true vision about himself and as a result of this ignorance, he wrongly understands himself only as one belonging to a caste or the one having such an official positioning etc.

What is the problem of the wrong self-identification of an individual? It is because all the internal actions like thinking, analysis, understanding etc. happen on the basis of the self-identification of the individual. When I consider myself as responsible for a work, the incompleteness of it makes me worried. On the other hand, if I do not take responsibility for the work, I would not have any response to the completion or incompletion of it. My connection with the work functions on the basis of my understanding about my association with it. Therefore, this self-identification has a lot of importance in the cognitive process. One must know who he is, to think properly. The self-awareness and identification go wrong due to the psychological blindness and delusion created by the power of desires. This is the point to be noted.

Case One:

Mr Bhaskara thought that he had no skill to interact with people. As a result of this self-conception, he had no connection with his neighbours. He had no awareness about the mistake of his wrong self-understanding and assessment of himself. If he had seen himself as being above this inability, he would have tried to come out of this misconception. Then he would have purposefully developed friendships with more people. So the concept about who I am, matters.

Case Two:

Mrs Nalini thought herself as very beautiful and attractive; therefore when she happened to meet another person, attractive and smart, she started feeling insecure. When she had a subordinate girl, smart, good looking and younger than her, she became jealous of her. She began to find fault with her in small small aspects, complained against her and initiated all a superior can do to destroy her subordinate. Nalini behaved so because she identified herself with her so-called beautiful appearance. She didn't understand herself as a human being who is capable of loving and forgiving.

The human being can love and forgive only when he identifies himself with the individual Self (Atma). That is the true identification. This true experience is veiled by desires and anger, as Bhagavad Gita says:

आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा ।

कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च ॥ ३-३९॥

āvṛtam jñānamētēna jñāninō nitya vairiṇā

       kāmarūpēṇa kauntēya duṣpūrēṇānalēna ca (III - 39)

Meaning: O Kauntēya, the Jñānam or the awareness of the difference between Ātma and body-mind unit is enveloped by the desire / anger (āvṛtam jñānam ētēna kāmarūpēṇa), which is the constant enemy of a seeker of Truth (jñāninaḥ nityavairiṇā) due to its unquenchable nature like the fire (duṣpūrēṇa analēna ca).