Hare Krsna,
After studying Srila Prabhupada’s books diligently in the association of devotees, it is pretty well established that we are suffering in this material world due to our false ego. False ego means accepting this body as oneself. The identity of false ego is also quite subtle. It basically means that “I am the enjoyer of everything in this world.” Driven by “I” and “Mine”, we think that we are the lord of material nature. That the material world has been created for our enjoyment. In the previous chapter, we studied Mother Devahuti’s prayers to Kapiladeva. She prayed, “Due to my feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by Your māyā and have identified myself with the body and consequent bodily relations.” (SB 3.25.10)
Illusioned by the material nature, the living entity identifies with false ego. When the living entity is entrapped by the material body, he at once identifies with the bodily relationships, forgetting his own identity as spirit soul. This false ego associates with different modes of material nature, and thus the senses become attached to the modes of material nature.
I think it’s all a matter of consciousness and right perspective. There is false ego and there is real ego. We can never get rid of ego. We just have to remove “false” from “false ego.” When the sense of “I am” is applied to this false body it is false ego. When the sense of self is applied to reality, that is real ego. “I am this body” or “Everything in relationship to the body is mine” is called false ego, but when one is self-realized and thinks that he is an eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord, that identification is real ego. Therefore, I really like the verse from CC Madhya 20.108-109:
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā–śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṇa has three varieties of energy.
In essence, it is not really difficult to come out of false ego. As soon as we turn to Krsna and realize that we are His eternal servants and act in that mood and spirit, we are out of our false ego.
Once we accept that we are Krsna’s dear servants and are meant to serve Him, what difference does it make whether we are in the spiritual world or in the material world? This is why pure devotees are not disturbed by material tribulations and upheavals in this material world. In the review session today, our teachers gave the example of Srila Prabhupada who, even though was in this material world, was never disturbed by the nature of this material world. His activities, mood, service, devotion to the Lord, compassion for the suffering living entities were transcendental. He would have been in any material planet and would have continued his mission with the same mood and intensity. The nature of material world would not be able to disturb him in any way.
This is why I really liked the quotes that our teachers put in the last forum post topic. It said, “A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-called material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual current of the Lord’s identical interest, and thus he is permanently freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva. He is always in the spiritual sky, which he attains by being transcendental to the sevenfold material coverings by the effect of his devotional service. The conditioned souls are within the coverings, whereas the liberated soul is far beyond the cover.” (SB 1.13.55)
This is because the pure devotee does not have a false ego and does not act on the platform of false ego. He has completely internalized that he is a dear servant of the Lord, and always act in that spirit – material world or spiritual world notwithstanding.
False ego keeps us entangled in this material world; real ego will liberate us from this material world and will place us on transcendental platform.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 