How to control our jealousy and ego?
From: Vikas Rai
How to control our jealousy and ego?
Question: How to control our jealousy and ego? (By Vikas Rai Prabhu)
Answer: By understanding that our abilities and the abilities of others come from Krishna and they belong to Krishna. In the Bhagavad Gita tenth chapter forty-second verse Lord Krishna says that
yad yad vibhütimat sattvaà
çrémad ürjitam eva vä
tat tad evävagaccha tvaà
mama tejo-‘àça-sambhavam
“Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.”
So, that means that whatever abilities we have, if i look good, if i speak well, if i have a very good memory, if i have a lot of wealth somebody else has those things more than me, whatever i have and whatever others have, is a gift from Krishna. So, if we understand that whatever possessions anyone has, they belong to Krishna and when we see those qualities in ourselves if we become proud and egoistic then we will feel miserable when those abilities desert us, as it will eventually happen due to old age or other circumstances. But if we see that these abilities are a gift from God to us and we are meant to use it in His service for the benefit of humanity then we feel grateful to God for whatever gifts that He has given us and we use them to connect ourselves back with God. And our connection with God will give us far greater happiness than the happiness that we might otherwise get by bragging those abilities and trying to attract respect and praise from others.
Similarly, when we see good qualities in others if we see them disconnected from Krishna then we will think ‘ oh this person is better than me’ and we will become jealous. But if we see abilities and qualities and possessions with others and we think that actually whatever is attracting me in this person is actually a spark of Krishna. So, Of course when we are being jealous are we attracted? Yes, it is indirect attraction. We are attracted to that person’s opulence but rather than that attraction expressing itself as appreciation, it expresses itself as jealousy. But if we understand, oh this person has this quality and because of this so many people are getting attracted to him but this quality is just a spark of the quality that Krishna has. So, if this person with a spark can attract so many people, how much more Krishna will be attractive. And how much more happiness i can experience if i can get attracted to Krishna.
So, when we think in this way that ultimately, the highest happiness is in remembrance of Krishna and devotional connection with Krishna and whatever qualities we have which may lead to pride in us and whatever qualities others have which may lead to jealousy in others, if we use all of them to connect ourselves with Krishna to increase our remembrance of Krishna then we can not only become free from jealousy and ego But we can become positively enlivened and joyful.
Thank you!