What is ego ? Who am I really ?

Dadashri : This belief of , "I am Chandulal," is ahankar (ego). To impose 'I' where 'I' does not belong is ahankar (ego).

Questioner : How can there be ego in saying, "I am Chandulal."? If I say, "I am great," or "I am the smartest man in the world," then it would be a different matter. But if I casually say, "I am Chandulal," where is the ego in that?

Dadashri : Even if you say so casually, does the ego go away? Even if you say, "My name is Chandulal," casually and simply, it is still considered ego. Ego is when you do not know who you are and you identify yourself with that which you are not. "I am Chandulal," is for a dramatic (for playing your role in the worldly interactions) purpose only. There is no harm in saying, "I am Chandulal," but the belief, "I am Chandulal," should not be ingrained within you. It should be dramatic and used for identification purposes only.

Questioner :Yes, otherwise 'I am Chandulal,' will take hold.

Dadashri :If the 'I' is in its Real 'I' place then it is not ego. If you believe, 'I am Chandulal,' then the superimposition of the 'I' on Chandulal, is ego. When you identify 'I' with your Real Self (its proper place), then it is not ego. If the 'I' comes out of its incorrectly, positioned place (Chandulal) and assumes its Real place, then the ego is gone. Therefore you do not have to get rid of the 'I', but you just need to put the 'I' in its correct location.

Related Spiritual Quotes by Param Pujya Dadashri: 1) Knowledge (Gnan) is not attained first; first the ego departs.
2) Acting egotistically as 'I am this body', with no consciousness of the self, is karma. But anything done 'dramatically', as the Knower-Seer, while remaining as the Self, is not karma.

Reference: Book Name : Who Am I (Page #5 Paragraph #2)