Pride harms only the person who is proud. He thinks far too much of himself. When overbearing pride turns into arrogance, it brings contempt for others. The arrogant man is rude and offensive in behaviour and demeanor towards everyone.
Pride rears its ugly head in the most unexpected places. Some are proud that they have money and others that they have average income. Some are proud that they are great devotees and others are even more proud that they are non believers. Education and knowledge are source of pride for some and ignorance for others. Looks, power, popularity, children, status, lineage, possession – having them in abundance or the lack of them or even having the minimum amount are all causes of pride. Pride leads to arrogance and excess arrogance leads to swollen ego. An egoistic person thinks he is the sun and the center of the solar system and all planets and life revolve around him. He demands servitude from the weak and needy and even from those who are truly strong and noble. And this leads to his downfall as this tale of lion and jackal tells us:
In the days of yore, a huge lion lived in the forests of the Himalayas. He was very strong and powerful. But he never troubled other animals without any reason. He hunted when hungry and ate his fill and rested. He left the remains for other weaker animals. One day he was very hungry and hunted down a large buffalo. He had a hearty meal and left the returns there and went back to his cave. On the way back, he met a jackal who bowed low and said to him: O King, you are strong and might. Please accept me as your servant. The lion was kind-hearted and permitted the jackal to be his servant. The jackal was very happy. He was smart and knew that he would not have to hunt anymore and would always get the leftovers of his Master’s meal.
From that day onwards, the jackal was an ideal servant. He also had the benefit of the leftovers which were more than a full meal for him. He was ecstatic. He never had to hunt or search for food in the dangerous forest. In a short time he became fat and strong. The other animals respected and feared him as he was close to the Lion. The jackal understood this. So he misused his power and position. He became arrogant. He began to bully all the animals in the forest. Seeing the humble behaviour of the other animals, the jackal mistakenly thought that it was due to his personal presence and power. Soon, he was convinced that only the Lion was stronger than him in the entire forest.
In a few days, as the Lion and jackal were wandering in the forest in search of a kill, the jackal saw a lonely elephant at a distance. He pointed to the elephant and said to the Lion: O King, I will hunt the elephant for you. Till today, you gave me your leftovers. Today you will have mine. The lion was shocked at the words of the jackal. The King of the Jungle did not eat leftovers of another animal. He warned the jackal to leave the elephant alone as the elephant was far too strong and larger than the jackal. But the jackal was puffed up with arrogance and pride. He ran down the hill and leaped on the elephant. The elephant was angry and annoyed. He lifted up the jackal with his trunk effortlessly and swatted him against a tree. The jackal was killed instantly.
Pride, arrogance and ego are all causes of spiritual downfall. Those who possess such qualities are tamasic by nature and do not have love or compassion or understanding of others. We need to let go of all negative qualities and vices in us. Such qualities cover our Inner Light. The Light of Self is shrouded within and the guidance and wisdom of the Divine Light are no longer available to us to steer our path in life. Let us do the SitaRam Manta Japa, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru and overcome our pride, arrogance and ego.
