The first step is seeing clearly that the ego—this constantly grasping, comparing, fearing, and desiring self—is the root of suffering. Not just in an abstract way, but in your direct experience.
When one deeply experiences the limitations of egoic living—anxiety, dissatisfaction, attachment, pride, jealousy—it becomes less attractive. This ripening often happens through life experiences, losses, love, or failure. In that sense, suffering becomes grace.
Letting go of the ego doesn’t mean destroying it violently. It means bowing before something deeper, more beautiful, and more real. This is where devotion comes in—not as sentimentality, but as a powerful movement of the heart that dissolves pride and opens us to grace.
This longing—this willingness to be undone—cannot be forced. It arises when the Divine is glimpsed, even if only subtly.
The I is not a fixed entity. It is a mental construct, a bundle of habits, memories, and identifications. When this is seen, not just intellectually but experientially, clinging starts to loosen.
Meditation, self-inquiry (Atma Vichara), and contemplation help here. Questions like
- “Who is the one that wants liberation?”
- “Who am I without a story?”
- “What was I before I was named?”
These inquiries don’t answer with words. They unravel the need for an answer.
The fear of letting go of the ego stems from a deeper fear: “If I drop this identity, will there be anything left?”
The answer from Advaita and the mystics is yes. What remains is what you have always been.
Letting go of ego doesn’t mean annihilation—it means revealing the selfless Self, the boundless awareness in which all experiences rise and fall.
In the Soundarya Lahari, even the beauty of the Goddess is a reflection of the Self’s bliss. So the dissolution of the ego doesn’t lead to cold detachment—it leads to intimate union, divine sweetness, and inner radiance.
Letting go of ego is not a moral issue. It’s a matter of ripeness. Until the fruit is ripe, it clings to the tree. When it’s ready, it falls effortlessly.
What can you do? You can:
- Contemplate deeply.
- Love truth more than your image.
- Stay sincere.
- Be watchful of how the ego reacts.
- Turn toward the Divine, again and again.