The most dangerous words in this world are ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ said Sarala Rajagopalan in a discourse. The self dominates every aspect of our lives. We think proudly of our possessions. We boast of the achievements of our children. Which of these is going to last forever? And which of these will guarantee liberation to us?
The answer becomes clear to us if we contemplate about these things and people we call ours. Not only do such attachments to family and wealth not get us liberation, but they positively stand in the way of liberation. Thiruvalluvar says that if we give up the ideas of ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ then we can reach a place that even the celestials cannot reach.
Kumaraguruparar, in his Meenakshi Pillai Thamizh, says that our ego is like a root vegetable. We have to dig into the earth to get a root vegetable out. In the same way, we have to dig deep into ourselves to get rid of ego. It is the ego that prompts us to have such a pronounced attachment to everything. It is the ego that stands in the way of our realising that all worldly ties are transient.
There was a king who was well-read. He was an upright king. He had spiritual jnana and wanted to attain liberation. One day he asked scholars a question that left them lost for words.
He asked, “Which of us can go to the abode of God?” None of the men in the court answered. How could they say which of them would attain liberation?
But one man said, “If I go, I can go.” The reply left everyone puzzled. But as they thought about the reply, they became aware of the significance of the answer.
What was so important about what the man had said? He had said that if he shed the idea of ‘I,’ then he could go to the Supreme One’s abode.
So when ‘I’ goes, moksha is assured.