SOURCE OF EGO AND IGNORANCE

   It is in the nature of everyone to strive for happiness and avoid sorrow.  We think and act to meet this end.  Yet, at many times, we do not succeed and end up with opposite results. We have no control over out thoughts, actions and the end results.  Obviously, our knowledge and action are influenced and impaired by something which Saivism calls anavam.  Anavam is the source of our ego and ignorance.

Original Impurity

   Our ability to know, act and desire is impaired by this sutble entity, anavam.  Like the husk of paddy or verdigiris on copper, anavam is associated with the soul from time immemorial.  It is an inherent pre-cosmic evil and the root cause of misery, and it is not in the nature of the soul.  Ignorance, darkness and ego are some of the names by which it is called.  Anavam means that which make the soul small, like an atom.

   We think before we act.  Our action is based on our thought which depends on our knowledge.  Ignorance which causes obstacle to our knowledge is, therefore, the base of our problem.  We also fail to take a balanced view and act wrongly because of our arrogance.  The source of this is our ego.  Anavam which is the source of ignorance and ego is considered as the original impurity or moolamalam.  Karma and maya help to remove the fetters of anavam.

Nature of Anavam

   Anavam impairs soul's capabilities in two ways.  By itself a obscures soul's power of knowing.  This is its true or special nature and is called its sorupalakshanam.

   In another way, in association with karma and maya, it makes the soul to know mistakenly.  Karma and maya enable the soul to improve its capability of knowing.  They act as dim light in darkness and help us to form an unclear picture, often an incorrect picture of things.  This again is due to anavam.  This is the general nature of anavam and is called thadasthalakshanam.

   Karma and maya act like lamp in darkness.  In the dim light soul often experience difficulties.  This is actually due to the darkness of anavam. Without understanding it, other religions mistakenly blame karma and maya as sources of our problems.  Except Saivism, other religions do not speak of anavam.

Function of Anavam

   By itself and in associatin with karma and maya, anavam acts in seven ways and causes the following problems:

1. Moham - Through capable of knowing and avoiding evil things or deeds, still we act to the contrary.

2. Matham - Thinking high of us and our deeds.

3. Ragam - Knowing that a thing is not within our reach, still we crave to get it.

4. Kavalai - Thinking and feeling sorrowful as to whether we get what is due to us or not, whether we obtain the fruit of our labour or not, whether our possession will leave us or not, etc,.

5. Thapam - Inability to bear the loss or likely loss of something closer to us.

6. Vaatam - Sorrow caused by the above.

7. Visishtram - Though we are the cause of our pleasure and pain, we blame others for them.

   Though it is a common practice to compare anavam with darkness, it is worse than darkness.  Darkness obsures the objects but show itself.  Anavam obsures both.  Like darkness, anavam is one and not many.

   When the soul evolves spiritually and receives divine light or divine grace, the fetters of anavam get weekened and removed.