Ahankara

Ahankara (literally "the maker of the I") is the principle of false ego in Sankhya philosophy and Vaishnava theology, responsible for the mistaken identification of the eternal soul (atma) with the material body, mind, and temporary possessions. According to Vedic cosmology, ahankara arises from the mahat-tattva (total cosmic intelligence) as the second element in the chain of material creation, introducing the notion of separate individuality and ownership ("I am this," "this is mine") into conditioned consciousness. Ahankara manifests in three modes according to the gunas: in the mode of goodness (sattva) it generates the knowledge senses, in the mode of passion (rajas) it generates the action senses, and in the mode of ignorance (tamas) it generates the five gross elements. In the practice of bhakti-yoga, the dissolution of the false ego does not mean the annihilation of personality, but the revelation of the soul's true spiritual identity as the eternal servant of Krishna. The chanting of the holy names (harinama) and selfless service (seva) are the most effective means for weakening the ahankara and awakening the original spiritual consciousness.