The Ego Divides Us
The sense of ‘me and mine’ is the root of suffering and separation from God.
ਹਉਮੈ ਦੀਰਘ ਰੋਗੁ ਹੈ ਦਾਰੂ ਭੀ ਇਸੁ ਮਾਹਿ
Haumai deeragh rog hai, daaroo bhee is maahi
English
Ego is a deep, chronic illness — yet within it also lies its very cure.
Punjabi meaning coming soon
Common thread
Drop the small ‘I’, and the distance to the divine quietly disappears.
Echo
Sanskrit calls it ahaṅkāra, Gurbani calls it haumai — the same ‘I-am-ness’ that all three say must dissolve.
📖 A story to understand
A proud, wealthy man met Guru Nanak, who handed him a needle: ‘Keep it, and return it to me in the next world.’ The man laughed — nothing material can cross over. He understood: only ego makes us cling, and it cannot follow us home.
Traditional sakhi / story (simplified retelling)