Dissolving the Mirage - The Subtle Trap of Becoming Falsely Proud
The material world is a place where every living entity is struggling for prominence, often using birth, wealth, and education as the basis for their ego. Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies becoming proud as a subtle trap that not only ruins our material relationships but also acts as a complete barrier to spiritual inquiry. This article examines the dangerous nature of material pride and the Lord’s intervention to submerge such arrogance in the nectar of humility.
Mirage of Material Qualifications
Śrīla Prabhupāda often describes material opulence—wealth, high birth, and education—as the very things that cause a person to become proud. He explains that this mentality is like a mirage in the desert; a foolish person thinks he has found a reservoir of water, but he is actually moving further into the heat of illusion. When a person becomes proud of their intelligence or parentage, they often refuse to accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which leads to a dangerous spiritual falldown.
- Princes offered prayers to Krsna, "Under the influence of Your illusory energy, such a foolish so-called ruler or king becomes falsely proud of his position, just like a foolish person who considers a mirage in the desert a reservoir of water."
- One who takes birth in a pious family or in a brahminical family often becomes very puffed up and proud, thinking, - I am a brahmana; I am a pious man.
- He (Krsna) gives you a little intelligence; therefore, you can become proud of your intelligence. But as soon as He likes, He can withdraw immediately, and you become forgetful.
Erosion of Spiritual Life and Character
The most severe consequence of becoming proud is that it immediately nullifies all other spiritual qualities. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that even if a person is highly educated and has controlled their senses, as soon as they become proud, "everything becomes zero." This arrogance makes a person like a "dead man" even in their lifetime because they lose the ability to respect those more elevated than them. Furthermore, pride is the root cause of social and domestic ruin, turning human beings into "cats and dogs" who fight over false identities of nationality or prestige.
- A person who in this life becomes falsely proud, thinking "I am great," and who thus fails to show proper respect to one more elevated than he by birth, austerity, education, behavior, caste or spiritual order, is like a dead man even in this lifetime.
- If one becomes falsely proud, then where is his spiritual qualification? Everything is lost, everything gone - immediately. So in spite of his all good qualifications, if he is simply proud, then everything becomes zero.
- As soon as the wife becomes proud of her parentage, her pride creates great misunderstanding between the husband and wife, and their nuptial life is ruined.
Paradox of Pride in Service
Interestingly, Śrīla Prabhupāda introduces a spiritual paradox: while material pride is a chain of bondage, pride in being a "servant of Kṛṣṇa" is a cause for liberation. He notes that a devotee might become proud of the Lord's causeless mercy or their position as His confidential servant. This is not the arrogance of the false ego, but the healthy pride of knowing one's true identity. To prevent this spiritual pride from ever slipping back into material conceit, the Lord sometimes exhibits His power to "dissipate the devotee's misunderstanding," as He did when the Gopīs became proud during the rāsa-līlā.
- I am a servant of Krsna. That is very nice. One has got the tendency to become proud. So if one is proud to become a cats and dog or a tiger or a so-called big man of this material world, that is for his bondage.
- The gopis became proud of their great fortune. To subdue their sense of superiority and show them special favor, Kesava, the subduer of even Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, disappeared from the rasa dance.
- If you become proud by becoming the most confidential servant of Krsna, the same pride is for your liberation.
Conclusion
The act of becoming proud is a symptom of our separation from Kṛṣṇa and our attachment to a temporary, material body. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while we may talk "all nonsense" and be proud of our education or scientific advancement today, at the moment of death, nature takes complete control. The only lasting solution is to accept the humble position taught by the paramparā system. By becoming proud to be a servant of the Lord and using every qualification in His service, we dissolve the mirage of the false ego and find the steady reservoir of transcendental bliss.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Becoming Proud. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.