Acharya Prashant explains that the ego is a very small entity that needs to create boundaries to define itself. For its own existence, it has to create divisions. For instance, if one says, "I am a descendant of the Chopra family," a division is immediately created. Now, you are the scion of the Chopra family, and the people living next door are the Kumar family. You have become separate from them; you have to. The Chopra people cannot be the Kumar people; they are two different groups. This happens because you do not know your true self, so you have to adopt a false identity like "Amit Chopra." The moment you become Amit Chopra, you are separate from the Sunil Kumar who lives next door. The partition is done. The ego needs to cling to something to exist, but it is too small to cling to everything. It is like a small mouse that can only enter one person's pocket. The ego is like a free radical; it cannot exist alone for long and will react with something. So, it enters the pocket of "the Chopras." Once it is in one pocket, everyone else becomes a stranger. This is how the line is drawn. Whatever you become, you make one or two your own and the rest of the world strangers. He quotes a song: "Congratulations to you that you have become someone's light. You are so close to someone that you are far from everyone." This is the state of the ego. It must cling to something. For example, "I am from UP." Then the person from Tamil Nadu becomes a stranger. The ego does not have the capacity to say, "I am the complete Truth." It cannot say that. So it says, "I am from UP." This is the game that is played. Pakistan was formed on the basis that Hindus and Muslims are two different nations. But even after separating, they fought among themselves because their languages were different. The Urdu speakers oppressed the Bengali speakers. Even now in Pakistan, the Baloch and Pashtuns want to separate, finding other reasons for division. You will always have to find a reason for division as long as you are not spiritual. This is called violence. Violence is not just hitting someone; violence is the feeling of "I am separate." The ego's compulsion is to say, "I am separate," because at its birth, it said, "I am the body, and the world is separate." Duality is the root of suffering. Where there are two, violence begins, and this violence never stops. The only way to achieve unity is through spirituality. The only point where all humans become one is the Self (Atman). Without the Self, there are only differences. Everything will break and divide. Vedanta is very important if you want to save the nation, the world, humanity, and the environment. The Atman is the only unifying principle. Without it, there is only division.
