Many times, even great people get things wrong. It is not that great people cannot get things wrong. So, even though Bhishma was a great person, he got it wrong. Even if one becomes a devotee of Bhagwan, it means that even after becoming a devotee of Bhagwan, one cannot let go of their ego. Even though Bhishma Pitamah became a devotee of Bhagwan, his ego still continued. And even with Bhagwan, they cannot let go of their ego. Once it is caught, it cannot be let go. If it was not caught from the very beginning, and if one stumbles once or twice, then it happens. Then it can be let go. But now, if the ego is caught, even if one stumbles with it, they will not let it go. So, if Bhishma Dada's ego was caught, he would not let it go, right? Ego is like that. What does this Mahabharat show? What is in the Mahabharat now, what is in the Mahabharat is in all these eras. And what is not in the Mahabharat is nowhere. So, even now, there are all kinds of devotees. There are those like Bhishma Dada, those like Akrur, and those like Arjun, and everyone is there. We have to decide what kind of role we want to fit into. If we want to fit into Bhishma Dada's role, we can do that too, there is no problem with that. If we want to make Bhagwan sweat, we can do that. Don't we say that if we press someone's nose, their mouth opens, that is the logic, right? So we can press someone's nose, we cannot press their mouth much. We can press the nose. Yes? Arjun and Bhishma both had one flaw each, so Bhagwan tried with this one, why didn't He try with the other? It might be that it won't happen. Bhagwan felt that there is no change possible in this. Ego cannot be changed. If there is some flaw, a change can happen. But even Bhagwan cannot change anyone's ego. Even Swaminarayan Bhagwan could not change anyone's ego. And no Bhagwan has been able to do it. If the ego is caught, it cannot be changed. If one has got it wrong in other areas, that can be changed. It seems so. Nowhere in the Mahabharat, since such a question did not arise in the Mahabharat, no answer was given either, but we are figuring it out ourselves. For one whose ego has got it wrong, no change can happen in them. I am like this, so I am like this only. Even if they become a devotee of Bhagwan, it does not change. Still, all the great, there were great devotees in the Mahabharat and they were very, say, very close to Bhagwan, yet none of them let go of their ego. They let go of everything else. Only Arjun let go of his ego, in the entire Mahabharat. Even though they were all great devotees, none of them let go of their ego. Akrurji did not let go, Bhishma Pitamah did not let go. Whatever little they had, they kept it, preserved it, and worked. No one wants to let go of ego, nor do they want to. And should we die by letting go of ego? If we let go of ego, we would die completely. It would be as if we are dead. So, it is not that just because one becomes a devotee of Bhagwan, their ego goes away. Whose ego goes away? Only if one wants to remove it, then it goes. But if we think that this is good only, then why would it go? If it is good, it won't go. Bhishma Pitamah might have thought in his mind, 'Brother, if Shri Krishna Krishna 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan. Tap to open in glossary → So he must have kept some ego. Even after becoming a devotee, he kept it. Other vices appear different from this. So ego does not appear very different. Because whether I want to keep this ego or I don't want to keep it, such awareness does not seem to be there. Actually, the vice of ego is of a different kind altogether. And other vices are of a different kind, both have different qualities. We repeat the ego every day. And we validate it in every matter. And other vices are not validated every day. Even in vices, a person validates their ego. Even if it is a vice, they validate it, thinking that ego is perfectly fine. Does a foolish person have ego or not? If we give a slap, their face turns, that is foolishness. There is pride in foolishness too. Foolishness says, 'There is no fool like me.' So there is pride in foolishness too. So pride joins both sides, the side of the devtas and the side of the asuras. Both respect it. Who respects all other virtues? Only the devtas do, the asuras do not respect virtues. Who respects vices? The asuras do. But the devtas do not. Who respects ego? Both do. Wherever it comes, they don't let it go. So ego is the only vice that is respected on both sides, just like Naradji, wherever he goes, even if he goes to Kansa, Kansa respects him, and if he goes to Bhagwan, Bhagwan also respects him. He is considered good, he is not like that ego. But ego is the only vice that is respected in both places. If they are a devotee of Bhagwan, they also respect it. And if they are a non-devotee, they also respect it. 'There is no one like us. Do you know me?' Who says, 'Do you know me?' Yes? Even with Bhishma Pitamah, see, Bhagwan had taken a vow that 'I will not bear arms in the Mahabharat,' so Bhishma Pitamah got stubborn. 'Who else but me can keep a vow unbroken?' 'Who else but me can keep a vow unbroken?' There should be no one. 'I will make Shri Krishna Krishna 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan. Tap to open in glossary → Sadhus also respect it, don't they respect ego? So all this is there, a little bit. AI translation of the Gujarati transcript above, produced in the same pass that transcribed the audio, one English segment per Gujarati segment. Devotional and technical terms with no precise English equivalent (kirtan, satsang, vasana, samskara, and similar) are kept as their plain transliteration rather than force-translated. Not human-proofread., AI-translated, unverified · Source details