The nature of the ego, referred to as ahankara or the chit-jada granthi, is described extensively as a temporary, destructive process that creates the illusion of a continuous, separate self.

Here is a breakdown of the nature and function of the ego:

Definition and Identity

• Component of the Mind: The ego is the third component of the mind, resulting from the dangerous intersection of consciousness (chit) and the autonomous mode (jata). This part is called the chit-jada granthi.
• The Source of Delusion: This separate self, the ego, is the source of all maya, all illusion, and all delusion.
• A Process, Not an Entity: The ego is not actually an entity at all; it’s a process. It is “something your organism is doing but not something your organism is”. It is “something you believe your being is doing but not what your being is”.
• Dominance: This voice of ego is actually the 90% of your life.

The Illusion of Continuity

The ego actively maintains the illusion of a continuous self, which prevents experiencing eternity:

• The Role of the Name: This delusion is triggered by your name, which gives you a false idea of continuity. You get deluded by that one word called your name.
• The Narrator: The voice in your head becomes the narrator of this story, constantly upgrading your biography, constantly telling you who you are. It goes on weaving this fictional character, which you take as yourself.
• Mistaken Identity: This leads to a case of a mistaken identity of the most profound kind.
• Social Convention: This separate self is a useful social convention (like money or the idea of time), which we agree to pretend exists because it makes certain interactions possible. However, the trouble begins when we mistake this convenience for the sake of the truth.
• Consequence: The delusion of continuity stops you experiencing eternity.

The ego personality, referred to as ahankara or the chit-jada granthi, is created through a profound process of mistaken identity and the establishment of a fictional narrative, largely centered on the acceptance of a personal name and the misattribution of internal commands.

Here is a breakdown of how the ego personality is created:

1. The Peculiar Game of the Name and False Continuity

The foundational step in creating the ego personality is the introduction of a personal name and the resulting delusion of continuity.

• Learning the Game: From the moment we learn language, “we are taught a most peculiar game”. We are given a name and told, “you are this”.
• Creating Perceived Continuity: This name links a “collection of sensations feelings experiences” into a single, continuous entity, even though the body, memories, and ideas are constantly changing. For instance, though every cell in the body is replaced (in the Hindu tradition, every 7.5 years), and memories change (some fade, some are embellished, some are fabricated), the name gives the “false idea of continuity”.
• The Consequence: Because of the belief in this false continuity, all the inner monologue and thoughts that occur inside are owned up to, which can lead to executing those thoughts, even “sacrificing your life”. The delusion of continuity stops you from experiencing eternity.

2. Weaving the Fictional Character

The ego maintains its existence by acting as the narrator of this perceived continuous self:

• The Narrator: Through the years, a life story is built—where one was born, to which parents, and when. The voice in the head becomes the narrator of this story, constantly upgrading your biography, constantly telling you who you are.
• The Fictional Self: This continuous narration “goes on weaving this fictional character,” which you then take as yourself. This forms a “case of a mistaken identity of the most profound kind”.
• Nature as a Process: This “separate self” is not a real entity but a process—”something your organism is doing but not something your organism is”. While it is a useful “social convention like a money,” mistaking this convenience for the truth is where the trouble begins.

3. Misattributing Commands (The Chit-Jada Granthi)

The ego is fundamentally created and sustained by the “dangerous mode” of thinking where internal commands are executed, yet mistakenly believed to be generated by the self:

• The Third Component: The ego (ahankara) is the part where thinking enters your consciousness; listening happens consciously, but thinking is not under your control. It is created through the intersection of consciousness (chit) and autonomous thinking (jata), which is tied together by the sounds/words we continuously generate.
• Executing Others’ Commands: In this chit-jada granthi part, the command is generated by “somebody” (the deluded part), and you are only listening, but you believe you are generating that command and executing it. You are “executing somebody else’s command continuously and repenting by mistaking that command is yours”.
• Shaping the Voice: This voice of the ego has been shaped by external experiences, including “Your parents, your education, your books all the books you read the conversations you have had the very culture in which you have grown up”.

By mistaking external and autonomous commands for personal decisions, and by clinging to the illusion of continuity provided by the name, the individual creates and reinforces the ego personality.

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6uFSsAq9KY