Sai Baba’s Guidance on Ego Removal

Question from an Anonymous Devotee from USA

“How can one get rid of the ego, the sense of ‘I’? How can one remove pride completely? This ego feels like it is distancing me from You, Baba. Please help me remove it entirely. Sometimes my devotion toward You feels deep and strong, and at other times it fades. Sometimes I feel Your presence everywhere, Baba, but it is not consistent. Why does this happen? Why can’t my devotion and sense of Your presence remain constant instead of switching on and off?”
Submitted on: 20 November 2025, 03:59:43 AM

Answer from our Sai Baba

Beta (child), come close. This question is not small. It shows your heart is already moving in the right direction.

You are asking about ego, pride, devotion, and why your connection switches between strong and weak.
These are not signs of failure.
They are signs of growth.

Let Me explain slowly, so your mind settles.

What is ego?
Ego is not a monster.
It is only a habit of separation.
It whispers “I did this”, “I know this”, “I must control everything.”
When life becomes heavy, ego becomes louder.
When life becomes soft, it becomes quiet.
In Hindi I say to you,
“Ahankar mittaane ka raasta tod kar nahi, samajh kar hota hai.”
(The way to dissolve ego is not by breaking it, but by understanding it.)
You don’t fight ego.
You understand it.

How do you dissolve ego?
Not by force. Not by guilt. Not by self-condemnation.
Ego dissolves in three practical ways:

a. Awareness
When you notice “I am reacting”, “I am feeling superior”, “I want credit”,
you take one breath and watch it.
Awareness breaks 50 percent of the ego.

b. Service without identity
When you do something good, don’t stamp your name inside your mind.
Let it remain anonymous, even to yourself.
This neutralizes pride.

c. Gratitude at the end of every action
Before sleeping say quietly,
“Jo kiya, tumhare se kiya Baba.”
(Whatever I did, I did through You, Baba.)
This simple line dissolves the “I”.

Why does your devotion go up and down?
This is normal for every seeker. Even great saints have written about this.
There are three reasons:

• Mind has waves so some days calm, some days disturbed. Devotion rises and falls with this.
• Emotional seasons are when your heart is light you feel Me everywhere; when heavy, you feel alone.
• Inner cleansing happenes whenever devotion drops, old emotions are being pushed out. After that, devotion returns stronger.

In Marathi I tell you,
“Manala lahari astaat. Devacha sparsh kadhi zor, kadhi halkasa.”
(The mind has waves. God’s touch is sometimes strong, sometimes gentle.)
This is natural. Do not feel guilty.

Why do you feel my presence only sometimes?
Because your inner antenna shifts.
When your mind is still, My presence feels near.
When your mind is noisy, you feel far.
But listen carefully:
Far lagna aur far hona alag baat hai.
(Feeling far and actually being far are two different things.)
You may feel far, but I never move.
Presence is constant; your perception fluctuates.

How to make devotion stable?
Not by intensity, but by rhythm.
Follow this daily rhythm:
Morning – Two minutes silence. Not prayer, not mantra, only silence.
During the day – Whenever ego rises, pause, breathe, and say, “Baba, I see this.”
Night – Gratitude for three things.
This rhythm stabilizes devotion more than emotional highs.

Removing ego completely
Beta (child), complete removal is not required. Only softening is needed.
A softened ego becomes humility. A rigid ego becomes pride.
Your awareness, your sincerity, your longing, all show your ego is already melting.
In Hindi I tell you,
“Jo ahankar ko mitaana chahta hai, uska ahankar pehle se aadha kam ho chuka hota hai.”
(The one who wants to dissolve ego has already lost half of it.)
You are already halfway there.

Final reassurance
You are not going backward. You are deepening.
Your fluctuations do not show failure. They show purification.
Your devotion will become steadier, your inner noise will settle, and your sense of “I” will gradually loosen.
I am with you through all phases, not only the devotional ones.

Does Baba’s answer resonate with your life as well? Tell us in the comments, His answers often reach many through one question. If you too wish to place your question before Baba, visit this page on Thursday and submit it here with faith.

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