Mananam

222 Atma Vichara with Sruti Focusing on Ego or individuality and empowering it causes us to ignore the basis or the power of awareness which illumines even the Ego. So unless we make ego - 2nd class citizen and Self (pure awareness) as the Real Me - ego is taking us for a ride.  First Ego, then Ego related activities ~ doership and enjoyership. If one is established in one's Svat..Self then Ego or the associated doership/enjoyership are not harmful, in themselves. The problem is ignoring our Self - Ignoring Self is Ignorance.  Hence anything other than Atma Vidya (which is also Para Vidya) is labelled Apara Vidya by Mundaka Sruti.  However, once we recognize the Self, which illumines the "Ego", by regularly recognizing the Self as - I am Self of the nature of pure awareness and accepting it as Self-Evident Fact, as True Experience, as Real Me ~ we shall separate the Ego from the Self as One separates a stalk from the Munja grass , as Katha Upanisad exclaims (Ka.Up.2.3.1

sūrya   oṃ bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ tatsaviturvareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt ..      oṃ ādityāya vidmahe sahasrakiraṇāya dhīmahi tanno bhānuḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ prabhākarāya vidmahe divākarāya dhīmahi tannaḥ sūryaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ aśvadhvajāya vidmahe pāśahastāya dhīmahi tannaḥ sūryaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ bhāskarāya vidmahe mahaddyutikarāya dhīmahi tanna ādityaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ ādityāya vidmahe sahasrakarāya dhīmahi tannaḥ sūryaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ bhāskarāya vidmahe mahātejāya dhīmahi tannaḥ sūryaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ bhāskarāya vidmahe mahāddyutikarāya dhīmahi tannaḥ sūryaḥ pracodayāt ..   candra   oṃ kṣīraputrāya vidmahe mahākālāya dhīmahi tannaścandraḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ niśākarāya vidmahe kalānāthāya dhīmahi tannaḥ somaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ kṣīraputrāya vidmahe amṛtatattvāya dhīmahi tannaścandraḥ pracodayāt ..   aṃgāraka, bhauma, maṅgala, kuja   oṃ vīradhvajāya vidmahe vighnahastāya dhīmahi tanno bhaumaḥ pracodayāt ..   oṃ aṃgāra