“If someone corrects you, and you feel offended, then you have an EGO problem.”
– Nouman Ali Khan
 
Kabir – The couplet
अहंग अग्नि ह्रदय दहे, गुरुते चाहे मन ।
तिन्हो को यम न्योता देहि, तुम हो मेरे मेजमन||

Transliterated:
Ahang Agni Hriday Dahe, Gurute Chahe Man |
Tinho Ko Yam Nyota Dehi, Tum Ho Mere Mejman||

Translation:
Ego burns a devastating fire in the heart, demands respect from even the Guru |
To such does the Lord of Death send an invitation, you are my special guest ||

My understanding:
Who is the Ultimate Guru? We say God, but then also say – “Aham Bhrahmasmi”. So that clear, lustrous, untouched pure soul – which is our true and real Self – is God, and also the Ultimate Guru.

However, the false construct called ego, in the pursuit of instant gratification, demands instant reciprocation without really thinking through either demand or consequence.

To find this Guru, we need a teacher who can help us overcome the drive of the Aham for long enough to see beyond.

However, the false construct called ego, in the pursuit of instant gratification, demands instant reciprocation without really thinking through either demand or consequence. It expects the Guru to pat me on my back for every stupidity and utterance, blocking my every attempt to learn my true identity. That leads me to lose Gurus at every moment and continue my walk into ever darker corners. That walk is the definition of “living death”.

If you see a person talking to himself, even in today’s world, we conclude that he is either on the phone or delusional. Yet, through our subservience to our ego, we all practice this exact behavior every moment, and do not call or consider ourselves mad or wrong.

Once we free our self from this subservience, we can then put the ego to its true purpose – to help us work our way to finding our true self!

The Tejabindu Upanishad says:
“Öm agamya gamya karta cha Gurumanärtha mämasa.
Mukhäni trini bindänti tridhäma Hangsa uchate.”
 
One who has centered the focus on the Self finds perfect equilibrium, and feels three kinds of joy and bliss in that perfect stillness.

This is what we need to look for to find ourselves. And then let the Self lead us to our true purpose.