Forty Attributes of Arrogance from Mahabharata

Mahabharata, one of the greatest and oldest of the Vedic scriptures, states that the material world was created for arrogant people. People who compete with each other, who are full of material desires, and are always busy and never satisfied. We take pride in being independent not only from each other but also from the Creator.

Vedic scriptures proclaim the law saying that a living being can find true happiness only in relationship with other living beings, not in material things like wealth, reputation, or power. We need to learn to use material things and enjoy relationships with others although we try to enjoy material stuff and use other living beings.

According to Vedic knowledge, arrogance is the root of all sixteen types of dirt that is present in the human heart.  In Sanskrit, arrogance is called sva-pratistha (the desire for fame or pride). All our weaknesses, such as jealousy, anger, lust, delusion, greed, and so on, are rooted in arrogance.

Arrogance leads to an enormous number of errors, causing suffering to ourselves and others. That is why the Vedas say that a living being should overcome this quality to get rid of all other imperfections originating from it. We need to cleanse the heart from all that binds us, what does not allow us to show the huge inner potential that is hidden under the thick layer of arrogance.

Here are the forty sings of arrogance within us.

1. Conviction that I am always right
2. Patronizing attitude towards others
3. Sense of self-importance
4. Deprecation of oneself and others
5. The idea that I am better than others are – boasting
6. The tendency to put an opponent at a disadvantage
7. Desire to control the situation without taking responsibility for it
8. Haughty attitude, vanity
9. Flaunting of wealth, clothes, and other things
10. Not allowing others to help
11. Taking an impossible task
12. Overworking
13. Desire to attract attention
14. Touchiness caused by desire to control
15. Excessive talkativeness (See Prajalpa – Idle Talking that Destroys our Destiny)
16. Excessive sensitivity or insensitivity
17. Too much attention to oneself, constant looking in the mirror
18. Worrying about what others are thinking or saying of you
19. Intentional use of words that others do not know or do not understand
20. Feeling of worthlessness
21. Not forgiveness of self and others
22. Desire to idealize oneself or others
23. Different patterns of behavior with different people
24. Ingratitude
25. Ignoring “little” people
26. Inattentiveness (when studying Holy Scriptures)
27. Speaking daggers
28. Raising voice in anger and annoyance
29. Rebellion and criticism of authorities (God, Guru, Holy person or Holy Scriptures)
30. Lack of self-esteem
31. Recklessness and foolishness
32. Unfairness towards oneself and others
33. Inability to compromise
34. The desire always to have the last word
35. Unwillingness to share one’s knowledge in order to control the situation
36. Inattention or excessive attention to the physical body
37. The desire to solve other people’s problems (when they are not asking for it)
38. Prejudging people by their appearance
39. Excessive self-esteem
40. Sarcasm, striving to make fun of others

TODAY’S TIP:

The true deliverance from the quality of arrogance is possible after we find an answer to the questions: Who am I? What is the universe around me?  What is my right position here? After realizing that we are neither creators nor controllers here, a true harmony with the world might be possible.