Ahaṃkāra (the product of Mahat)

Ahaṃkāra is the product of Mahat. Ahaṃkāra or the ego is the second product of evolution. Ego is the basis of all worldly activities. Ahaṃkāra is abhimāna. The term Ahaṃkāra is used to mean ‘egoism’. The origin of the five tanmātras is from this Ahaṃkāra. Ahaṃkāra is the principle of self-identity or personal identity and, or empirical purposes, stands for the experience, it brings about awareness like, ‘I exist’ and ‘I know’.^[1] The egotism is the Ahaṃkāra principle. The principle of individuality is Ahaṃkāra. The term Ahaṃkāra is formed by the personal pronoun ahaṃ (I) kāra delivered from kṛ to do, make or perform. The kāra can give the sense of making and the abstract sense of ness can be derived from it as in the case of andhakāra, darkness etc. thus the term Ahaṃkāra, in the Sāṃkhya Philosophy, means ‘I’-ness. Consequently it is used to mean the individualising principle. Abhimāna is the function of Ahaṃkāra,^[2] which is the basis of all the worldly activities. Vaikṛta, tejasa and bhūtādi are the technical terms which indicate the three aspect of Ahaṃkāra, which is the agent of all the other products, evolve based on Ahaṃkāra. Its products are grouped in to two. The set of eleven (organs) and the five tanmātras. The eleven organs come from the Vaikṛta Ahaṃkāra, the five Tanmātras from its Bhūtādi form, and both proceed from the taijasa form.