अहंकार (ahankaar)
noun
A noun meaning ego or arrogance/pride, used both in the everyday sense of an inflated sense of self and in the more philosophical Hindu sense of the ego-principle that separates the self from the divine.
Sense
1
:
arrogance, excessive pride
noun, masculine
Synonyms: घमंड (ghamand), गुरूर (guroor), अभिमान (abhimaan)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you'll hear a mother or a friend use to scold someone: उसे अपने पैसे का अहंकार है (use apne paise kaa ahankaar hai, 'he is arrogant about his money'). घमंड (ghamand) is its everyday twin and is used almost interchangeably in casual speech, while अहंकार (ahankaar) leans slightly more introspective or moralizing, the kind of word a grandmother or a spiritual guru might use.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use अहंकार (ahankaar) for simple self-confidence; it always carries a negative, critical tone in everyday speech -- it means pride that has gone too far, not healthy self-respect. 2) Don't confuse with आत्मविश्वास (aatmvishvaas), which is the neutral/positive word for 'self-confidence'.
Sample Sentences:
उसे अपने पैसे का बहुत अहंकार है।
He is very arrogant about his money.
(use apne paise kaa bahut ahankaar hai।)
इतना अहंकार अच्छा नहीं होता, बेटा।
So much arrogance isn't good, son.
(itnaa ahankaar achchhaa nahiin hotaa, betaa।)
उसका अहंकार उसकी सफलता से भी बड़ा हो गया था।
His arrogance had grown even bigger than his success.
(uskaa ahankaar uskii saphaltaa se bhii badaa ho gayaa thaa।)
अगर उसमें इतना अहंकार न होता, तो लोग उसे और पसंद करते।
If he didn't have so much arrogance, people would like him more.
(agar usmen itnaa ahankaar n hotaa, to log use aur pasand karte।)
अपने पद का अहंकार मत पालो।
Don't nurture arrogance about your position.
(apne pad kaa ahankaar mat paalo।)
दादी कहती हैं कि अहंकार इंसान को अंदर से खोखला कर देता है।
Grandmother says that arrogance hollows a person out from within.
(daadii kahtii hain ki ahankaar insaan ko andar se khokhlaa kar detaa hai।)
क्या तुम्हें अपनी डिग्री का इतना अहंकार होना चाहिए?
Should you really be so arrogant about your degree?
(kyaa tumhen apnii digrii kaa itnaa ahankaar honaa chaahie?)
गुरुजी ने समझाया कि अहंकार को त्यागे बिना शांति नहीं मिलती।
The guru explained that without giving up arrogance, one cannot find peace.
(gurujii ne samjhaayaa ki ahankaar ko tyaage binaa shaanti nahiin miltii।)
समय के साथ उसका अहंकार टूट गया।
Over time, his arrogance was broken.
(samay ke saath uskaa ahankaar toot gayaa।)
अहंकार में आकर उसने सबकी सलाह ठुकरा दी।
Swept up in arrogance, he rejected everyone's advice.
(ahankaar men aakar usne sabkii salaah thukraa dii।)
उसका अहंकार कभी झुकाया नहीं जा सका।
His arrogance could never be humbled.
(uskaa ahankaar kabhii jhukaayaa nahiin jaa sakaa।)
Sense
2
:
the ego (as a philosophical/spiritual concept)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: अहम् (aham, literary/philosophical), मैं-भाव (main-bhaav, the 'I-feeling')
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: In yogic and Vedantic thought, अहंकार (ahankaar) names the psychological faculty that makes a person feel like a separate 'I' -- the very thing spiritual practice tries to dissolve. You'll meet this sense in discourse on the Bhagavad Gita or in a guru's sermon, less so in daily chit-chat, where the first, more critical sense dominates.
Sample Sentences:
अहंकार ही मनुष्य को परमात्मा से अलग करता है।
It is the ego alone that separates man from the Supreme Soul.
(ahankaar hii manushy ko parmaatmaa se alag kartaa hai।)
गीता में कृष्ण कहते हैं कि अहंकार का त्याग किए बिना मुक्ति संभव नहीं है।
In the Gita, Krishna says that liberation is not possible without renouncing the ego.
(giitaa men krishn kahte hain ki ahankaar kaa tyaag kie binaa mukti sambhav nahiin hai।)
जब तक अहंकार बना रहेगा, आत्मज्ञान नहीं होगा।
As long as the ego remains, self-knowledge will not arise.
(jab tak ahankaar banaa rahegaa, aatmgyaan nahiin hogaa।)
स्वामी जी ने कहा कि अहंकार को मिटाए बिना कोई साधक आगे नहीं बढ़ सकता।
The swami said that no seeker can progress without erasing the ego.
(svaamii jii ne kahaa ki ahankaar ko mitaae binaa koii saadhak aage nahiin badh saktaa।)
यदि अहंकार न होता, तो जीव और ब्रह्म में कोई भेद न रहता।
If the ego did not exist, there would be no distinction between the individual soul and the Absolute.
(yadi ahankaar n hotaa, to jiiv aur brahm men koii bhed n rahtaa।)
अहंकार वही परदा है जो आत्मा को उसके वास्तविक स्वरूप से छिपाए रखता है।
The ego is the very veil that keeps the soul hidden from its true nature.
(ahankaar vahii pardaa hai jo aatmaa ko uske vaastvik svaroop se chhipaae rakhtaa hai।)
साधना का उद्देश्य यही है कि अहंकार धीरे-धीरे विलीन हो जाए।
The purpose of spiritual practice is precisely that the ego should gradually dissolve.
(saadhnaa kaa uddeshy yahii hai ki ahankaar dhiire-dhiire viliin ho jaae।)
उपनिषदों में अहंकार को अज्ञान का मूल कारण बताया गया है।
In the Upanishads, the ego is described as the root cause of ignorance.
(upnishdon men ahankaar ko agyaan kaa mool kaaran bataayaa gayaa hai।)
गुरु जी ने शिष्यों से कहा, अहंकार को त्यागो और स्वयं को सबसे जोड़ो।
The guru told the disciples, 'Renounce the ego and unite yourself with everyone.'
(guru jii ne shishyon se kahaa, ahankaar ko tyaago aur svayan ko sabse jodo।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
अहंकार
(ahankaar)
(sg.m.oblique):
अहंकार
(ahankaar)
(pl.m.direct):
अहंकार
(ahankaar)
(pl.m.oblique):
अहंकारों
(ahankaaron)