Day–32 Topic: Sadness and the Ego — Why Do We Feel Hurt?

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Continuing the same story of the four friends, we now go one step deeper. Yesterday we understood that sadness is born from the dvandvas — likes and dislikes, gains and losses. Today we ask: Why does sadness hurt so much? The answer lies in the ahaṅkāra — the ego. When one friend is given a death sentence, the others feel as though something has happened to them. The event touches their sense of “I” and “mine.” The deeper the identification, the sharper the pain. Sadness hurts because the ego feels threatened, deprived, or broken. It is not merely the situation — it is the inner claim: “This should not have happened to me.” The Bhagavad Gītā teaches us to rise above this identification by maintaining sameness in the pairs of opposites and acting according to our Dharma. When the ego loosens, hurt reduces. When identification weakens, calmness increases. Thus, sadness is not only disturbance of the mind — it is disturbance of the ego. Through right understanding (Advaita-jñāna — I know rightly), and by performing our Dharma with balance, we slowly free ourselves from being inwardly hurt. Hari aum.