Hankaar, Hankār or Ahankar (Gurmukhi: ਹੰਕਾਰ), is the

Gurmukhi Gurmukhī ( pa, ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). It is used by Punjabi Sikhs to write the language, commonly r ...

word originated from a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word Ahankāra (Hindi or Sanskrit: अहंकार) which translates to mean ego or excessive pride due to one's possessions, material

wealth Wealth is the abundance of Value (economics), valuable financial assets or property, physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for financial transaction, transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the ...

, spirituality, beauty, talents, physical strength,

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

, authoritative powers, charity work etc. It gives an individual the feeling that he is superior to others and therefore they are at a lower level than he is. It leads to

envy Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another's quality, skill, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it. Aristotle defined envy as pain at the sight of another's good fortune, stirred b ...

, feelings of enmity, and restlessness amongst people. It occurs in a person only when the person is in देह बुद्धि i.e. when he consider himself a 'body' only (as a soul, we possess body). So, ahemkaar is a product of अस्मिता loss of true identity.

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

requires that a person serves society and community with

Nimrata Nimrata (Gurmukhi: ਨਿਮਰਤਾ ''nimaratā'') is an important virtue that is vigorously promoted by Gurbani and Sikh history. The literal translation of this Punjabi word is "Humility", or "Benevolence". The other four qualities in the ars ...

or humility. This is obtained by

Sewa Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), meaning "service" in several Indian languages, is a trade union based in Ahmedabad, India, that promotes the rights of low-income, independently employed female workers. With over 1.6 million particip ...

and hence, one sees the practice of devotees cleaning the footwear of visitors to a

Gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

so that the mind of devout Sikh is made more humble. This Cardinal Evil is often regarded by

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s as the worst of the

Five Evils In Sikhism, the Five Thieves (Punjabi: ਪੰਜ ਚੋਰ ''paja cōra''), also called the five vices (Punjabi: ਪੰਜ ਬੁਰਾਈਆਂ ''paja burā'ī'āṁ''), are the five major weaknesses of the human personality at variance with its ...

. They feel that pride leads to

Haumai ''Haumai'' ( Punjabi: ਹਉਮੈ) is the concept of self-centeredness (egoism or '' Ahankar'') in Sikhism. This concept was taught by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, as the source of five evils: lust, covetousness, wrath, pride and attachm ...

because it makes people believe that they are the most important thing in life and leads to self-centredness. The following Shabads from

Gurbani Gurbani ( pa, ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ) is a Sikh term, very commonly used by Sikhs to refer to various compositions by the Sikh Gurus and other writers of Guru Granth Sahib. In general, hymns in the central text of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, ...

clarify this cardinal vice: * The world is drunk, engrossed in sexual desire, anger and egotism. (

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

Page 51 line 2070) * Renounce sexual desire, anger, falsehood and slander;
forsake Maya and eliminate egotistical pride. (

Page 141 line 5766) * The duality of Maya dwells in the consciousness of the people of the world. They are destroyed by sexual desire, anger and egotism. ((1)) (

Page 223 line 9561) * They complain about other peoples' faults, while their own self-conceit only increases. (

Page 366 line 16693) * In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, redeem your mind, and adore the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Sexual desire, anger and egotism will be dispelled, and all troubles shall end. ((2)) (

Page 501 line 22390)

References

{{Reflist Sikh terminology