EGO

Ego is "I"-consciousness, awareness of a separate individuality from Atman, or God.  Sri Ramakrishna liked to distinguish between two kind of ego, which he termed "unripe" and "ripe."  The unripe ego is worldly, arrogant, and self-centered.  The ripe ego considers itself a child, servant, or devotee of God, incapable of injuring anyone.  The ripe ego is also known as the ego of knowledge or devotion, and is the ego used by those illumined souls who teach spirituality to others.