How to eradicate ignorance and egoism?

The only desire that will lead the mind towards the liberation from ignorance and egoism, is the intense yearning towards liberation.

All kinds of yoga and meditation practice of many different paths, as well as all kinds of actions, duties and responsibilities in everyday life, if being performed under the correct understanding and right effort, where regardless of whether it's any particular type of yoga and meditation practice of any particular path under certain names and forms, or it's any particular actions, duties and responsibilities in everyday life under certain names and forms, they are not different or separated from one another, if the practitioner knows how to incorporate non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment and non-expectation into all kinds of actions in daily life, or into the yoga and meditation practice, will lead the mind towards the eradication of egoism, that will also lead towards thinning out of the idea of 'I' and the veil of ignorance.

All kinds of different yoga practice under different names and forms serve their particular purpose to be influencing the state of the mind in certain way respectively, to be rendering the mind calm, attentive and quiet to prepare the mind for deep meditation and self-inquiry towards the truth of names and forms. However, all these practices themselves as well as their many momentary side-effects or physical and mental health and fitness benefits, don't lead the mind towards self-realization, if without the annihilation of the idea of 'I' or the ego from the mind, by incorporating non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment and non-expectation into all kinds of actions, in the regular yoga and meditation practice under certain names and forms, and in the duties and responsibilities in everyday life.

The most effective way to be eliminating the ego and egoism is through the observation of dispassion, silence, seclusion, solitude and renunciation, to be moving the mind away from the worldly passionate egoistic ideas, thinking, belief, values, practice, interactions, activities, affairs, communications, ties and connections for a prolonged period.

One doesn't necessarily need to be performing any kind of yoga practice under certain names and forms to be eradicating ignorance and egoism, to attain self-realization towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence. The impermanent physical condition, ability/disability, limitation, strength and flexibility, and the impermanent different states of the mind, as well as all kinds of momentary physical and mental effects and benefits deriving from the regular yoga and meditation practice, cannot and do not determine whether the mind will be free from ignorance and egoism, or not.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha didn't need to perform any kinds of yoga practice under certain names and forms to be attaining self-realization towards knowing the truth of suffering and the truth of selflessness and impermanence in all kinds of names and forms. It's the intense yearning for liberation from suffering, the observation of dispassion, renunciation, silence, seclusion, solitude, self-reliance, self-discipline, self-inquiry, meditation, determination, perseverance, and taking the middle path for a prolonged period that led him towards the attainment of self-realization. Before the attainment of self-realization, he was also under the influence of ignorance, being ignorant towards selflessness and impermanence, and the cause of suffering, which ignited the intense yearning towards liberation from ignorance in him, in order to know the truth of suffering, which led him renounced the worldly life of a prince, and plunged into intense practice under intense determination, until he attained self-realization.

Similarly, Swami Sivananda also realized that being a medical doctor and all kinds of medical drugs and treatments cannot liberate oneself or others from ignorance and the suffering deriving from ignorance, and ignited the intense yearning towards liberation from ignorance and suffering in himself, so that he could help all the others who are under the influence of ignorance, to also be liberated from the root cause of suffering, which led him renounced the worldly life of a medical doctor from a higher caste family background, and plunged into intense practice, until he attained self-realization.

None need to be ashamed of, or be intimidated by the presence of ignorance in oneself, that give rise to incorrect or confused understanding in oneself, before self-realization or the annihilation of ignorance and egoism takes place.

The intense yearning for liberation will lead the mind towards performing all kinds of actions under right attention, right effort, right understanding, right discrimination and right practice, while observing dispassion, renunciation, silence, seclusion, solitude, self-reliance, self-discipline, self-inquiry, meditation, determination, perseverance and the middle path, which will eventually lead towards the thinning out of the veil of ignorance and egoism, that lead towards knowing the truth of suffering and the root cause of suffering, where the intense yearning for liberation and all kinds of practices or observations will drop-off from the mind naturally, upon knowing the truth of suffering, upon knowing Thyself, upon realizing selflessness, oneness, non-separateness, attributelessness, namelessness, formlessness, timelessness, birthlessness or deathlessness, where the annihilation of the selfless restless modification of the selfless mind takes place, effortlessly and intentionlessly, upon the total annihilation of all desires, including the intense yearning for liberation.

Inquire the truth of everything, and be free.