The main function of the false ego is to foster atheism. When a being forgets his natural position of spiritual soul, of divine spark eternally subordinate to the Supreme Lord, and seeks happiness independently of Him, he broadly develops two attitudes: first, he indulges in action for a long time interested in order to gain some personal advantage or to satisfy his senses, then, after having exhausted himself and frustrated with this kind of pursuit, he takes the path of philosophical speculation, and he comes to believe himself the equal of God. This mistaken feeling of being one with God is the last trap of illusory energy, which keeps the prisoner in the chains of oblivion, and places him entirely under the spell of the false ego.

The best way to break free from the grip of the false ego is to give up speculative habits with regard to Absolute Truth, God. It must be known without question that Absolute Truth cannot be realized through the philosophical conjectures of a selfish being and subject to imperfection. The Absolute Truth, or God, the Supreme Person is realized by the being who listens with submission and love to the words of an authority on the matter, the authentic spiritual master servant of Krishna, God, the Supreme Person. By this effort alone he can overcome the illusory energy of the Lord, which for everyone else will remain insurmountable.

The Lord says: “The energy which constitutes the three gunas (the three attributes and modes of influence of the material nature; virtue, passion and ignorance), this divine energy, Mine, one cannot, without evil, exceed it . But who surrenders to Me easily crosses its limits.”

The false ego, or identification with matter, is ruled by the celestial being by the name of Rudra, which is a manifestation of Siva. Rudra is the emanation of the Supreme Lord who controls ignorance in the material universe. The activities of the false ego are all based on the body and the mind. Thus, most of the beings dominated by the false ego are under the tutelage of Siva. When a man reaches a more refined level of ignorance, he comes to take himself for the Supreme Lord. This selfish conviction of the conditioned soul is the last trap of the illusory energy which rules the whole material universe.

Strict law governs the struggle for survival.

Handless beings fall prey to those who have hands. beings without legs prey to those who walk. Thus the weak feed the strong, and universal law requires that each species be the food of another.