Ramakrishna says the ego is like a stick held in flowing water. If you draw a line in water, what happens to that line? It's not like a stick. A stick is pretty steady, solid. Line, as you draw it, it is wiped out. Similarly, the ego of the enlightened person is like that,. an appearance, not binding, not dividing this and that. So, these are obstacles that are set up. Oh, no, they're all going to become enlightened. Let's disturb them.
Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna inspired by Swami Bhajanananda's book, The Light of the Modern World: The Universal Significance of Sri Ramakrishna's Avatarhood and Message.