The Bhagavad Gita introduces a concept that modern psychology is only beginning to appreciate: the danger of 'ahamkara' — the ego-sense that insists 'I am the doer.' Krishna's instruction to Arjuna isn't to stop acting, but to stop confusing the self with the role being performed. In practical terms, this means noticing the difference between the part of you that plays a role (parent, professional, achiever) and the witnessing awareness underneath those roles. When you feel destabilized by criticism at work or praise from a stranger, that's ahamkara reacting — the role mistaking itself for the whole self. The path to self-realization, in this tradition, isn't found by acquiring a new identity, but by gradually loosening the grip of the ones you already carry.

When you feel most 'yourself' — is that a feeling of becoming something, or of something unnecessary falling away?

Drawing from Indian Philosophy (Bhagavad Gita / Samkhya) — Vyasa / Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 3, on ahamkara and non-doership)