” ‘भयहीन’ बनो … ‘भयभीत’ नही…”

Swami ji said …

Our ancient scriptures, hymns, sermons and ‘भजन’ ‘कीर्तन’ – emphasise on God’s Grace on us and the needlessness of man to live in a state of fear – as we have our Protector – our Guardian Angel – constantly by our side – even when unexpected, unfortunate incidents hit us in the face – leaving us in despair, alarmed and anxious. But, rather than seeking shelter in Him, trusting Him and reposing faith in His divine will – we, still prefer to live in a state of fear. We embrace this turbulent emotion instantly, as if it were second nature to us. Fear of the future ; fear of the unknown ; fear of what the future will bring to us. Living in a constant state of fear is not new to us. We fail to see the callous, all – consuming nature of fear ; the intensity and ferocity with which it can make us powerless and submissive – once it has its fangs on us.

Much like many other emotions that are inherently within us – fear, too, needs to be understood and controlled. And, while we would not be human without fear , it is when fear takes control over our mind that we act in the most unpredictable and inhuman manner. A mind filled with fear – makes one take actions that could be self destructive and harmful. When dark shadows of fear and apprehension loom larger than life over us ; we fail to see that we are faced with two situations.We can either give up, forget everything and run away in fear , or , we can face everything with courage and confidence – certain that we will fight our demons and rise – a victor. What is our response when faced with a situation like this ?

When in the grip of fear, we only aim to preserve the status quo – to avoid a loss of any kind – be it name or fame. We are unwilling to take the blame for anything and thus are afraid to think out of the box and instead toe everyone’s line. But, in our efforts and quest to survive – we forget to thrive. We forget that the true essence of life is to push our boundaries – to explore the unexplored – fearlessly.

To understand the true effect of fear in our lives, we must reflect and see minutely the kind of role it plays in our thought process. We fear not only that which is life threatening, but , even that which might cause us pain. We fear the pain of hard work ; we are apprehensive about the pain of sacrifice ; we fear the uncertainty of taking new directions and journeys in life. So many times, it is simply our inability to put those fears to rest that stops us from being the best versions of ourselves.

The best way to overcome fear is by taking small but regular and determined steps towards building courage within ourselves. We must utilise every opportunity that dares us to venture out of our comfort zone – one at a time. It is only then that the mind learns to accept and rein in fear.

The spiritual practitioner must develop courage. This courage must be rooted in the belief that those on the path – leading to God – will never come to any harm as long as their actions are based in humility, honesty and are worthy of His Grace. After all – ‘ Good and honest people have nothing to fear. It is the dishonest who need to be fearful.’