Conquest of Fear from Sivananda's book

This is from Swami Sivananda's Book ...

Fear exists to glorify courage. A timid man exists to glorify a courageous man. There will be no value for goodness if badness does not exist. One side of a thing cannot have significance without the existence of the other side. Hence everything in this world has two sides.

         

      

Psychologists are of opinion that there cannot be absolute fearlessness and that only determined effort can be made to conquer fear. This is incorrect. Psychologists have no transcendental experience. A perfect sage who has knowledge of Brahman is absolutely fearless. Upanishads declare in a thundering voice, “The know-er of the fearless Brahman becomes himself absolutely fearless.”

Fear is illusory; it cannot live. Courage is eternal, it will not die. A man of courage does not tremble in the hour of danger. He is not embarrassed and bewildered. He does not sink down. He is not overwhelmed by despair.. He smiles away all dangers and difficulties, blows the trumpet of triumph and attains victory in the end.

         

The threatening of fear are a terror to the heart.

From fear proceeds misfortune and failure. The fears of a coward expose him to danger. A coward dies many times before his actual death. Be bold. Be cheerful. Allow not your heart to sink down from the phantasy of imaginary fears. Have self-confidence and faith.

           

Rise Up! O Man! Roar OM OM OM. You are the lion of Vedanta.

     

The Sanskrit equivalent for fear is “Bhaya”. Fear is an emotion or Vritti in the mind that is produced when one’s life is in danger on account of external forces or things.

It is characterised by pallor of the face, palpitation of heart, slowing of pulse or stoppage, tremor of limbs, perspiration, expressionless condition of the eyes, passing of urine and faeces unaware, in extreme cases, choking of voice, inability to speak, etc. The body becomes like a log of wood. The mind gets stunned. The functions of the senses are inhibited. In extreme cases one may die of shock. In ordinary cases when the cause of fear is removed, he slowly recovers from the morbid symptoms and comes back to his original state.

     

    This physical body is an instrument for man’s sensual enjoyment. If he suffers from any disease he is afraid that he will lose this body which serves him as a vehicle for his enjoyment. He tries his level best to preserve this body.         

Feeling of inferiority is another cause of fear.. This negative feeling produces lack of self- reliance or self-confidence in man. He is afraid of those who are superior to him in talents, power, position and efficiency. He feels that he is incapable of doing anything.

Fear (Bhaya) and Raga (attachment) are modifications or Vrittis in the mind.

      

He was bodiless muscle-less, fleshless, boneless, I-less, mine-less, desireless, Vasana- less, when he was one with the Father, when there was a joint family. And so he was absolutely fearless, and ever blissful and peaceful. He had no thought of body, house, property, wife, children, position and prestige. He had no thought of diseases of body and fall from his social status or prestige. He had no thought of enemies, war, riots and of running to any place for safety, security. His original bode was peacefully secure and free from any sort of a danger and enemies. It was all one Brahman community. There was no Hindu-Muslim trouble there. There was no fear of attacks through bombs or torpedoes. It was an impregnable, invulnerable fortress. It was disease-proof, bomb-proof, earthquake-proof.

      

I am bodiless, immortal Soul or Brahman I am sexless, all-pervading Atman

I am fearless Brahman

I am full of Vairagya now

There is no world at all

I alone exist

I am Deathless and Blissful I am Absolute Brahman

     

Every man has some imaginary fear of one kind or another. Maya will never allow anybody to rest peacefully. Man is already agitated by lust, anger, greed, jealousy, pride and hatred. Now fear fans the worldly flame. It pours Ghee to the flame of the three Taapaas. Man jumps now and dances like a monkey. He has no rest even for a second.

      

A student prepares himself day and night for the ensuing examination. He has passed creditably in all the class examinations. But he develops a kind of imaginary fear “examination fear”, as soon as he enters the examination hall, becomes nervous and gets confused. His hands tremble. He is not able to write. He fails in the examination.

            

Develop your will-power. Cultivate courage and fortitude. Develop mental power of endurance, firmness in meeting danger and power of resistance. Meditate on courage. Live in the company of sages and Yogis. Meditate on the fearless Atman. All phobias will disappear.

      

Attachment to objects causes fear. Attachment to name and fame causes fear. Attachment to money and woman causes fear. Any attachment is the womb of terrible fear. One who possesses, fears. He does not fear who has renounced everything, who perceives the Atman in all.

Sit and introspect. Find out the root of the trouble. If you are not able to do this yourself, get the help of a psychotherapist or a Yogi. The thing that is deeply buried in your subconscious mind should be released or dispelled.

Fear is a negative quality or modification in the mind. It is the result or product of ignorance. It manifests when one identifies himself with the body and forgets the immortal Atman, his own real Satchidananda Svarupa.

     

No one is absolutely free from some sort of fear. It is only the Jnani or a full-blown Yogi and a Bhakta who is absolutely free from fear. How can fear affect that sage who sees his own Self everywhere? If one can conquer fear, half of his Sadhana is over.

     

      

If you think of the opposite of fear, viz., courage, the negative (fear) will slowly vanish. You will have to develop courage slowly. Have the word-image “OM COURAGE” before the mind. Repeat this Mantra or formula very often. A word is the centre of an idea. An idea is the centre of a mental image. A mental image is the centre of a mental habit. A mental habit is the centre of a trait in man. Have a clear-cut image in the mind of the quality of courage, and this quality will develop. The subconscious mind will do everything for you. The ‘will’ also will come to your aid. Desire to be courageous, and the ‘will’ will immediately follow desire.

Fear is an instinct common in every man. Fear is universal. It can happen at any place. It can come at any time. Even elements of Nature are subject to Fear. Wind is said to blow through fear of Him. The sun rises fearing Him. Indra, Fire and Death proceed to their respective duties only out of fear. Thus, fear is not uncommon in Devas, too. Equally it prevails amongst beasts, animals, insects and practically every creation of this world. Even Lion fears!!

      

The idea of some external superior power over one’s self is the chief cause of fear. Relatively, the mind adopts an entirely different attitude. Vision changes. Glaring perception fails. The mind is not balanced. There is some abnormality of thoughts and

actions. Hysteric and neurasthenic convulsions are all due to one form of fear or other. Impulsion and desire to escape or flee from the dangerous situation are the immediate results.

      

A child is not afraid of its father or mother usually. But when the father puts on a strange countenance, or howls in an unnatural way the child becomes frightened. This gets firmly rooted in the mind. This develops as a hereditary weakness in later life also. This memory is scarcely washed off even after growth. So children should not be frightened.

Similarly, even as we grow, we must develop constantly the knowledge that there is nothing in the universe to cause fear. The subconscious mind, which is first startled by an unusual sight or incoherent voice, should be kept assured that all such things are false, the Truth behind them being well acquainted with the normal sense and knowledge. When fear is completely removed, nothing can hurt us.

People in well-lit cities and urban areas are still afraid to move in darkness. They imagine something untoward to happen causing pain, injury or discomfort. At the same time, how many sages and Sannyasins roam about in the dark over hills and dales in the dead of night and live in caves, the abode of beasts, insects and wasps. Dhruva Bhagat made penance in the midst of wild beasts. Dhruva, before he attained Youth, entered the forest and did great Tapas. Bharata played with cubs.

     

At every auditorium we find people advocating that what men are afraid of as snakes are but ropes. But they fail to experience such stamina.

         

      

Denying fear, one can overcome the object of fear itself. You should not have any dualism in mind. You must always develop cosmic love and universal brotherhood. When there is love and brotherhood, there is no enmity. There is no superiority of power. There is no pleasure or pain. Ultimately there is no fear. Of course, this is the stage. The final stage is feeling oneness of all. All are Brahman. All merge in Brahman. There is Brahman alone pervading throughout the universe. There is no second thing of supremacy in the world. There is no second thing in His creation at all. This knowledge entirely uproots fear and brings one into eternal peace. Fear does not emanate from one’s own Self. This is the secret of it. Knowledge of Brahman, the eternal Truth, totally annihilates fear.

      

The Truth is to be pronounced and meditated upon. Recitation of Upanishads, Srutis, Vedas and hymns produces vibrations. These vibrations remove all inflections. Many incurable diseases causing fear of death in the minds of the sufferers are cured by these vibrations alone.

     

Overcoming in this way will not suffice. This must be brought into practice. We must first face only those which we are afraid of. If a man is afraid of facing an audience, it must be the first and foremost duty he should do until he is free from stage fear and nervousness. If one trembles to approach his superior or any other person who, he thinks, is endowed with superior powers, that must be taken up as his first duty everyday till he gains sufficient moral strength. If someone is horrified at a sight in the dark, instantaneously he must run over to the spot and realise that the object which caused him fear is nothing but one of his daily handling.

Worse than in waking, many undergo drastic, alarming abnormality in sleep. This is all due to loading the mind with stray thoughts while retiring. One should never go to bed in a state of worry or fear. Nor with a heavy heart. Nor when he broods over an impending evil. Before retiring, everyone must evacuate all such thoughts and meditate upon God till he is released from them. He must have perfect peace in mind and soul. If he is unable to meditate upon God, let him loudly recite some hymn or poem till he sinks in the bed. He is sure to have peaceful, deep sleep.

As you think, so you become. As you think, so you develop. As is your ideal, so gradually your life will become. This is so, because there is a great transforming power in thought.

Take, then, the life of perfect men like Bhishma and think of their deeds and their life and ideals. Your life will be filled by purity, courage, etc. You will become a noble, perfect man. The thought will transform you into its own likeness. Man becomes like what he worships. Man becomes like what he thinks. This is indeed true.

     

    

Sit with closed eyes in the early morning. Meditate on courage, the opposite of fear, for half an hour. Think of the advantages of courage and the disadvantages of fear. Practice the virtue during the day. Feel that you actually possess courage to an enormous degree. Manifest it in your daily life. In some weeks or months fear will be replaced by courage. Repeat the formula “Om courage” mentally, daily several times.

     

Meditate and assert:

      

“I am all courage

I am an embodiment of courage I am like Bhishma

I am a great hero

My will is very powerful

I am not afraid of anything

I am bold and chivalrous Courage is my birthright

     

      

God is all-pervading. He is always with you. He is in you, around you. He is not far to seek. He cannot be, perceived through the physical eye. Your sense of touch cannot help you. He has to be realized through the inner eye of wisdom.

     

      

Modern civilization has enslaved people to such an extent that they are incapable of any original expression, thought or deed. They do not care to think of their routine actions—how their activities progress, what they are running after or what goal they are marching towards. Inventions, innovations and contrivances have eased men from their labour and human skill. The conservation of energy in this direction has only created laziness in them. More sensual desires and perceptions have begun to sway them. Lost in the ever-pouring luxuries of life, the true mission is once for all forgotten. People do not think where from their daily requirements come, who the unfailing and non-stopping supplier is, where His abode rests, how to have His Darshan, what to request of Him and how to revere Him. No amount of study and research in physical geography, vegetable kingdom, various industrial technologies, physiology and other sciences will solve these problems nor even give a clue to the solution. This scientific knowledge is subject to various hypotheses, axioms and data which are by themselves under controversies. This knowledge will in no way aid one to arrive at the source. The source is really beyond all these conceptions. Its abode cannot be located by running the finger over a coloured map. The Dweller and His abode can be seen only through the inner eye and right understanding. Concentration, Meditation and Sublime Thoughts are the pathways to this abode.

     

The mind is full of lust. It is always restless. It traverses through all spheres—good or bad. It has to be wound up by the triple cord of devotion, concentration and meditation. It must always be kept under control.

      

Having steadied the mind either by gazing at a particular spot, or the picture of any form of God or Guru or tuning the ears to the murmur of the river or receding waves of the sea, utter slowly in a low tone the statement “GOD IS NOW HERE” or “GOD IS IN THIS ROOM”. First repeat “G-O-D I-S N-O-W H-E-R-E” in a deep meditative way. Then relax for a while and again repeat. Do this untiringly till you are immersed in your statement. Now you realize the presence of God.

        

Do not stop with this. This is not the ultimate aim. Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute are the supreme things to be aimed at. After experiencing “GOD IS NOW HERE” repeat “HIS PRESENCE FILLS ME FROM HEAD TO FOOT”. By repeated utterances realize His existence in you. In the same way practice “HIS PRESENCE IS JOY”, “HIS PRESENCE IS LOVE” and “HIS PRESENCE IS PEACE”. Whenever your mind attempts to wander, repeat these statements loudly until it comes round. Morning hours are most suitable. This practice will free you from fear and fill you with courage, joy and peace.

    

      

God bestows perfect security on His devotees and removes all sorts of fears. He transforms the sense of insecurity and fear into one of confidence and faith. He saves him from panic and despair.

      

Mira was tormented by her husband in a variety of ways but Lord Krishna protected her and removed all her fears. The cup of poison was changed into nectar. Cobra was changed into Saligrama and a garland of flowers. She was shut in a cage where there was a hungry tiger. The tiger did not eat her but kissed the feet of Mira. This was all due to grace of Lord Krishna.

      

Lord Hari removed all the fears of Prahlada. Prahlada also was tormented by his cruel father. Prahlada was thrown into the sea. He was trampled under the feet of the elephant. He was rolled down from the top of a hill. He was thrown into the fire. But he was saved by Lord Hari. Lord Vishnu removed all his fears.