Fearlessness
Fearlessness results from understanding who we are. Here is what Swami says.
“When you have steady faith and an integral vision, and when you constantly think of the indwelling divinity, you will not become elated by joy nor shrink away from sorrow. It is only then that you will become completely fearless, or abhaya. Bhaya means fear, abhaya means fearlessness. The other word is nirbhaya, which means the absence of fear. Although they appear to be the same, there is a big difference between abhaya and nirbhaya. Nirbhaya is the removal of fear. An example of this would be, if you happen to see a rope lying on the ground after dusk, although it is only a rope, in the failing light you might think it is a snake. Fearing that the snake may hurt you, you would switch on your flash light to get a better look at it and see if it is a poisonous snake. But immediately when the light shines on it, you realize that it is not a snake at all—it is a piece of rope. With this realization your fear disappears instantly. Becoming subject to fear and then becoming free from fear are both momentary experiences. They come and go.
Fear is only a delusion created by the mind; lack of fear is also a delusion created by the mind. Mistaking one thing for another leads to fear; recognizing the mistake and rectifying it, leads to the removal of fear. These two, bhaya and nirbhaya are associated with fear and the freedom from fear. Abhaya is not associated with these two at all. Abhaya means fearlessness, it is a permanent state where there is no question of ever experiencing any fear. A person with abhaya is continuously aware of his own reality. For him to become subject to fear would be impossible. One gets fear only when there exists a second object, but for one who has abhaya there is never any second at all. Therefore, fearlessness is associated with unity consciousness, it refers to advaita (non-duality), where there can be no two but always just the one. Only when you are in such a state of advaita will you be truly fearless.”
Discourses on Bhagavad Gita, 1988, p. 207
“When you forget yourself, when you forget the atma (soul), you will suffer from fear. When you remember only the world and not God, you will suffer from fear. When you are filled with desires and attachments, you will suffer from fear. When you are deluded by objects you will suffer from fear. On the other hand, when you are immersed in the transcendental reality, you will be totally free from fear, you will never be afraid of anything.”
Discourses on Bhagavad Gita, 1988, pp. 207-208
