The SGGS wants us not to scare or frighten anyone, and not to be scared or frightened of anyone else too. Thus, the SGGS seems to suggest live and let live philosophy. God has blessed us with human body to live and let live, and to advance cooperation and selfless love. If one is fearful, then naturally he will certainly end up frightening others, and vise versa. Only if one is afraid of nothing he will not frighten anyone. Hence, "live and let" is a state of fearlessness. On the other hand, the attitude "live and let die" must rise on account of fear. Desires and fears have hand and glove relationship. They both ride in the darkness of the negativity of the defiled mind.

• ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕਉ ਦੇਤ ਨਹਿ ਨਹਿ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹਿ ਬਖਾਨਿ ॥੧੬॥: Bhai kaahoo ko det nahi nahi bhai manat aan ...: One who does not frighten anyone, and who is not afraid of anyone else (ਡਰਾਵਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਘਬਰਾਂਦਾ ਨਹੀਂ) — says Nanak, listen, mind: call him Giaanee (spirituallt Wise, ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੀ ਸੂਝ ਵਾਲਾ, etc.) ||16|| (sggs 1427).

Fearless person believes that other people should be allowed to live their lives in the way that they want to. When free of fear, one accepts other people as they are, although they may have a different way of life. He thus believes in live and let live attitude, so long people behave in a civilized way. Such person or people seem as a society to have a very live and let live attitude towards wide spectrum of issues like religion, politics, etc. Actions done under stress of fear lack reasoning and a sense of voluntarism.

What's the root cause of fear? The cause of all fears is self-grasping ignorance (false ego-sense), and all the delusions (Bikaars or negative propensities of the mind) such as lust, anger, attachments, pride, enviousness, stubborn mindedness (and their numerous variations like selfishness, untruthfulness etc.) as arise from that ignorance, as well as all the unrighteous or unskillful actions motivated by those delusions or guilt consciousness. Such delusional or fearful people are called Manmukhs in the Gurbani. Conducting themselves in the material consciousness (performing Maya's duty), they are fraught with fear.

• ਡਰਿ ਡਰਿ ਪਚੇ ਮਨਮੁਖ ਵੇਚਾਰੇ ॥: Dari dari pache manmukh vechaare: The wretched Manmukhs (one in material consciousness or unenlightened beings) are ruined through fear and dread (sggs 677).

Man's worst enemy is desire or carving. The notion of "I-ness" and "mine, mine" motivated by desire or craving is the soul of fear and grief. Those filled with desire and and the darkness of ignorance, no matter what they are given, they are never contented in life. Fear and desire are psychological factors that drive us from inside. These bind us to the worldly consciousness. More desires translate into more fears and more insecurity. The main hurdle in changing or improving the individual life or the world is that people are generally fearful (egoist: selfish, greedy etc.).

• ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਲਾਗੀ ਰਚਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਕੂਰਿ ॥: Trisanaa laagee rach rahiaa antar houmai koor: (Manmukhs) are engrossed in clinging desires; within their hearts there is ego and falsehood.(sggs 47).
• ਤਿਸਨਾ ਅਗਨਿ ਜਲੈ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ॥: Tisanaa agan jalai sansaaraa: The world is burning in the fire of desire (sggs 120).
• ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਜਾਲੇ ਸੁਧਿ ਨ ਕਾਈ ॥: Trisanaa jaale sudhh na kaaee: Consumed by desire, people have no understanding at all (sggs 120).
• ਕਾਮੁ ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਜੀਅ ਮਹਿ ਚੋਟ ॥: Kaam krodh jeea mahi chot: Lust and anger (i.e. all evil passions) are the wounds of the soul (i.e. they inspire us do evil) (sggs 152).
• ਆਸਾ ਬੰਧੀ ਮੂਰਖ ਦੇਹ ॥: Aasaa bandhee moorakh deh: The fools - their bodies are bound down by desires (sggs 178).
• ਨਾਮੁ ਬਿਸਾਰਿ ਲਗੈ ਅਨ ਸੁਆਇ ॥ ਤਾ ਕੀ ਆਸ ਨ ਪੂਜੈ ਕਾਇ ॥: Naam bisaar lagai an suaai. Taa kee aas na poojai kaai: Forgetting the Naam, and attached to other tastes, no desire of his is fulfilled (sggs 192).
• ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਰਾਚਿ ਤਤੁ ਨਹੀ ਬੀਨਾ ॥: Trisanaa raach tatt nahee beenaa: Trapped by desire, the Reality be seen (sggs 225).
• ਜਾ ਕਉ ਆਇਓ ਏਕੁ ਰਸਾ ॥ ਖਾਨ ਪਾਨ ਆਨ ਨਹੀ ਖੁਧਿਆ ਤਾ ਕੈ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਬਸਾ ॥: Jaa ko aaeio ek rasaa. Khaan paan aan nahee khudhiaa taa kai chit na basaa: The desire to eat, to wear new clothes, and all other desires, do not abide in the mind of one who comes to know the subtle essence of the One Lord (sggs 672).
• ਜਗੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਬਾਧਾ ਬਹੁਤੀ ਆਸਾ ॥: Jagu mohi baadhaa bahuhee aasaa: The world is bound by its attachments to the many desires (sggs 412).
• ਬਿਨੁ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਅਵਰੁ ਜੇ ਚਾਹਉ ਦੀਸੈ ਸਗਲ ਬਾਤ ਹੈ ਖਾਮ ॥: Bin govind avar je chaaho deesai sagal baat hai khaam: Except for God, everything the man desires appears transitory (sggs 713).
• ਅਗਿਆਨੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਇਸੁ ਤਨਹਿ ਜਲਾਏ ॥: Agiaan trisanaa is tanahi jalaaye: Spiritual ignorance and desire burn this human body (sggs 1067).
• ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਜਾਲੇ ਸੁਧਿ ਨ ਕਾਈ ॥: Trisanaa jaalae sudhh n kaaee: Consumed by desire, people have no understanding at all (sggs 120).
• ਦਿਤੈ ਕਿਤੈ ਨ ਸੰਤੋਖੀਅਹਿ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਤਿਸਨਾ ਬਹੁ ਅਗਿਆਨੁ ਅੰਧ੍ਹਾਰੁ ॥: Ditai kitai na santokheeahi antar tisanaa bahu agiaan andhyaar: Those filled with desire and darkness of ignorance, no matter what they are given, they are not satisfied (sggs 316).

Fear can be described by different terms in accordance with its relative degrees — Acrophobia, Arachnophobia, Agoraphobia, Belonephobia, Brontophobia, Claustrophobia, Hamartophobia, Suriphobia, Necrophobia, Pentheraphobia, Thalassophobia, Xenophobia, and so on. Also some fears may be more common than generally thought. Selfish, greedy and ignorant rulers and leaders (political , religious etc.) and find it easy to rule or manipulate people by creating fear in them. Fear gives rise to insecurity. This trait of mortals was recognized by not only by the Mahaatamaans, but also contemporary thinkers, writers and leaders.

• From what is dear, grief is born, from what is dear, fear is born. For someone freed from what is dear there is no grief — so why fear? From what is loved, grief is born, from what is loved, fear is born. For someone freed from what is loved, there is no grief — so why fear? From delight, grief is born, from delight, fear is born. For someone freed from delight there is no grief — so why fear? From sensuality, grief is born, from sensuality, fear is born. For someone freed from sensuality there is no grief — so why fear? From craving, grief is born, from craving, fear is born. For someone freed from craving there is no grief — so why fear? ( Dhammapada 212-216, a collection of sayings of the Buddha).
• Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear (Bertrand Russell).
• Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom (Bertrand Russell).
• The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.(Franklin Roosevelt).

How can fear be conquered? Desire and fear coexist: they both drive us into Kaarmic actions. Furthermore, the desire (Kaam) is one of the faults of the false ego-sense (I-ness or Haume). In here is the clue as to how to conquer fear. The Gurbani says, when the ego is gone desire is stilled, and fear and doubts run away. There exist all sorts of therapies of treating fear, but this is the real one. How can this therapy be realized? By becoming imbued in the spiritual essence (Naam-Simran etc.), says the Gurbani. This will also remove the fear of death. Simply put, the fearlessness is the virtue of a godly Soul. Only a truly godly Being (the Giaanee, spiritually wise or Gurmukh) will exhibit an attitude of live and let live. Let alone worldly desires, such Being even does not entertain the desire of liberation (i.e., celestial desires)! He is the embodiment of desirelessness.

• ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨ ਬੁਝੀ ਮਮਤਾ ਗਈ ਨਾਠੇ ਭੈ ਭਰਮਾ ॥: Trisan bujhee mamataa gayee naathe bhai bharamaa: Desire is stilled, and Mamtaa (I-ness) is gone; all fears and doubt have run away (sggs 814).
• ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਰਸੁ ਪਾਏ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਭਉ ਜਾਏ ॥: Amrit ras paaye trisanaa bhaou jaaye: Obtaining the Naam-Amrit, desire and fear are dispelled (sggs1041).
• ਇਛਸਿ ਜਮਾਦਿ ਪਰਾਭਯੰ ਜਸੁ ਸ੍ਵਸਤਿ ਸੁਕ੍ਰਿਤ ਕ੍ਰਿਤੰ ॥: Ishasi jamaadi paraabhayam jas svasati sukirat kiratham: If you desire to escape the fear of death, then do the good deed of praising the Lord joyfully (sggs 526).
• ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਜਪਿ ਜੀਵੇ ਗਿਆਨੀ ॥: Kahu Nanak jap jeeve giaanee: Says Nanak, the spiritually wise live by meditating on God (sggs 806).
• ਮੁਕਤਿ ਬਪੁੜੀ ਭੀ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਿਆਗੇ ॥: Mukati bapurree bhee giaanee tiaage: Giaanee even renounce the desire of salvation (sggs 1078).
• ਗਿਆਨੀ ਹੋਵੈ ਸੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਬੂਝੈ ਸਾਚੀ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਸਲਾਹਾ ਹੇ ॥: giaanee hovai s guramukh boojhai saachee sifath salaahaa hae: One who is spiritually wise, understands himself by becoming the Gurmukh; and he praises the True Lord (sggs 1056).

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Friday, January 8, 2010 6:44 PM (PST)

[Home] [Article Menu]