Facing our fears – 4 principles – IDEA acronym
Thank you for coming today evening.
I'll speak today on the topic of facing our fears. In the Bhagavad Gita, in 1835, Krishna says, He says that when the mind is affected by ignorance, one of the results of that is fear. They are shlokas.
There is daydreaming. The things will be so wonderful. Or there can be nightmarish fantasies.
All things will be so wonderful. So Gaur characterises a mind which is affected by ignorance. And the Bhagavad Gita itself is a book which takes one from ignorance to consciousness.
So I'll take this first. First, I'll talk in three main parts. First, I'll talk about where does fear come from.
Second, I'll talk about the four principles for dealing with fear. And then we'll conclude by some things practical which we can do on Facebook. Some people say that everything is in the mind.
Everything is in the mind. If your mind is strong, then there will be no worries. I was at one science and spirituality conference and there was another spiritual teacher.
I was among the speakers and another speaker. And this speaker said that actually everything is in the mind. If you make your mind strong, you will not have any problems.
Since the last 25 years, every day I smoke. He's supposed to be a spiritual teacher. He said, every day I smoke.
And I have no lung problem. Why? Because the mind is strong. And he gave that speech and I think after six months or something he got lung cancer and he died within six months after that.
So, there are three levels of reality. There is physical reality, there is mental reality and there is spiritual reality. So, to say that everything is in the mind is to deny physical reality.
So, for example, if a car is racing towards us, you feel fear. But that fear is not just in the mind. That fear is caused by something which is out there which is invoking that reaction in us.
Now, of course, for some people, fear may make them run away. And they say that. But some people, fear may petrify them.
Petrify means, it comes from Petreus. Petreus is adjective for stone. Petrify means to make like a stone.
It becomes frozen and then that fear prevents a healthy reaction which is non-negative. So, there are situations when fear is not only desirable but it is essential. Because the world has really injured it.
And our body is designed in such a way that when there is a danger, say if you look down from a 100 storey, 100 level building, you feel a little fear. That's good. That keeps us safe.
So, first thing is that fear itself is not always undesirable. Even though it is desirable, it's kind of essential. So then, we could say fear comes from the physical reality.
When it comes from the physical reality, at that time, it is desirable. But not all our fears come from physical reality, you know. For us, many of our fears, something may start from the physical reality but at the mental level, things get expanded, exaggerated.
So, you may just see a strange look in the eyes of our boss. I say, is my boss going to fire me? No, the boss will do nothing like that in their mind. But from that one moment, the mind starts to bother me.
What if I am fired? What if I need a mortgage for my house? What if I need to withdraw my house? What if I walk on the streets? And it is shivering thinking of the future of the life I want to live. So basically, everything is not in the mind. But everything comes through the mind.
Everything that we experience is experienced through the mind. So, there are situations where fear is desirable. And there are healthy fears in life.
But there are situations when fear is undesirable. Because the physical reality may not be dangerous. Or what is dangerous is the mind's response to it, the mind's reaction to it is exaggerating and taking us away from the right response.
So now, how does our mind respond? In many ways, the mind is like a software. You consider a computer system whether it is hardware, software and user. So, the hardware is like the body, the physical reality, the mind is the software and the soul is the user.
So, in many computer programmes or automations, there is a trigger-response system. Like, say, if somebody presses a particular button, there is a trigger then the door opens. Somebody else presses a particular button, the door closes.
There is a trigger and there is a response. So like that, now the connection between the trigger and the response is in a complicated machine. We don't see that at all.
What we see is, I press a button and this door opens. That's how we perceive it. But there is a whole computer mechanism through which the trigger produces a response.
Now sometimes, if that mechanism gets spoiled, then you press the button for opening the door and the door closes. The opposite response comes. It's especially dangerous if you press the brake and the accelerator starts.
That would be especially dangerous. So, basically, for us, there is a trigger when in the voice and there is a input. And depending on what is in the mind, there is a response.
भयं दृतिया अभिनिवेशितःस्या ईशार अभेतस्य विपर्यो अस्मित्यी The Bhagavatam, the 11th canto says that भयं दृतिया अभिनिवेशितःस्या When our mind gets caught in duality, then at that time, it becomes overwhelmed by fear. दृतिया अभिनिवेशितः Now what do we mean by duality? At one level, the world is filled with dualities. Some things are good, some things are bad.
Sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's cold. Sometimes people are kind, sometimes people are rude. So these dualities are there.
And we can't live blind to the dualities. Say if it's cold, then we are all frozen. So we have to be aware of the dualities.
But when we become obsessed with the dualities, when we can't see anything beyond the duality, that is when fear catches us. So it's not duality that causes fear, it is obsession with duality. How does obsession with duality cause fear? That means, okay, this is good, this is bad.
But when I get caught only in this, then I want the good at all costs and I want the oil at all costs. But actually nothing in the world is so disastrous that it has to be got at all costs. When we get obsessed, we just our mind, the glue gets fixed on that thing.
This is what it has to be. So basically, fear is the other side of desire. When we have a strong desire for something, the other side of the desire is, what if I don't get it? So in 1611 the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that chintam aparineyam kralayantam upahasritaham kaamopabhog paramaham etavaditi nishchitaham kaamopabhog paramaham.
When one thinks that sensual pleasures of the world are right and limitless. Now, if we want worldly pleasures, then they are not in our control always. We might have some things today and tomorrow they will be gone.
So the more we think that getting these pleasures alone is the goal of life. The more it happens, worry takes over. Worry starts dominating our consciousness.
chintam aparineyam kralayantam upahasritaham immeasurable anxiety. So, anxiety is caused, not say for example if we have some wealth and we invest it somewhere and maybe the stocks go down and then we get worried. Let's understand why if we are so obsessed with money if I lose this then my whole life is lost.
Yes, money is important and loss of money is a problem. But, our self-worth shouldn't be reduced to our net worth. Yes, our net worth matters.
It's a part of our self-worth. So basically, the stronger our desire for something, this is how it should be, this is how it should not be. Then, that is what causes fear.
So, the way I have been going through now is that there are fearful stimuli in the world at a physical level, but in the mind at the level of trigger response. Sometimes there might be a small trigger but there is a big response. And excessive response is because the mind is attached to its obsessive duality.
This is what I have to have in this way and this is unacceptable. This would be a disaster. Well, yes, some things can be disastrous but our mind often exaggerates this.
So it is, everything comes through the mind. And the fears that we experience, most of our fears are actually more in the mind than in the physical level. How, if suppose a deer is wandering in the jungle looking for some grass, it lives in mortal fear at any moment.
A tiger may bounce on it and eat it. It will be a part of its life. Now how many of us when we go out we have the fear that some cannibal will bounce on us and eat us alive.
No way. Cannibalism is almost extinct. So, we don't have that much physical fears.
So, now this is not to say that there are no fearful situations. We have it physically, there are fearful situations but it is our mind which exaggerates this. So then, facing our fears requires there is a physical reality, there is a mental reality and there is a spiritual reality.
So, how do we face our fears? It is by positioning ourselves properly. I'll explain what I mean by positioning ourselves properly. That our consciousness can sometimes be only at the physical level.
Say for example, if we are eating something very delicious or we are having a very painful injury, our whole consciousness is caught at the physical level. Or sometimes we may just be daydreaming. Then physically we might be in one place but we are fantasising in another place.
There our consciousness is almost completely caught at the mental level. So, we could consider this as the three-level building and our consciousness is like a torch. Like another beam coming from a torch.
So, sometimes the consciousness can get there. The beam is focused on the first level, that is the physical level. Sometimes the beam is focused on the second level and sometimes the beam is focused on the third level.
Now, the beam comes from the source of consciousness in the soul. The beam comes from the soul. It can focus on the spiritual reality, it can get caught in the mental reality or it can come from the third level to the second level to the first level.
So, it always starts from the third level. But from the third level to the second, third level itself, third level to second level, third level to the first level. So, now when our consciousness is at the mental level, caught at the mental level, that's when fear overwhelms us.
Let's look at what happens to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. So, he is about to fight the biggest war of his life. Fear is a very peculiar thing.
Some people have great fear of spiders. Anyone knows what is the word for that? Arachnophobia. So, now I used to think that those who have arachnophobia, they feel fear when they see spiders.
Actually, that's not exactly true. They do feel fear when they see a spider. But they feel much bigger fear when the spider disappears.
It was there, where did it go? Is it going to come and sit on me now? So, what happens is when something is physically tangible, there is no fear. But when something becomes physically intangible or not visible, then the mind can imagine even more. There is a physical stimulus, but there is the mind's imagination which is the primary cause of it.
So, now if we have to deal with fear, how do we deal with it? We want to deal with it at the physical level also. But primarily with the mind's over-imagination that often becomes a problem. So, to deal with the mind, to prevent the mind's over-imagination, what do we do? There are broadly, you could say, four principles.
That is, I talk about this in terms of an acronym. IDEA I-E-E-A So, Identity, Divinity, Energy and Activity. So, the Bhagavad Gita in a sense needs Arjuna in this flow.
So, Arjuna at the start of the Gita is fearful. Now, normally whenever a warrior has to fight a war, there is always the possibility of death. And courage is not necessarily the absence of fear.
Courage is the presence of a purpose bigger than fear. When the soldiers go to fight a war, it's not that they have no fear of death. It's rather their love for their country.
Or maybe there is also a love for their salary. Not everybody is patriotic. But whatever it is, there is a purpose bigger than fear.
So, fear comes. There is always fear. But courage is not just the absence of fear.
Courage is the presence of a purpose bigger than fear. Now, when Arjuna came to the battlefield, he knew that this is a war and war death happens. And yet he was not fearful.
How did fear overcome him to such an extent that he was crying in public? Normally, no matter how much fear we have, we don't cry in public. We don't want people to call us crying ideas or something like that. And especially for a warrior, warriors are trained not to show pain.
Not to show any weakness. And yet for him to be crying in public means that something must have caused him great agony. So, what happened next? He came to the warfield ready to fight.
And then he told Krishna, Please, my chariot, let me see who are the people in the separate warfield. And then, as he saw this, his imagination His imagination was not only all the warriors over there will be killed, but when the warriors are killed, at that time, the whole dynasty will be destroyed. Generally, whenever in society, the protectors are destroyed, then there are always predators.
So, the predators will exploit the women and then all kinds of disasters will fall to society. So, he started thinking about all this and he came over. And then he just said, I can't fight.
So, earlier he was petrified. Arjuna became petrified. His bow almost started slipping out from his hand.
He said, I can't fight. So, it's interesting that normally speaking, the normal convention is that a warrior, when a warrior is about to fight a war, the warrior isn't so weak. Arjuna was completely fearful.
So, what did Krishna do? Krishna started by first things first. He said, you are afraid of death. You are afraid that they will be killed.
Arjuna was not so afraid that he will be killed. As a warrior, he always lived in the shadow of death. But his fear was that everybody will be killed.
Society itself will be devastated. So, then he says, begins with I. I is identity. Identity is, he tells that whatever you are perceiving as a danger, then the physical stimulus and the mental reaction and then you think everything will be destroyed.
But even if everything is destroyed, you will not be destroyed. Because you are an indestructible soul. Avinashita soul is indestructible.
And the mind can imagine all horrific ways in which the weapons might kill someone. The stuff is, none of those weapons can even scratch the soul. Nishyam Shriyatimahatah That the soul cannot be pierced.
The soul cannot be torn. The soul cannot be withered. The soul cannot be evaporated.
It cannot be damaged in any way at all. So, then when he speaks this, at that time this itself gives some assurance. This is not just some abstract conception.
Actually, if we think, say right now you are sitting here observing me. And I am observing you. So, what is happening over here, that there is a physical reality.
You say probably you are present. For me, I am present. And then linking both of us is a stream of consciousness.
And you are the observer. You are the, you take the stream and then you process it. So, actually in every situation that we are in, we can perceive that I exist around this situation.
Once I was in a hospital. I was admitted and I was having various complications. The doctor gave me a blood transfusion.
So, the bottle was like half filled and it was supposed to be, the blood was supposed to go in. And I was tired. I was sleeping.
And then I woke up and I saw with the blood that the bottle had become full. So, something had somehow gone wrong and instead of blood going in, the blood had come out. And at that time, initially, I thought but then it stretched out really.
And actually there is a tube over here which is coming in. And inside also there are tubes. So, just a few moments, of course, immediately I called the nurse and they fixed whatever had gone wrong.
But the point is that, okay, this body is this. There is blood in that tube and there is blood in the tube over here. Since I am different from that tube with the blood, I am different from the tube with the blood over here.
It's not that I have that realisation always. But somehow, at that point I was able to observe myself from a little bit of distance. All of us are vulnerable to pain and fear and horror when something like this happens.
But actually at one level we have the experiences of the pain but at another level we have the observers who have seen it happen. So, our identity exists different from the world. Many people when they have some traumatic accidents or something like that, they have near-death experiences.
They have out-of-body experiences. And according to research, almost 1 out of every 10 people has had a near-death experience in the western world especially. So, people see themselves from above the physical situation.
And they can actually record and tell, record what happened. You know, this doctor said, the doctor, when I was in the operating room the doctor said this and the doctor said that. And various things they can talk about.
They can talk and they can hear. So, they can hear what others are talking. They can't talk.
Because they don't have the physical mechanism to talk. But the point is, we exist above whatever dangers we are facing. So, now, this identity is not just a matter of theory.
It is also something which can be realised by practise. Just talk about it in detail. What is the acronym we are discussing? Identity.
So, identity is the first one. So, the point I am making is that we change our mind's programming, so that when some stimulus comes, the physical level, a trigger comes, it doesn't cause overwhelming negative imagination. So, if I understand, okay, the situation is there, but I exist above it.
That identity is what can enable us to get some level of security. Now, D is divinity. Divinity means that actually, generally, there is we have a certain amount of control and whatever is causing this fear is out there out of our mind.
So, when we understand that there is God and there is a divine controller, that means, okay, this problem may be bigger than me, but God is bigger than me. That is the supreme reality. And to the extent we focus on the danger, our mind will make it bigger and bigger and bigger.
But to the extent we focus on God, we remember that He is the biggest reality. Then we start seeing the problem in perspective. So, bhayaṁ vidyā abhiniveśa-taśyā īśād apetasya viparyayo asuti.
So, īśād apetasya, if we see if we are walking on a street, a dark street, and we see somebody who looks like a thief coming, if we see that person, we become fearful. But if we see just nearby, there is a cop. The cop is strong, the cop also has a gun.
If we look at the cop, we think about fear and go away. So, similarly for us, there are dangers in the world, and the dangers need to be dealt with. But the first thing to deal with the danger is to not let our mind exaggerate.
So, there is divinity. Divinity means God is in control and He is He can protect us. He is our ultimate protector.
He is competent enough to handle any danger. He is bigger than any problem that we may have. Of course, when we approach God also, sometimes if we approach God, but our mind is filled not with God, but with the danger, then we may not experience much relief.
Here we are not talking about God removing the physical problem. We will talk about it later. We are talking about right now, the the fear has caught our imagination and is becoming bigger and bigger.
So, what we need to do is the mind is exaggerating the danger is a bigger danger right now. So, if we turn towards God and turn towards Him, but if we are not focused on Him, if we focus on the danger, then the grip may not go away. That's what in the prayers of Narsimhadev, there is Indra, who is a great devata, very powerful, but he prays that because Hiranyakashipu was terrorising the universe, so our mind was filled with fear of Him and that's why we couldn't worship Him properly.
Now that we have eliminated Him, now we can resume our our pious and emotional activities. That was his prayer. Prahlad Natharani says that when he arrived, Prahlad never had any fear of Hiranyakashipu.
Actually, you see, Hiranyakashipu posed a greater danger to Prahlad than to Indra. Hiranyakashipu never tried to assassinate Indra. He tried many times to assassinate Prahlad.
Now, why was Prahlad not that fearful and Indra fearful? Because Prahlad's heart and mind were dominated by Krishna. So, as long as the thought of Krishna was there, the fear of Hiranyakashipu was not there. Now, danger because of Hiranyakashipu was there and the danger had to be dealt with.
But the fear, unhealthy fear, excessive fear was not there. So, we needed to, so that's why what we need to do for first and the second idea, identity and divinity. Now, for our identity we need to study the philosophy regularly to remind ourselves that I am a soul.
And for remembering the divinity, for connecting with the divinity, we need to practise Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is not just some rituals like chant some mantras or do some puja. Yes, those are parts of Bhakti Yoga but the essence of Bhakti Yoga is not to do a ritual.
The essence of Bhakti Yoga is to make our mind spiritual. So, that the mind, body and soul. To do a ritual means okay, just do your hand like this and do an Aarti.
Or rub your fingers and do some Maha. That's a ritual. But the essence of Bhakti is not just to do something at the physical level.
The essence of Bhakti is to make our mind spiritual. That means raise our consciousness from the physical level to the spiritual level. So, we connect with Krishna through the practise of Bhakti.
And to the extent we are habituated to connecting with him, to that extent when danger comes, we will be conscious of the danger but we won't be conscious only of the danger. We can be conscious of Krishna and then see the danger in perspective. So, this is divinity.
Now, third point is energy. Now, our energy is something which is very at one level mysterious. See, we might be very enthusiastic about doing something.
And if somebody speaks one discouraging word, our enthusiasm might be like a bubble. Like a balloon. One prick.
Jesus. Now, at the physical level nothing is happening. You might still have a temple and have energy.
So, this energy is somewhat mysterious. So, actually the energy that we have is a combination of the physical and the spiritual. It's just like if you have to move a car.
Now, for moving the car, the fuel has to be there in the car. No doubt. Without fuel, the car can't move.
But, if the driver is depressed, if the driver is petrified, then no matter how much fuel is there in the car, the car will not move. The car has its physical mechanism and it needs fuel as a part of the physical mechanism. But, the driver is the source of the energy.
Source of the motion of the car. We could say that similarly, we have a physical component to our energy. And, sometimes we might be physically very exhausted.
But, often when we feel depressed, depressed people are not physically exhausted. Actually, depressed people, they often are so inactive that they get exhausted at being exhausted. Laughter Yes, sometimes some people just they get so depressed, they don't even get out of their bed.
You know, you are not sick, you are very sick of you. Laughter Laughter Laughter Of course, we don't speak that bluntly. Or, we may depending on our relationship and our personal nature.
But, the point is that they may have physical energy but they don't have internal energy. So, what is happening also, where does this energy come from? It is not just from the mind. Ultimately, the soul is a source of consciousness.
And, consciousness is our fundamental energy. Consciousness is the source of all energies. If I am speaking, you are hearing, it's all because the consciousness is there.
Consciousness is like a beam of light. And, the beam of light is is only one part of the role of consciousness. Because, Krishna says, one of the describers of the soul is Achintoyam.
It's inconceivable. Why? Because no material metaphor can describe the soul fully. So, if we talk about the soul to be like a beam of light, then it is a beam of light perceives or helps us perceive.
But, a beam of light itself doesn't do anything. See, in a beam of light, unless you have some solar activated devices, a beam of light doesn't do anything. So, consciousness is, we could say, light energy, which enables us to perceive things.
But, consciousness is also like electrical energy. When electricity flows through something, then the fan starts moving. So, consciousness is energy, but both these kinds of energies.
Now, if we turn on the switch to turn on the fan, but if the fan doesn't turn on, the bulb is on. So, that means, electricity is there. The channel also, the switch is open.
That means, something is wrong in the passage. If we know the fan is already functioning, the fan is not damaged, that it can't be there, then that means, in between, something is wrong. So, for us, to deal with our fears, to face our fears, basically, we need to focus on our energy.
What fear does is, either it can make us, let's say, fight or flight. Usually, fight is the response in the mode of passion. In the mode of ignorance, it is flight.
But sometimes, in the mode of ignorance, it's not just flight. It can also be freeze. Freeze completely.
So, when this happens, our energy, when somebody is in the mode of passion, energy is just, you could say, they are hyperactive. In the mode of passion, they are either completely inactive or they are just thoughtlessly active. So, many times, we say, fire breaks out in a crowded place or some danger comes in a movie theatre or something like that.
More than the damage because of the fire is because of the stampede. People run in panic and they stamp over each other. That's what causes casualties more.
So, again, this is an example of how our reaction to a problem often makes the problem bigger than what it needs to. The same principle applies to our mind also. So, with respect to our energy, we, what happens is, when there is fear, we feel as if this is so big, I can't even do it.
But, we need to use our energy carefully. In this situation, what can I do? What is in my power to do? Generally, the mind overpowers us when making us feel that we are powerless. It can be if some danger comes.
What can you do about it? If you read the news, say there is a recession. Because of this, so many people will be fired from their jobs. What can I do about it? So, what happens is, if we start thinking this problem is so big, it's like an invisible enemy.
An invisible spider. Where do you fight against it? So, we need to think, what can I do about it right now? What is in my power to do? Energy. So, do we have energy? Sometimes we feel this situation is so terrible, I just can't do anything about it.
Now, when this comes, when this thought comes, Oh, this trouble is so big, I can't. Then we need to challenge that idea of the mind with a counterintuitive question. What is that counterintuitive question? My things are so terrible, you can't do anything.
Can I make things worse? Hey, things are terrible, why do you want to make them worse? No, no, you don't have to make them worse, but can we make them worse? No matter how bad things are, we never lose the power to make them worse. I might be done with a fracture, I might have a fracture in my one foot and I am bedridden for the next six weeks. See, I am powerless, I can't do anything.
I can take a fracture, I can take a hammer and fracture my other knee also. Obviously, I shouldn't, but the point is, we are not as powerless as we think. If we can make things worse, then we can make them better also.
So, fear when it is paralysing us. See, what we are talking about over here is energy. So, the idea is that first, the fear acts at the mental level increasing the imagination dangerously.
So, first we rise to the spiritual level, where through identity and ability, that I am indestructible and God is middle to this problem. But what do I do about it? Energy is, can I do something about it? What can I do? Once we see what is in our control. Now, it might be in our control.
Nothing will be in our control except, say, calling out to Krishna in helplessness. But even that requires some energy. When Draupadi was about to be dishonoured, she didn't have the energy to fight against Dushyasana.
But still, she had the energy to raise up her hands and formally call out to Krishna. So, even in the situation of powerlessness, we always have some power. Now, here, when we are talking about energy, it is not just about calling out to Krishna.
What can I do practically about it? And then, as soon as you say, my fear is what if I do this? What if I lose my job? Okay, what can I do about it? I can make sure that I lose my job. I can make sure that I meet my deadlines. I can make sure that I am able to do my performance.
So, I can do something. So, energy, as soon as we get that sense that I have some energy, and we always have some energy, then what happens? That whole lot of fear on us decreases. And then that leads to the last part.
What is that? A is activity. So, activity means we start doing something. Not something frantic, but something purposeful.
Whatever we can do. So, generally, when we are doing nothing, during our idle time, our mind works overtime. It starts imagining this may happen, that may happen, that may happen.
But as soon as you start doing something practical, something physical, which is purposeful and which requires some attention, then the attention is caught, is dragged out of the mind and comes to the physical reality. And once our attention comes to the physical reality, we start doing something, the grip of fear is on us. As soon as we start getting engaged in something, our consciousness is no longer available for fear to manipulate.
It is no longer there, so much caught in the mind. So, that's why, we get out of the mind, first we get to the soul. And then, you say, I just can't say there was a soul.
I have to do something practical. Yes. Look at whatever thing you have and start doing that.
So, for example, some people have cyclostrophobia. So, that's the last part now. I'll talk about how you could apply this practically.
So, generally, the way to face the fear is to expose the mind's lie about the fear. So, expose the mind's lie means, some people come, they are paranoid about being in closed places. They just can't enter a lift.
Elevator is like a nightmare for them. So, now I'll tell them, which is the side of the elevator. I can't enter the elevator.
Okay, you can't enter the elevator. Can you walk 5 more steps towards the elevator? You'll be next to me. Yeah, I got it fixed.
Walk 5 steps in the elevator. Can they walk 5 steps in the elevator? You say, that's all I can do. Today, that's all I can do.
And tomorrow, take 5 more steps in the elevator. And then, gradually, just move closer and closer. Just small things.
And then, eventually, they come right to the door of the elevator. Can you enter the elevator? No, I can't. Can you close your eyes and enter the elevator? Will you help me? Yeah, I'll help you.
Will you close your eyes and enter the elevator? Will you go one step up? So, when we use our energy to do some activities, whatever it is that is causing us fear, what can I do? The mind is saying, you can do nothing. But then, can you do some small thing? Yes, I can do this. Once we start doing that, gradually, we start conquering the fear.
So, it's not that, so this is, I could say, again, these phobias are more like, there is irrational, there is no actual danger. But for them, the danger is actual. They actually feel good, fearlessly.
Maybe you say, this is all in the mind, you can deal with it like this. But what if there is actual danger? Even there also, this approach works. Even if there is physical danger, say, somebody wants to drive a car, and they are very afraid of driving a car.
Somebody wants to swim, and they are very afraid of swimming. The way to deal with it is, just do small, small things. Okay, you can't drive a car, you can just sit in the driver's seat.
Okay, I can sit there. And then, I'll sit next to you. Can you do it? So, whatever our fears are, just, what energy do you have, and what activity can you do? And if you focus on those, then, even great fears can be dealt with.
So, fear exists. Fear, fearful things exist in the world. But fear controls us, by controlling our mind.
And if we can get our consciousness out of our mind, then, we can get out of the control of fear. And that's how, Krishna says, mat-chittah sarva-durgaayi mat-prasadah darshishmi. So, Krishna tells Arjuna, that if you become conscious of fear, you can pass over all obstacles by knowing grace.
So, Krishna tells Arjuna that, don't think that you are killing these people. There is a governing divinity in the world, and those people on the opposite side have done such terrible karma that they have been killed by their own misdeeds. If you don't become an instrument, somebody else will be killed in some other way.
So, Krishna first, raises his level of consciousness to develop identity. You are a soul. Then, there is a supreme soul who is in control.
There is his plan which is working. And then, Krishna tells Arjuna, use the energy that you have in service of the divine. You are small.
You cannot change the whole nature of the way things are going. But you can use your energy in a way that is constructive. And then, you do your duty.
So, the same Arjuna, who was so fearful that he had put aside his bow, by the end of the Bhagavad Gita, he picks up his bow. yatra yogeshwara krishno yatra kaunapu yatra yodhara. He picks up his bow and he remains still.
And similarly, the world's perceptions can overwhelm us with fear and he also put aside our metaphorical bow. We use our determination, our enthusiasm, our confidence to engage with the world. But then, by hearing the Gita's wisdom, we all can regain our enthusiasm, regain our determination, regain our confidence and march forward in life.
So, I summarise what I spoke today. I spoke on this theme of So, I spoke on this theme today of how we can face our fears. I started by talking about how fear exists Some people say everything is in the mind.
But no. Everything comes through the mind. Physical reality is real.
But there is mental and spiritual reality. So, normally some fears are desirable. There is actual danger.
They are not desirable but also essential. But most of our fears, there is a small trigger but there is an exaggerated response. And then basically it's saying that trigger response mechanism has become damaged.
That's because our mind over imagines. So, the fear prompts unhealthy response. Fear petrifies us.
And that's unhealthy. And most of the fears we face in today's world are not tangible physical stimuli. They are more abstract fears.
And that's why what if I lose my job? This will happen. So, because of that the mind can imagine much more. And that's why to deal with our fears, we need to deal with fear's control of our mind.
And how do we deal with that? I talked about this chronic idea. What is that? Identity. That I am a soul who is indestructible.
This fearful situation, even if it causes great damage, it's an I as a soul that exists above this. Talk about our consciousness, the source of consciousness, the beam of light comes from the spiritual level to the mental and to the physical. Now, when there is a fearful situation, it just gets caught in the mental level.
And our reaction to the fear, to the danger can become a bigger danger for us. As happens when people panic during trouble situations and there is a stampede. So, identity means I am indestructible.
So, to get the consciousness out of the mind, we have to first raise it to the spiritual level. So, regularly giving Bhagavad Gita can help us to remember this. Then, we must devote our mind to divinity.
That there is a God who is in control. God is bigger than our biggest problems. Biggest dangers facing us.
So, rather than looking at the dangers looking for the thief, we look at the strong looking for the soul. And, like that, when we turn towards God, our fear may not go away if we are too attached to a particular thing. So, fear is not caused by dualities, it is caused by obsession with dualities.
So, we need to practise Bhakti Yoga, not just as a ritual, but to make our mind spiritual. Then, amid danger, we can disengage our consciousness from the fearsome stimuli and focus on Krishna. And then, the fear won't get exaggerated.
Then, after I was, the energy, yeah. I talk about how our energy is not just a physical energy which you get by taking food, it is also the consciousness and the emotions which you experience. It comes from the soul.
And, if we are discouraged, depressed, then we have no energy, although we have physical energy. Similarly, when fear takes us over, it instils its energy, either into petrified or into panicky and overjacked. So, flight or freeze, it comes in.
So, then, when we are freezing, I can do nothing. So, we need to challenge that. No matter how bad the situation is, we always have the power to manipulate.
That means, we also have the power to manipulate. So, this, this fear, this danger is there. What can I do about it? What is in my power to do? Even if it is a tiny thing, start with that.
With that energy, what do you do? Activity. So, just start doing what we can. Now, what we can do, even if it is so small that actually there is danger, I just work better at my job.
Okay, that's true. But, what will happen is, once our consciousness comes out of our mind to the body and gets engaged in something, fear's control over our mind and our consciousness will decrease. And thus, we will be able to be more effective.
So, even if we can't remove the danger, we can remove that, even if we can't remove the cause of the fear, we can remove the control of the fear on our mind by activity. And then I talked about how practically we deal with any fear by, again, using our energy to do what we can. I can't enter the elevator.
Please go up to the stairs. I can't enter the car. Can you send me to the car? Just take small, small steps and you'll find that you'll be able to overcome the fear.
I talked about how this was Krishna led Arjuna through the Bhagavad Gita also. First told him about the soul. Then said that there is God's plan happening over here.
Don't think you are doing everything. And what is your religion? You are an archer. Train for archery.
Use that for a bodily cause. And then, do your activity, do your duty of Akshatriya, the martian guardian of society. This is Arjuna, who had become despondent and fearful, putting aside his bow, because his bow was here in the Gita.
Similarly, we can also become unfettered instead of fearful on understanding the Gita's principles and applying them in our life. Thank you very much. Hare Hare Krishna.
Thank you. Thank you. Wonderful talk.
Any questions? Anybody questions? Yes. Question from the audience. Okay.
But if you look at Prabhupada's life, Prabhupada did not neglect his body. He did take care of He might have slept less, but everyday he would have a massage. And he would not be hurrying to the massage.
He would take his time in that. And he would also do morning walks regularly. So, every person's body is different.
Some people's body may have greater capacity for sleep. Some people's body may not have that much capacity for sleep. So, that's one aspect of it.
So, now, we could say that Prabhupada introduced the Krishna culture so I said, you are okay. So, Prabhupada found one Prabhupada disciple said, we were delighted to discover that Swamiji's knowledge of recipes was as vast as his knowledge of verses. Laughter So, knowledge of verses was impressive, knowledge of recipes was delicious.
Laughter So, Prabhupada would cook nicely, Prabhupada would eat. Whenever there is a situation, Prabhupada would eat. He would eat nice food.
But then he would take it to a certain situation. On the other hand, he would actually mix all the food together. He would say, I don't want my Tamil to taste as bad.
So, Prabhupada would not mix rice and dal. He would say, I want these three separate. Each is Krishna.
So, the point is that each acharya may serve in their own way. So, each body is different. And we don't work for the body.
We don't work against the body. We work with the body. Work for the body means any and every desire that comes up, which is pandered to that desire.
So, Prabhupada, when he came from India to America, he just had a few vegetables and some meat. We didn't even know that vegetarian food would be available in America. So, he came and was ready to give whatever food was available.
So, he doesn't live for the body. But we don't live against the body. That means, our purpose is not to torture others.
He said, as soon as I get cold, I expose myself to cold water, I get a cold. Then, I don't deliberately go and take a bath in cold water. Then I just make my dysfunctions.
We don't work for the body. We don't work against the body. We work with the body.
So, this is one way which is practical for us to understand that their bodies had the capacity to perform that austerity. But that is the way we can look at so that we don't artificially imitate and make trouble for ourselves. But, yes, there is also, as you rightly pointed out, there is a principle of spiritual energy that when the consciousness is focused on doing something which is very, very important for us, that all our energies get channelled in that.
Just like a car, the fuel metre might show down, down, down, but it always has some reserve energy. So, like that, we also have reserve energy. But often, unless we are very motivated and inspired and driven to do something, we often don't have that reserve energy.
So, in the case of great acharyas, because they are so devoted to Krishna, so, even when the body comes to anekrani, they will be driven right into it. So, in some cases, the spiritual can even transcend the material. But, usually, it is the spiritual that works through the material.
That means, on some occasions, Prabhupada used to, once when he was so sick, one cabinet minister had come to meet him. So, Prabhupada was so sick that he couldn't even apply tilak. And, with hangover, somebody has applied tilak.
But, when they came to meet, Prabhupada himself got up and blessed him, and went inside and had lunch with him and talked with him. And, after that minister departed, Prabhupada collapsed in the chairs. There was spiritual energy.
Sometimes, the spiritual can manifest in spite of the material. But, in normal ways, the spiritual manifests through the material. That's at the end of his life when his body broke down practically.
Prabhupada spent a lot of time in Vrindavan. And, he didn't do much physical activity. But, he had devotions around here and sing about Krishna.
So, we I think, we don't limit ourselves to the body. We don't understand the soul is different from the body. But, the soul is currently working through the body.
So, we can't completely neglect the body. Any other questions? I have a… I'm not completely medical. How are you going to answer? How to deal with the time you are being in the body? You know that you are not completely at that stage where you are going to die.
How do you deal with that? I do different things. Generally, at the time of death, there are 9 different years. One is about the past.
About the past, about the present, about the future. About the past is everything that we have worked for, we are going to lose it. At the present, the body is breaking down, there are long hands of pain.
In the future, there we are going to be. We are all going to have the fear that everyone has. Now, if we have practised Devbhakti diligently, the fear of the past, losing the past is not so much there.
Yes, we have loved ones and we have one thing equal. It is sad to go through that. There is no root of pain.
But we have developed a higher attachment. So, now the body getting broken down, that's of course painful. But again, if you develop a spiritual attachment, spiritual knowledge, then yes, this body is a machine, it is going to break down.
You don't think I am going to destroy it. Now, as far as the future is concerned, even if, suppose we don't go to Krishna, but we will go closer to Krishna. If we have practised Devbhakti in this life, then Krishna will take us to a place where we can continue the practise of Devbhakti.
If we consider that we are souls who have been through so many lifetimes in the past, and maybe in the past we had practically no inclination to talk about Krishna, maybe we had no knowledge of Krishna also. But still, through all those lifetimes, Krishna has guided us. And we have gone through it.
So, when we have no inclination towards Krishna, and that time Krishna guided us through, now we are trying to serve Him, why will He not guide us? So, we have that understanding that if we are moving towards Krishna, Krishna will take that opportunity away from us. Many circumstances, you are born somewhere where the opportunity may not be immediately available, but it will become manifest. So, in general, it's best to focus on doing our part.
If we do our part, then Krishna will take care of His part. … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Again, because scripture tells stories, I mean narratives, scripture usually illustrates through extremes. It is, when scripture was to show the mercy of the Lord, to show that just one Narayan Ajami chanted and he was saved from the demons.
Somebody like him used to take that literally and he said that, ok, I will just enjoy throughout my life. When death comes, I put a gun on my head, Narayan! He said, no, it doesn't work like that. And so that shows the magnitude of the mercy of the Lord.
But that doesn't mean that is the standard way people can do it. So an extreme example of mercy should inspire us to commit ourselves more to the standard process of mercy. Standard process for getting mercy.
So just as there can be extreme positive examples of mercy, there can also be extreme negative examples of danger. For example, examples of danger. So, Siddhartha Bharat Maharaj, I mean, a national hero, that's an extreme example.
Similarly, Zarveda, getting deviated like that, that's a danger. But danger is always there in the material. That doesn't mean that we have to live in constant fear.
It is, now, again, the Buddha, you could say that there are multiple things going on there. There is primarily the point that characters in Ramlila who did exalted things, who did wonderful things. We have Jambavan also, he opposes Krishna, he fights with Krishna.
But then, he doesn't continue doing that. Now, the Buddha, unfortunately, he just, he's become way too off the track. So, now, there also, if you see, Krishna has a clinical association.
Association. He associated with demoniac people like Vanasura, that's how he got contaminated. So, it is, see, fall, if somebody deviates or falls down on the spiritual path, it is not by chance or accident alone.
It is the first slip, that might be by chance or accident. Like Ajahn saw something and that was accident. But after that, Ajahn went on it.
And then, when he called that prostitute to his home and ejected his wife, ejected his parents, at that time, it was not that, it was just one fall. It was a series of actions. So, and at that time, probably, maybe his parents, grandparents, he's a Brahmana, so others must have counselled him, others have chastised him.
He didn't neglect them at all. So, it's not, it doesn't happen by chance. By chance, some danger may come in your life.
You may fall, you may slip, you may fall. So, the first mistake may happen by chance. Second mistake may happen also by chance.
But when the repetition happens, it's not just by chance or accident itself. It's our own misuse of grief. So, what can we do to prepare for that? See, if we use our suffering properly right now, then that also creates impressions in karma.
That also becomes a habit. And if we have cultivated a healthy habit, then even if in the future some temptation comes for us, if we leave our habit, it will protect us. So, it's like, if right now, we make a habit of always valuing the association of devotees, then that habit will carry over us to a future life also.
And even if, say, we have the association of people who are opposed to devotion, then even people will still stick to it. And we'll still have the association of spiritual mind. So, if we do what we can, Krishna will do what we can't.
Very good. We stop here. Thank you.
Do you have a question? No. Thank you very much. Krishna Prabhupada Ki Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai! Jai!