|
Ocean of Fear
The saints of India have named the world as an 'Ocean of Fear'. As there is water everywhere in the sea, so is fear everywhere in the world. Fear is the water of the sea of the world. That is why world is also called water of fear. In the ocean of the world, the life is drowning.
In that pool, people have made their homes, but the water there is as hot as fire!
In the swamp of emotional attachment, their feet cannot move. I have seen them drowning there.1.
Fear of self is definitely a safety measure if it is within limit. Birds, aquatic beings and land animals do self defence after becoming fearful, that is when they feel any danger. On seeing any danger animal becomes fearful runs for his safety, hides himself. When there is no fear, the animals become fearless and move around gladly and sleep carefree. Only man is such a living creature who always remains frightened. There is no fear. But by an imagination of fear, he remains fearful and fear becomes a burden of life and takes away all the flavour of life. Fear of death before its arrival; I may fall sick, earned wealth may not go waste, there may not be an interruption in the earned respect and honour, I may not lag behind in the race of life. In this manner, after infusing fears of many types in his life, a person makes his life a hell. Fear more than a limit is suicidal and such a fear is a mental disease. With the increase in the extent of fear, the balance of mind is disturbed and there is a possibility of becoming mad.
If the fear of any particular thing or person goes very deep in the mind, then it becomes difficult to take it out quickly.
As some body was bitten by a rat in the childhood, then even now he screams on seeing a rat. Some thing was eaten and it was not digested and was vomited. Due to this so much fear was permeated that on seeing that thing one begins to tremble. Such a fear is out of limit and consequently becomes lethal.
An accident of railway train or bus had taken place. Now, one is so much frightened that it is difficult to sit in the train. Death takes place even at home, rather more people die at home than in train accidents. Then should we refuse to go inside the house?
To remain frightened all the time is a hinderance for the development of life. Those who do not embrace dangers, cannot undertake any big development. Those, who fight great dangers fearlessly, do big constructive jobs and make their lives decent. It is correct that fear is self-defence, if it is within limits. To keep fear within limits, Gurbani has suggested some ways. The world is dirty and the fear of the world is also dirty:
This world is polluted with pollution.
Only the One Lord is Immaculate; He has no end or limitation.1. Pause.
(SGGS, p 1157)
Fear of pure God is pure.
A person is afraid of another person or law, but does not fear God. As the traffic rules have been made so that there are no accidents. But if somewhere accidents happen, it does not mean that car is not to be driven. One gets hurt by falling from a cycle, therefore, cycling is not to be done. Like this by dirty fear all the development of life comes to a stop.
Flower has got a fear of fading but the thorns are not afraid of it. Flowers have got freshness, blossoming, tenderness, and beauty. There are dangers and danger only for a life like that of flowers. But if someone thinks that what is the necessity of becoming flowers when there are so many dangers, let us be thorns only.
This type of frightful thinking has made the life of many like that of thorns.
We should be fearless from the world and have a fear of God. But man is going about without any fear of God and is afraid of the world:
The fearless are afraid of fear.
(SGGS, p 900)
The world is dirty and its fear is a poison.
God is pure and His fear is Nectar and is giver of life.
When someone meditates with a fear of God in the mind, he gets that pure fear. Such a person looks God present everywhere, i.e. Omnipresent:
In the Fear of God, the Immaculate Lord, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and behold the Lord's Presence before you.
The Lord, the Supreme Soul, is the Lord and Master of the Universe; He is pervading and permeating everywhere, fully filling all spaces.
(SGGS, p 773)
Now this fear is not a burden, it is a necessity. The fear of God is gladness and bloom. The meditation of fearless God for all the twenty four hours had made as fearless:
Meditating on the Fearless Lord, all fear departs.
(SGGS, p 293)
Now in every incident of the world, Hand of God is visible. Therefore the world has been accepted as such. Life and death, profit and loss, respect and disrespect-all is the sport of God. Whatever is happening in the world, He is merry on seeing all this:
If You gave me an empire, then what glory would be in it for me?
If You made me beg for charity, what would it take away from me?.1.
(SGGS, p 525)
By seeing every incident or accident of the world, to remain fearful is a state of mental sikhness. With the reliance of God's contemplation mind remains steady.
Jo Hans Raha Hai So Hans Raheyga.
Jo Roe Raha Hai So Ro Rahey Ga.
Sakunae Kalab Se Khuda Khuda Kar,
Jo Kuchh Ke Hona Hai So Hoe Raheyga.
In the beginning of life on this planet, when man was living in the forest, he had been pain-stricken from wild animals-lion, leopard, wolf, snake, etc. in the darkness of night since then. Due to this the fear of darkness has permeated so much in the unconscious that even today he is afraid of darkness only. Even if there is none in the darkness to make him fearful. Only darkness makes him frightened and man fabricates some dreadful world in the darkness by his own imagination.
On the day the lamp of recollection of God lights, then the internal darkness of numerous lives is removed. On that day the external darkness appears only a sport of God and then there is no fear. With the refulgence of God's Name now the outside darkness also looks His form:
Salutation to the embodiment of darkness.
Salutation to thee who are the lustrous glitter.
(Japji Sahib)
The fear of God is such a fire in which all the fears of the world burn to ashes. Without the fear of God it is extremely difficult to cross the Ocean of Existence:
Without the Fear of God, no one crosses over the world-ocean.
(SGGS, p 151)
|
Back to home page