Lord! Fear Stalks Me – Drive It Away! MORE GEMS FROM THE RIGVEDA - PLEASE SHARE Yad anti yach-cha doorake Bhayam vindati maam iha Pawamaana vi taj jahi – Rig Veda 9:67:21 O Lord, You are found everywhere with protective resources! Drive away all danger and fear that comes to me either from near or from afar. Fear is an unpleasant, distressing emotion. It is caused by imminent threat or danger. Fear comes as a response to a stimulus happening either now or in the future. We experience fear when we perceive a threat to our health, life, status, power, security or anything we hold valuable. Fear causes a change in brain function and this brings about a further change in behavior. We then feel a sense of dismay, terror, fright, panic, anxiety and horror. Fear makes us run away and hide, or causes a freeze response, a near paralysis, in our body limbs. A study of human behavior would reveal that people are afraid of both simple, little things and complex, big things. For example, timid people are afraid of spiders, snakes, frogs, cockroaches and bugs, heights, clowns, driving, etc. So-called strong people can be afraid of the future, of failure, of being alone, of road accidents, gang and ethnic violence, terrorist attacks, tsunami, nuclear war, etc. One of the most common fears in humans is the fear of public speaking. People may be comfortable speaking inside a room but when it becomes public speaking, fear enters their mind and it comes in the form of suspicion over whether the words uttered are correct or incorrect because there are many to judge them. Also, very many people seek counseling when they fear approaching old age, intimacy, social rejection, demons and ghosts, enclosed spaces, etc. In the words of this current Mantra, the foregoing forms of fear are called “fears from near”. There are more substantial forms of fear and they are called “fears from afar”. One of such “afar-fears” is the fear of survival. We can be surrounded by social, economic, spiritual, political and educational pressures that can make life so difficult that survival itself becomes questionable. Accompanying the fear of survival is the fear of dying, of death itself. When people fear dying, they become filled with fear of losing their spouse and children and their material possessions, they fear the pain associated with life exiting the body and also the pain associated with after-life. Where do they go from here? And, by which path do they travel? And, in whose company will they live? In addition to fear of survival and of death, there is an equally oppressive fear, the fear of the unknown. As we turn the lanes of life, we do not know what awaits us tomorrow, or next month, or next ten years. We are too scared to take the path we want to because of what may lie ahead. Fear of the unknown leads to fear of uncertainty and unpredictability. What can happen if I enter this dark tunnel, or when I start this business project? Should I or should I not enter into an agreement to acquire this piece of real estate? Will the stock market crash if I buy this stock? There is so much stress, anxiety and depression while living in such a constantly unpredictable environment. In such scenarios, where do people go for advice? What measures are available for them to overcome their fear? Psychologists do say that the fear of the unknown motivates religious commitment in people. Religiosity can be related, among other things, to fear of death when the afterlife is portrayed as time of punishment. For this reason, most people become devout practitioners of religion and say prayers to counteract fear and to be assured of a life, and an after-life, free of suffering. On the other hand, Yoga practitioners who engage in a culture of breath control and meditation are least afraid of anything. They chant Vedic Mantras, like this current one, and consciously petition, or even demand, that fear of any kind be driven away or destroyed. They know that their soul is deathless and that nothing has the power to harm them. Ignorance, they know, is the wall that separates their soul from such knowledge of reality. WORD -FOR-WORD MEANING Pavamaana – O Lord raining protective measures everywhere!; Vi Jahi – Drive away/destroy; Tat Bhayam – that fear; Yat Maam Iha Vindati – that finds me here; Anti from near; Cha Doorake – and from afar.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:23:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015