due to bodily concept of life

And abhayam. Abhayam means fearlessness. So long we are in this body, material body, there are four principles, out of which one is bhayam, fearfulness: "What will happen? What will happen?" Because I am eternal, na hanyate sarire, but my body is to be annihilated. But because I am... This is the psychology. Because I am eternal, I do not want my body be annihilated. But it will be. Therefore I am always fearful, "When it will be annihilated? When it will be annihilated? Is the time come? Is the time come?" This is called bhayam. Bhayam dvitiyabhinnivesataḥ syat. Because I am identifying with this body, therefore there is fearfulness. And if by knowledge I can understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul," aham brahmasmi, and if you are actually convinced, then there is no fearfulness.    (More...)

So it requires very firm knowledge. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20]. That is possible. That is possible by jnana. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. His father, demon father Hiranyakasipu, was chastising him in so many ways. But he was not afraid at all, fearless, because he was convinced that "I am not this body. I am different from body." Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20]. "I will not die." It is simply knowledge, firm knowledge. And as soon as you come to that position, that "I am not this body," then automatically you become abhayam, no fear.    (More...)

Everyone is afraid of being killed. That is the most fearful position. But if you are convinced that "I am not killed; I exist..." That does not mean I shall be voluntarily prepared to be killed. No, that is not the idea. Idea is that if we are... Jnanam vairagyam. These two things required in human life: jnanam vairagyam. Jnanam means "I am not this body." This is jnanam. And vairagya means renunciation: "If I am not this body, then what I have got to do with this material world? This material world is important because I am identifying myself with this material body. Therefore it is important: 'Where I shall sit? Where shall I eat? Where shall I sleep? How shall I be protected?' " So many things. There are many instances. Just like Dhruva Maharaja, a five-year-old boy, he went to the jungle. He was sitting alone there, abhayam, abhayam, no fearfulness.    (More...)

First of all, abhayam. Abhayam means we are always afraid. We are always agitated, anxiety, because I am thinking, "I am this body." But if you are completely realized that you are not this body, you are something else, spirit soul, then I am immediately free from anxieties. That is called abhayam-no more fear, no more anxiety. Because everyone is ultimately afraid of being killed. But if he understands fully that he is not this body, then killed or not killed, he is not any attached to this body. Narottama dasa Thakura says, therefore, deha smrti nahi jar, samsara bandhan kaha tar[?]: "If one becomes free from the bodily concept of life, then where is material miseries?" Material miseries does not affect him. He know that... Just like I am putting on this shirt. If it is torn, so am I affected? I am not affected. I am within this shirt. Similarly, if I am fully convinced that I am not this body, then if there is some injury or some disease or some mishap in the body, I am not concerned because I know that I am not this body. That is self-realization.    (More...)