As per Hinduism, the one prerequisite for attaining bliss on
earth is to be fearless. Here are few quotes and teachings from Hinduism on the
need to overcome fear. True fearlessness is synonymous with God-realization
Fear originates from a sense of duality, says the Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad (1.4.2): I and the object of fear. In the words of the Taittiriya
Upanishad, "When a man finds fearless support in That which is invisible, formless,
indefinable, and supportless, he has then attained fearlessness. If he makes
the slightest differentiation in That, there is fear for him." (2.7.1)
Swami Vivekananda emphatically declares what fearlessness
is: "Those moments alone we live when our lives are in the universe, in
others; and living this little life is death, simply death, and that is why the
fear of death comes. The fear of death can only be conquered when man realizes
that so long as there is one life in the universe, he is living. When he can
say, 'I am in everything, in everybody; I am in all lives; I am the universe,'
then alone comes the state of fearlessness."
In the Vairagya Satakam (A hundred Verses on Renunciation),
Bhartrihari describes how fear is associated with everything in the world:
"In enjoyment there is the fear of disease; in social position, the fear
of falling off; in wealth, the fear of hostile kings; in honor, the fear of
humiliation; in power, the fear of enemies; in beauty, the fear of old age; in
scholarship, the fear of opponents; in virtue, the fear of calumny; and in the
body, the fear of death. Everything in this world is fraught with fear.
Renunciation alone stands for fearlessness." (verse 31)
Knowledge of the Atman, the divine Self, alone can give us
fearlessness and the realization that we are of the nature of infinite Being,
infinite Consciousness and infinite Bliss. After imparting the knowledge of
Brahman to Janaka, Yajnavalkya said, "Verily, Janaka, you have attained That
which is free from fear." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.2.4.)
According to Sri Ramanuja's commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (16.1), "We feel miserable when separated from objects of desire or associated with objects of aversion. Fear is a kind of pain resulting from the awareness of the cause of such misery; the absence of this pain is fearlessness."
Commenting on the Gita (16.1), Sant Jnaneshvar explains fearlessness: "If we don't jump into a flooded river, we have no fear of being drowned. If we eat sensibly, we don't need to be concerned about falling ill. Even so, if we are not egotistic while doing work or not doing it, we need not fear life in the world. When our mind is filled with the notion of nondualism, we know that the whole world is pervaded by Brahman and reject all fear."
According to Sri Ramanuja's commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (16.1), "We feel miserable when separated from objects of desire or associated with objects of aversion. Fear is a kind of pain resulting from the awareness of the cause of such misery; the absence of this pain is fearlessness."
Commenting on the Gita (16.1), Sant Jnaneshvar explains fearlessness: "If we don't jump into a flooded river, we have no fear of being drowned. If we eat sensibly, we don't need to be concerned about falling ill. Even so, if we are not egotistic while doing work or not doing it, we need not fear life in the world. When our mind is filled with the notion of nondualism, we know that the whole world is pervaded by Brahman and reject all fear."