Thread by @DefiledGod

---Short Thread on Fear of Brahman--

bhisha.asmadvatah pavate bhishodeti suryah bhisha.asmadagnishchendrashcha . mrityurdhavati pa~nchama iti

Wind blows out of his. Sun rises from fear of him. From fear of him do Agni & Indra function. Death, the 5th, runs in fear of him.+

Now, most commentators take this to be the Supreme Brahman who induces fear, but no-one has actually analysed the concept of fear in such detail as the Vishishtadvaitins have.

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What is this fear? The fear is this – “what would happen if we, the devas, did not execute our duties as a service to the Lord? Then, we would experience a break in our meditation on him, which would lead desire for other things and hence samsAra."

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Thus, the fear of the gods is not the fear of some tyrant directing them. It is a genuine fear borne out of love for the Lord and an understanding that non-performance of prescribed duties leads to separation from him, and down into samsAra.

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What is really “fear”? The Lord is akhilaheya-pratyanIka. He has no blemishes. So, it is impossible for “fear” to be a negative thing. This has led Acharyas to conclude that “fear” of the Lord is a kalyANa guNa to be experienced and enjoyed, as much as others like beauty, etc.+

Let us examine the types of fear. The first type is that felt by the devas. This fear is also twofold. The devas, devoted to the Lord, are afraid to transgress him lest – 1) it causes them to lose their positions, 2) it displeases the Lord, whom they love and want to please.+

The second type of fear, is that induced by his appearance and deeds. This is the fear that the asurAs feel, which we can discuss. But not just the asurAs. Even Arjuna trembled at seeing the cosmic form of the Lord+

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Why? Arjuna had requested to see bhagavAn’s form revealing his rulership over all. But what he saw, was the destruction of asurAs like duryodhana etc rushing into the mouths of the cosmic form. This form displays the fate of those who transgress commands.+

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Thus, Arjuna experienced fear, as he did not understand why the Lord would show such a form to him, who is a devotee. Having explained this, let us look at this fear from perspective of the asurAs. They are the victims of this cosmic form & similar forms causing fear+

#Hinduism

But as I mentioned earlier, “cause of fear” is a kalyANa guNa. His nature is such that even what he does in anger causes bliss. Thus, even though the rAkShasAs felt fear, they felt, without understanding how, a torrent of bliss along with that fear and hatred of the Lord!+

That fear impelled them to always meditate on him, thinking of how he may come to kill them. Such repeated rememberance became purifying for them. We see this in the case of siShupAla, rAvaNa and kamsa.+

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BhAgavataM (10.44.39) states that kaMsa, on account of his fear, was always meditating on the Lord. This gave him sat-gati. Therefore, a jnAni is curious to see what “fear of Brahman” feels like, to experience that kalyANa guNa of causing fear. +

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Hence, thirumangai azhwar assumed the bhAva (mindset) of the rAkShasIs guarding sIta in Lanka. He considered himself one of the rAkShasi women and expressed his fear of the Lord as follows. English translations of periya thirumozhi 10.2+

“rAvaNa our king w/ 10 heads & 20 arms lost his life & kingdom lusting for sIta.We are his slaves & know not what to do. You have 2 arms & wear 1 crown. We know not who we should serve. O, lord, you are our god. Do not kill us. We are afraid of you. Thadam pongaththam pongo!”+

“Our king rAvaNa with golden crowns kidnapped that goddess & imprisoned her in a fragrant garden. See, this was wrong. KumbakarNa and Nikumba have been killed in battle. Yama came in the form of a man and killed them with arrows. We are afraid. Thadam pongaththam pongo!”+

The refrain “Thadam pongaththam pongo” was a dance performed by people who were lost with no shelter, using a drum. Azhwar considers himself as one among the rAkShaSIs who are lost, having no shelter now. He even refers to rAma as the embodiment of yAma come to kill them!+

If you can understand the wonder of it all - azhwar, knowing that fear can only be experienced by Asuras, and wanting to experience that kalyANa guNa, mentally endows himself with asura bhAva so that he can experience that fear. Is there any further height of bhakti?+

This magnificent portion of periya thirumozhi establishes that “cause of fear” is a kalyANa-guNa of the Lord and not something to be shunned. English translation does not do the pAsurams justice By all means, enjoy being afraid of him! //

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