(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada)
"Now suppose somebody says: 'Oh, I shall kill you! I shall kill you!' Somebody becomes very much afraid. But a person who is situated in pure consciousness, he's not afraid. We have got very practical example in the life of a great philosopher, Greek philosopher, Socrates. He believed in the immortality of the soul, and he was offered hemlock, poison, that 'If you believe in immortality, immortality of the soul, then you drink this poison.' 'Yes, I shall drink it.' So he drunk it, and he, his body, of course, stopped functioning because poison will act. But he was not afraid of drinking poison because he, he was completely situated in that platform. So there is no fear. So long bodily conception of life is there, oh, fearfulness will be always there in proportionately. As much I get rid of this bodily conception of life, then my fearfulness also decreases. And so long I am absorbed in bodily conception of life, my fearfulness is greater."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, April 15, 1966)
"So long we are not connected in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or not connected with the Supreme Lord, we shall always be fearful. Fearful is one of the qualification of the conditioned soul. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca: four necessities. Why we are defending? Because on account of fearfulness. The animal, a small animal, ant, it has got also fear, and the biggest nation, Russia or America, they are also fearful because this is the qualification of conditioned life: āhāra, eating, nidrā, sleeping, and fearing, and mating. So if you want to get yourself free from fearfulness, then Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends that you have to chant and you have to hear and you have to remember about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the conclusion."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Montreal, October 23, 1968)
"So when the consciousness is materially absorbed, then there is fear, and when the consciousness is pure—'consciousness pure' means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, 'I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa'—then there is no bhaya. The more we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the more we become free from fearfulness. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). The real position of fearlessness is harim āśrayeta, take shelter of Hari. Hari means who takes away all subjective things of fearfulness. That is Hari. He takes away all our miserable condition of life, Hari."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, December 25, 1974)
Devotee: It is said that a devotee is supposed to be fearless.
Prabhupāda: Fearless because devotee means one who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa. He's devotee. He's fearless. And one who has not taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, how he can be fearless? Suppose there is epidemic disease, if you have got vaccination, then you can remain fearless. Otherwise, the epidemic will contaminate and then you'll have to suffer. So Kṛṣṇa is the vaccination to remain fearless.
Devotee (2): You have used the example, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that just like a little child, when he's near his father, he knows he has nothing to worry about. His father will protect him.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa...
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Paris, June 13, 1974)
Devotee: If the devotee is fearless, how is it Prahlāda was expressing his fearfulness of the material nature?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Even you are fearless, you should not be fool. Because if you know that 'There is danger. I must be very careful,' that is intelligence. That is not fearfulness. Besides that, a devotee like Prahlāda, he's fearless, but he's fearful for others. That is stated. Just like the mother: she knows that she'll not catch fire, she'll not fall down in the water, but she is always anxious to see her child that the child may not fall into the water, may not catch fire. She's working in her own way, but always fearful of the child. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, he's not fearless for himself, but because he's sympathetic, because he knows that all these rascals, they are wrongly wasting their time, therefore he's anxious, fearful. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. They are unhappy by seeing others unhappy. For themselves, there is no unhappiness. That is their grace. And Vaiṣṇava is fearless. Even if he's sent to hell, he's not unhappy, because wherever he goes, he'll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So actually he has no fear, fearfulness.
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Paris, June 13, 1974)
"Kṛṣṇa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). This is called full faith, that 'Kṛṣṇa has said that if I am in devotional service, I will never be lost. Kṛṣṇa will give me protection.' Kṛṣṇa says. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). To have faith, this is called surrender. Not that 'Oh, Kṛṣṇa says, but may not be able to protect me.' No. Kṛṣṇa is able. He is all-powerful, omnipotent. He can give you protection. When He says that ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi, that is a fact. This is called niścayāt. 'Certainly Kṛṣṇa will give me protection.' Not that 'Because I do not see Kṛṣṇa, I do not know whether Kṛṣṇa will give me protection.' No. That word is sufficient."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, April 10, 1974)
"So if you actually want liberation or fearlessness, no more fear, and if you want actually to become immortal, no more birth, death, old age, and disease, then you have to accept the words of Krsna. As He says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja (Bg. 18.66). That is bhakti. That is bhakti. So you have to take."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, December 11, 1974)
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