'Survival of the fittest' is a phrase alluding to the theory of natural selection in biology. Our planet has seen many kinds of animals being created and becoming extinct. Only those animals that could challenge and withstand the environmental conditions survived, while many other species became permanently extinct. Many species of huge animals became extinct because they could not compete with smaller animals, which could withstand the environmental conditions and could successfully continue to reproduce. This is what some biologists say.

Let us not bother about the validity of such theories. However, it is a fact that there has been continuous struggle among living beings since time immemorial. Wherever there is struggle, there is bound to be desire to succeed or desire to win. The presence of desire to win implies that there is a feeling 'I am superior to you'. Only when such feeling is present in two individuals, struggle or fight is possible.
Neither of the two fighting individuals say or think, "O.K., you are superior, I am inferior". Everyone thinks - "I am superior".

If this is true, why then is man afraid of a lion? Why is he afraid of fighting with a lion? If there is fear in him, does it mean that he is doubtful of his superiority?
Yes, such fear indicates that there is doubt. He is doubting his own superiority. Therefore, he does not take on a lion from the front. However, he always tries to use an ambush and kill the lion. On the one hand, he is doubtful of his superiority and on the other hand, he wants to prove that he is superior.

First of all, why did he get the feeling that he is superior? After having got that feeling, why the subsequent doubt about it? After doubting one's own superiority, why make any effort to establish superiority?

These are some uncomfortable questions facing the psychologists. We do not want to acknowledge our ignorance and therefore we try to escape by saying 'it is a natural tendency'.

Even in the mental plane, struggle or fighting is the natural tendency of living beings. Therefore, man does not remain satisfied with the above answer for a long time. Soon he will start proposing new theories in an effort to find answers that are more acceptable. However much he tries in this direction, as long as he does not know where he came from and from where his mind came, it will be impossible for him to understand as to why the feeling that he is superior came to his mind.
It may be impossible. But, from such inquiry, he will uncover a secret. "If I can know where I came from, I will be able to understand from where this thinking came to my mind" is what he will come to know.

From where did the Jeevis (beings) come? The answer to this question is available only in the Upanishads. When the Paramatma (Supreme Self) reflects in an Antahkarana (internal instrument) just as sun reflects in the pond, the Jeevi comes in to being. There are many complex concepts and ideas behind this theory. Let us keep them aside. This theory can adequately satisfy the question before us.
Because a Jeevi is nothing but a reflection of the Supreme Self, every Jeevi will possess the feeling 'I am superior' quite naturally. No special training is necessary for that feeling to enter the brain. But this Jeevi, who is the reflection of the Supreme Self, has forgotten his original form. Therefore, whenever he thinks about himself, he identifies himself with his body or the mind. He therefore tends to compare the body and the mind of another Jeevi and starts getting a new feeling - 'I am inferior'.
'I am inferior' – this is a new feeling. That is, it came much after the individual was born. It is a feeling acquired by the individual due to thinking. 'I am superior' – this is the original thinking. This is an inborn thinking. Soon, the old thinking and the new thinking start to fight among themselves. This struggle itself is the so-called 'Desire to win'. It is this internal struggle (desire to win) which encourages one individual to fight with another individual.

Desire to win will be equal in both the individuals (the defendant and the opponent). Infact, fighting will be there only when the desire to win is equal in both the individuals.

If both individuals are the reflection of the Supreme Self and if the desire to win is equal in both the individuals, why will one of them suffer defeat?
Both the individuals are under the impression that the body (which is not the 'I') is the real 'I'. They will never doubt the propriety of such feeling. In fact, they are fully convinced that they are nothing but their bodies. Because of the difference in their body structure and strength, one of them will lose and the other will win.
If we contemplate on this discussion, we can see another hypothesis within it. It is, 'just as desire to succeed is a natural trait, fear of failure is also a natural trait'.
Therefore, an individual desirous of winning will start building his body to acquire more physical strength and stamina. When he reaches saturation in this, he will begin to acquire mental strength.

Ironically, as an individual goes on enhancing his physical and mental capabilities, his fear of failure too will grow and will start haunting him. To understand this better, let us consider the example of Ravana, the demon-king.

Ravana was gifted with extra-ordinary physical strength at the time of birth itself. His desire to succeed was so intense that he found his enormous physical strength insufficient. After all, his enmity was with the likes of Indra. He undertook intense penance and acquired special mental powers. He even defeated Indra. Still, he was haunted by fear of failure from various quarters. To overcome this, he increased the number of his friends. Still, fear of failure in the form of Sri Rama stood before him.
Another irony is that an ordinary individual with normal strength and capabilities will not have such an intense fear of failure. Ravana, the all-powerful demon king, who had even defeated Indra, was haunted by fear every moment although outwardly he was proud and brave.

We can rephrase this situation like this. One who aspires to surpass everyone, who wants to climb to the peak in any field, will be constantly under the influence of fear. For such an individual, everyday is a testing day.

No one likes to be afraid. There is a seemingly easy solution for this problem of fear of failure. Just remain inactive, devoid of any goal and desires. Take for example a beggar. Is he afraid of thieves? Does he have the fear of dishonor?

If the solution were to be this simple, everyone with commonsense would have chosen to become beggars. Also, if a beggar were to be really happy and content, why would he beg for alms? A beggar feels that a rich man is happy. A rich man feels that the beggar is happy and contented. Both are wrong.

A beggar does not live in a competitive world like a rich businessman does. He may not have the fear of thieves. This does not mean that he is happy. He is often pained by the insulting words of those who give him alms. His lack of capacity is responsible for him to remain in the low profile life of a beggar. It does not mean that he has no desire to become rich. In other words, even he has a desire to win; desire to succeed. His inability due to various reasons has made him to lead the life of a beggar.

The above discussion makes it amply clear that to think that remaining inactive (like an incapable person) will ensure freedom from the fear of failure is absurd. A person with power is constantly under fear of failure. Is there no real solution for this problem?

People overcome other problems with the help of either strength or strategy. Here, they (strength and strategy) themselves are the problems. How then can one overcome them?

If we want to find a solution to any problem, we have to trace its roots. If we try to find a solution without tracing the root of the problem, the problem will become even more complex.

We learnt that the root cause for fear of failure was the thinking "the body itself is me". This is called as Dehatma Bhaava. "Forgetting the original state of ourselves (who are merely reflections of the Supreme Self)" is the root cause for such thinking. This phenomenon is called as Svaroopa Vismriti (Svaroopa – one's form Vismriti – forgetting).

Let us analyse the problem again. Everyone who wants to forge ahead in any field, will be always fearful of failure. This is because the cause for this namely Svaroopa Vismriti is continuously present. Therefore, overcoming this forgetfulness itself is the solution for the problem!

In all walks of life and in all forms of tests, forgetfulness is the cause for failures.
A student who is crazy about going to movies will forget that the examinations are approaching. A carefree young man wandering from one place to another will be knowing that one day he will have to shoulder responsibilities, but will not remember it always. Even a student who has prepared well will forget the answers in the examination hall. Karna, the great warrior failed because he forgot the method of launching the missiles at a crucial time.

One may get a doubt here. Let us assume that a rabbit got in to a fight with a lion and lost. Do you say that the failure was because of forgetfulness? Would the rabbit have won otherwise? A very valid question indeed. Here, one should note that the rabbit lost because, for a moment it forgot its lack of strength to face a lion. Therefore, even here, forgetfulness is the cause for failure.

Therefore, to overcome fear of failure, one should first overcome forgetfulness. Forgetfulness can occur in any level. You should overcome the forgetfulness that occurs at your level when you are trying to face a test or a situation. We have learnt about the forgetfulness at different levels in the examples cited above.
Very well. But how to overcome forgetfulness? The following Sookti is meant for those who, after having made all the above analysis in their mind, have got stuck at this question. Observe this carefully:

Smriteh pareekshaa samayeshu bhangam
Yadeechchasi tvam parihartumugram
Bheetim tyajaadou tu paraajayotthaam
Tatastvaraam chaatha param smara tvam

If you wish to get over the terrible forgetfulness that torments at crucial times, obey the following advice.
1. First of all, give up the apprehension that you might fail.
1. Then, give up hastiness.
1. Remember the Supreme Self.

The above Sookti has qualified forgetfulness with the word 'Ugram'. One of the meanings of Ugratva is 'to torment others for the sake of fulfillment of one's goals'. As far as forgetfulness is concerned, 'others' here means one who harbors it. Because it torments the individual, it has been called Ugra.

The above Sookti suggests three steps to overcome this. The first is "give up the apprehension that you might fail". It means, one should get over fear of failure.
This itself is our problem. "What should we do to get over fear of failure?" we asked. "Overcome forgetfulness" was your answer. "What should we do to overcome forgetfulness?" we asked. "Overcome fear of failure" was your answer. There is a popular example of such catch-22 situations. It goes as "the girl will not get married unless she is cured of her madness; and she will not be cured of her madness unless she marries". This is called as Anyonya Ashraya Dosha. (mutual dependence of faults).

But this is not the way to understand the meaning of the Sookti. There are two kinds of fear of failure. One is that which is constantly present. This is the type for which we are seeking a solution. The other kind of fear of failure is the one which comes at crunch situations when we come face to face with a problem. This is referred to as 'tension'. The above Sookti is urging us to get over this. Therefore, it is clear that there is no mutual dependence of faults here.

The next step is giving up of hastiness. The above-mentioned tension makes the individual to become hasty. Therefore, if one can get over tension, one can also overcome hastiness. The purpose of making a separate mention is to imply that although there might be some amount of tension, one should try to suppress the tendency to become hasty.

The above two steps give temporary relief only. Permanent relief can be achieved only when one follows the third step, namely remembering the Supreme Self.
The anti-dote for forgetfulness is remembrance. Remembering what? Remembering the Supreme Self. Remembering that I am the Supreme Self is the true remedy.
Seekers in every field should apply this in their own levels. One who is aspiring for the ultimate goal in spirituality should remember "I am the supreme self". A soldier fighting with the help of his physical strength and battle strategy should remember the Almighty, who is the basis for all kinds of energy. A student aspiring to achieve higher goals in the field of education should remember the Paramatma, who is of the form of the Guru and knowledge. In this way, everyone should apply this most important step in one's pursuit.

By doing so, everyone can overcome the fear of failure tormenting in one's own level and can reach the level of the Supreme Self.

May this Sookti inspire you all to aspire for that Supreme State.

Jaya Guru Datta.

Sri Swamiji