Man is always afflicted with fear in this world — fear of the unknown, fear of ill health and physical calamities, fear of others and of their opinions, fear of losing wealth, prestige and possessions, and above all the fear of death. Numerous anxieties, both imaginary and real, intimidate man. Kabir says that the root cause of all fears that loom over man, birth after birth, is ego. The devotee can overcome this fear by eliminating his ego and inculcating fear of God in his heart.

In Sant Mat, fear is an important part of love, and the two go hand in hand on the path. It is not fear in the ordinary sense, but the anxiety of the devotee not to do anything consciously or unwittingly that will offend or displease the Beloved. When a devotee develops true love for the Lord, his ego is eliminated and all his worldly fears come to an end; they dissolve in divine fear, the essential companion of divine love.

Why need I fear any more?
All my fears dissolved
Before my fear of the Lord,
The moment I recognized
My true self and the Self of God.

As long as I was involved
In 'mine' and 'thine',
Life after life the misery
And fear of birth and death
Trailed me tenaciously.

Those who realize the One
Both within and without,
Their mind is always
Absorbed inside.
Men who look upon others
As high or low
Are no better than beasts;
They keep wandering
In varied forms of delusion.

Says Kabir: Since I discarded
'I' and 'mine',
Nothing but the Lord exists.
Why need I fear any more?
All my fears have dissolved
Before my fear of the Lord.

K.G., p. 84:66
Ab kā daraon dar darhi samānā