kathopanishad-2-3-3-bhayādasyāgnistapati

Commentary by Swami Krishnananda of the great Divine Life Society

Bhayād asyāgnis tapati, bhayāt tapati sūryaḥ: bhayād indraś ca vāyuś ca, mṛtyur dhāvati pañcamaḥ (2.3.3). Due to the fear of this terrible law, the sun seems to be rising in the east and setting in the west precisely. Fire burns, Indra and Vayu perform their functions, and death itself does its duty because of fear of this Being. Even death is afraid of this great law. It is the central authority ruling the whole cosmos. The idea is that everything appears to be what it is, and everything seems to be functioning in the manner it does because of the law that is there at the back of the constitution of things, and the order that is behind the performance of actions through these constitutions.

We are human beings with a body and mind, with a personality, and we behave in a particular way. We do not behave like insects, and we do not behave like trees; trees do not behave like animals, and animals do not behave like human beings. Why is it that certain species behave only in that way, and do not behave in any other way? The reason is that the concentrated force is exerted by this cosmic power in a particular channel for the purpose of manifesting a particular intention, the intention being a desire or the necessity for a species to grow, to act, and then to perish in the course of time.

There is a diversified action of this universal Prana. One alone it is, as a central authority in a government, for instance, but it has diversified actions. The power of the government works in different ways in different departments, though it is the same power operating. Similarly, by the fear of this energy, as it were, by the legality, the force, the energy and the compulsion of this universal Prana, all the gods work systematically. Even the gods are afraid. Even death itself is afraid of that. Bhayād asyāgnis tapati: For fear of Him, fire burns; otherwise, fire will not burn. Bhayāt tapati sūryaḥ: For fear of Him, the sun shines. Bhayād indraś ca vāyuś ca: For fear of Him, the gods Indra, Vayu, and Mrityu, death itself, all perform their functions. We all live and behave in the manner we do because of the compulsion from the Universal Will. We cannot lift a single finger if that Will is not to be there at the back of this lifting. One leaf cannot fall on our head. As they say, a sparrow cannot sit on us unless the will of the Father is there behind it. Even a breeze cannot touch our body unless the Original Will dispenses the order that it should touch us. Such is the tremendous control that this cosmic Prana exercises on everything that is visible and invisible.