SB 03.25.42 mad-bhayad vati vato 'yam... cited

Expressions researched:
"mad-bhayad vati vato 'yam" |"mrtyus carati mad-bhayat" |"suryas tapati mad-bhayat" |"varsatindro dahaty agnir"

SB Canto 3

SB 3.25.42, Translation and Purport:

It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear of Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the clouds, Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out of fear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me.

Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūti, Verse 42

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, says in Bhagavad-gītā that the natural laws being enacted are correct in all activities because of His superintendence. No one should think that nature is working automatically, without superintendence. The Vedic literature says that the clouds are controlled by the demigod Indra, heat is distributed by the sun-god, the soothing moonlight is distributed by Candra, and the air is blowing under the arrangement of the demigod Vāyu. But above all these demigods, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the chief living entity. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). The demigods are also ordinary living entities, but due to their faithfulness—their devotional service attitude—they have been promoted to such posts. These different demigods, or directors, such as Candra, Varuṇa and Vāyu, are called adhikāri-devatā. The demigods are departmental heads. The government of the Supreme Lord consists not only of one planet or two or three; there are millions of planets and millions of universes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a huge government, and He requires assistants. The demigods are considered His bodily limbs. These are the descriptions of Vedic literature. Under these circumstances, the sun-god, the moon-god, the fire-god and the air-god are working under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The natural laws are being conducted under His superintendence. Because He is in the background, everything is being performed punctually and regularly.

One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely protected from all other influences. He no longer serves or is obliged to anyone else. Of course he is not disobedient to anyone, but his full power of thought is absorbed in the service of the Lord. The statements by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila that under His direction the air is blowing, the fire is burning and the sun is giving heat are not sentimental. The impersonalist may say that the Bhāgavatam devotees create and imagine someone as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and assign qualifications to Him; but actually it is neither imagination nor an imposition of artificial power in the name of Godhead. In the Vedas it is said, bhīṣāsmād vātaḥ pavate/ bhīṣodeti sūryaḥ: "By fear of the Supreme Lord the wind-god and the sun-god are acting." Bhīṣāsmād agniś candraś ca/ mṛtyur dhāvati pañcamaḥ: "Agni, Indra and Mṛtyu are also acting under His direction." These are the statements of the Vedas.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.25.42 -- Bombay, December 10, 1974:

Nitāi: "(It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear of Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the) clouds, Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. The fire burns out of fear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me."

Prabhupāda:

mad-bhayād vāti vāto 'yaṁ

sūryas tapati mad-bhayāt

varṣatīndro dahaty agnir

mṛtyuś carati mad-bhayāt

(SB 3.25.42)

The ultimate, mṛtyuś carati mad-bhayāt . So bhaya, bhaya means fearfulness. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. In the previous verse the Lord Kapiladeva said that "If anyone wants to get out of this fearful situation..." Bhayaṁ tīvraṁ nivartate. Ātmanaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ bhayaṁ tīvraṁ nivartate. We are always fearful. Material life is not very happy life because we are always fearful. That's a fact. Nobody can say, "No, I am not afraid of anything." That is false. Everyone is afraid of something, everyone—bird, beast, human being, everyone, bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt—because we have got absorption in the second category of life. Second category means this bodily conception of life, dvitīya abhiniveśa. I am thinking at the present moment that "I am this body." Everyone is thinking. Therefore, when there is fear of destruction of this body, we become very much afraid, perplexed. We have seen in Los Angeles. There was earthquake, and all the neighborhood, women especially, began to scream, fearful, "Now death is coming."

Lecture on SB 3.25.42 -- Bombay, December 10, 1974:

So mad-bhayād vāti vāto 'yam. These are the very strong sources of fearfulness. If there is cyclone, it is very fearful. It is going on very nicely, but if it is a big cyclone, then it is fearful. So there is necessity of cyclone also. There is necessity of scorching heat. There is necessity of rainfall. So there are different directors and officers, and they are all servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). The only master, supreme master, is Kṛṣṇa, and all others, they are bhṛtya, servant. The demigods, the demigods, they are all servants of Kṛṣṇa. Demigods there are: Sūrya, Candra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, and Bṛhaspati, so many, thirty-three crores of demigods. They have got different planets. But all of them are servants of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The modern so-called scientists, they say, "There is no demigod. There is no God. This is all natural function." That's all right. Nature is working. But nature is matter. Matter cannot work without the direction of the living being. You cannot say matter works independently. That is not possible. Everything is...

Just like here it is said... Now we have got experience in the beach. There is always big, big waves. That water is also dull matter, and the air pushing the dull matter, water, and there is big, big waves, and it is dashing on the earth. These things are going on. So they say it is nature's work. But nature is not independent. We get this information from authoritative śāstra. Here Kapiladeva says that... There is high wind. That is due to the command, mad-bhayāt vāti vātaḥ. High wind is there. Sometimes there is breezy, very nice, sometimes very high wind. So there is direction. You cannot say that it is automatically happening, no. There is direction. Kṛṣṇa says that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Under My superintendence, prakṛti, nature..." The scientists, they say nature is working wonderfully, but after all, nature is not under your control. That you have to accept. You may defy Kṛṣṇa, or God, but you cannot defy the natural, nature's activities. You are subordinate. But because we do not know the background of nature, therefore we think that "Nature is working. There is no God."