From fear of Him, fire burns; from fear, the sun gives heat; from fear, Indra and Vāyu; and Death, the fifth, runs to do his duty.

This profound verse reveals that even the most powerful forces of the universe operate by “fear”—not fear in the human sense of dread, but reverence, cosmic order, dharma. Fire does not burn by chance; it fulfills its function because it is harmonized with the supreme source.

The five elements personified here—Agni (fire), Sūrya (sun), Indra (lord of the gods), Vāyu (wind), and Mṛtyu (death)—represent all natural powers. Even death, which terrifies all, functions by obeying a higher order.

In yoga practice, this liberates us from the fear of death. If even mṛtyu acts by reverence for Brahman, then death itself is not the end but part of a cycle governed by supreme intelligence. The yogi who knows this truth finds abhaya (freedom from fear) even before the greatest of mysteries.