Time's destructive power reveals Krishna's supremacy; only Krishna's lotus feet dissolve all fear.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.16 — December 25, 1974, Bombay 741225SB-BOMBAY [38:34 Minutes] SB-03.26.16_741225SB-BOMBAY Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] prabhāvaṁ pauruṣaṁ prāhuḥ kālam eke yato bhayam ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhasya kartuḥ prakṛtim īyuṣaḥ [SB 3.26.16] [break] [03:05] "The influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is felt in the time factor, which causes fear of death due to the false ego of the deluded soul who has contacted material nature." Prabhupāda: prabhāvaṁ pauruṣaṁ prāhuḥ kālam eke yato bhayam ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhasya kartuḥ prakṛtim īyuṣaḥ [SB 3.26.16] So the time factor is the representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, when Kṛṣṇa manifested His viśva-rūpa, Arjuna became very afraid of and inquired, "Who are You?" So at that time Kṛṣṇa said, "I am kāla. I have appeared to destroy." So kāla is representation, time. We have discussed twenty-five elements: the ten mahā..., five mahā-bhūta and five sūkṣma-bhūta, ten senses, twenty-four internal senses, these twenty-four elements, and above that, the kāla, time factor. That's all.
So kāla is destructive factor. We may, however, defy the existence of God. Atheist class of men, demons, they always defy, "Who is God? I am God." But everyone is under the control of time factor. The time factor, in due course, will bring him death.
So at that time, how one can deny the existence of God? Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham [Bg. 10.34]. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am death, and My business is to take away everything." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. So time factor will take away everything, what we create with these twenty-four elements.
So time is very strong, kāla. However we may defy the existence of God, the time factor is there. We have to accept it. And it is said, kālam eke yato bhayam.
And because we are under the control of the time at the present moment in material existence, therefore there is bhayam. Bhayam means ultimately death. Bhayam. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ [SB 11.2.37]. The description of bhayam is given in the Bhāgavatam.
What is this bhayam, fearfulness? Bhayam, īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ: "Those who have forgotten the Supreme Lord and have identified themselves with this material world, for them, the fearfulness is there." But those who are not in the material existence but in the spiritual existence, or spiritual life, or spiritual activities, for them, there is no bhayam. Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ [Bg. 16.1], in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Bhayam is there, fearfulness is there, so long our existence is not purified.