Question: Another question about the Upanishads: why was the King of Death, Yama, not there when Nachiketa arrived?

So you are carrying us into the lore of the Katha Upanishad! Wonderful. That was not the fault of the King of Death. If I come to your house without making a previous appointment or without your knowledge and do not find you at home, I can’t blame you, can I? Nachiketa’s father, Vajasravasa, said, “Thee I give to Death.” But the King of Death did not say, “O Nachiketa, I am waiting for thee, for thee alone.” Yama was busy at that time with someone else.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Earth’s cry meets Heaven’s Smile, part 1, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ech_1