We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. Today is the eighth post of my favorite Upanishad: The Katha. This is the story of a boy who chatted with the God of death.

Part Two

Chapter I

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/upani_katha.html

1

Yama said: The self—existent Supreme Lord inflicted an injury upon the sense—organs in creating them with outgoing tendencies; therefore a man perceives only outer objects with them and not the inner Self. But a calm person, wishing for Immortality, beholds the inner Self with his eyes closed.

2

Children pursue outer pleasures and fall into the net of widespread death; but calm souls, having known what is unshakable Immortality, do not covet any uncertain thing in this world.

3

It is through Atman that one knows form, taste, smell, sounds, touches and carnal pleasures. Is there anything that remains unknown to Atman? This, verily, is That.

4

It is through Atman that one perceives all objects in sleep or in the waking state. Having realised the vast, all—pervading Atman, the calm soul does not grieve.

5

He who knows the individual soul, the experiencer of the fruits of action, as Atman, always near and the Lord of the past and the future, will not conceal himself from others. This, verily, is That.

Chapter-IV

http://www.vedarahasya.net/katha-4.htm

Parameshwaran (the Lord) has created the sense organs with a basic interest for material objects. Hence, the man sees only the outward appearances alone (also that he sees only outside himself and not within himself). Rarely a wise man who aspires for liberation controls his mind, concentrates inward and sees the Supreme Soul inside (himself).

The idiots and the unwise run after the worldly objects and the material desires. And they fall into the death trap that is wide open. Contrarily, the wise men get to understand the immortal one (through rigorous meditation and concentration). Knowing fully well that there is nothing stable in this transient world, they do not run after anything like the others.

The intellect with which a man enjoys the various objects of his desire in the forms of sound, feel, vision, taste and smell is the one which is also capable of going beyond all such worldly objects and distinguishing them from the immortal. What is there that is beyond such intellect (or the knowledge)? This is that (this intellect or knowledge itself is that Atma or the Supreme Soul).

Having understood that huge and all pervading Atma (the Soul) by means of which one is able to see that within dream and reality, the wise one gets rid of all sorrows.

That one who recognizes the Atma, which is residing very close to oneself in the form of Jiva drinking the honey (which is the result of the deeds performed earlier), and which is the master for all those which came and went, he does not worry about saving himself (since there will be no fear or joy as he identifies himself with everything else). That is that state which we are contemplating about (the state of no fear – arising out of knowledge of the Self).

Commentary (Swami Krishnananda)

“The original Creator inflicted the senses to go outwardly, so everyone looks externally. Desiring immortality, not satisfied in this world, some wise man turns within, self-controlled and heroic.” We do not behold the Atman because of the original difficulty that seems to be sympathetically working everywhere; a tendency being set at work at the beginning of creation: to gaze outward. All creation is doing so. God looks at Himself in space.

… thus making us totally unaware that there is a consciousness at all; so much so that there is only world-consciousness and no Self-consciousness, to the extent that even the Atman is denied. The Atman denies Himself: ‘I do not exist.’ You as a centre of consciousness have identified yourself with the object, including your own body, so much that you see only them and are not aware of Self-consciousness.

…“Children, therefore, who have no knowledge of what is happening, go after objects, and thus to destruction. This mrityu that is spread everywhere, into it they fall by falling into the net of objects, because when you get lost in any sense-object, you are sure to perish.” The consciousness that gets attached to objects is death. When the object dies, consciousness, too, seems to die because of its identification with the former, though it never dies. All affections are of this nature. If the object with which we are identified fails, as everything has to fail, consciousness also fails and gets extinguished, and that is called death.

…Death is a blessing, an eye-opener. Otherwise, we would remain ever bound to this body because we are so much attached to it. 

…What is the Atman? This is the Atman: “That which is not the object that is seen, but That which sees the object.” Try to differentiate between the object that is seen and That which sees. Take the example of the body: it is seen and so it is an object. Who is seeing it? I taste a dish; but who is tasting? Not the tongue, because it is also an object.

“Who perceives form, taste, smell, sounds and touches of love—that Knower is different from the known.”

…You exist as the seer of the body. Do you exist as the bundle of senses? No, because in the condition of dream you exist even without them. So mind can sense things even if the senses do not operate. But then, are you the mind? No, because in deep sleep it does not function, and you exist as a centre of consciousness. In what condition do you then exist? Not as the body, not as the senses, not as the mind, not as the intellect. You cannot say that you did not exist in deep sleep.

My Thoughts

The beauty of the Katha Upanishad amazes me every time I read it. I love each verse so much and I think “Oh this is my favorite part” and then the next week I discover is also my favorite part! I can’t stop fangirl squeeing over this scripture. I don’t think I have anything to add to what the Swami has said!