Kathoponishad Article – 39 Date : 01.07.13 Kathoponishad is the Upanishad on death . This Upanishad is in the form of a dialogue between Yama (the lord of death) and a boy called Nachiketa . This Upanishad gives profound insight on death . The Upanishad is as below . There was a person called Vajasravas and he was having a young son called Nachiketa . Vajasravas made a yangya and donated old cows who can’t give any milk . The young boy Nachiketa became unhappy by seeing the donation of the old cows . He asked his father , why are you giving these old cows and what purpose it will serve . His father became angry and said I shall give all my possessions . Nachiketa said , whom are you donating myself . Father became very angry and said that , I will donate you to Yama . Nachiketa said to his father please donate me to Yama in the same ritualistic way as you are doing with the cows . The father repented for his anger and did not agree for the sacrifice . But Nachiketa insisted for the donation as it has been promised by his father failing which the father may suffer . He persuaded his father and went to the palace of Yama to offer himself . Yama’s wife told to Nachiketa that , Yama is not in the palace and he should go back to his house. Nachiketa did not agree and waited at the door of the house of Yama without food and water for 3 days . Yama was in the palace and was not interested to meet Nachiketa as his time was not up . The meaning here is that when someone does not fear death , death start fearing that person . It means he finds that , there is no death and it is a myth . It is simply an event like any other event regularly happening in his life . After 3 days , Yama could not tolerate the plight of Nachiketa and came outside to meet him . Yama said your time has not come so you go back to your house . I am very happy on you and like to offer 3 boons for each night’s stay at my doorstep. Now you ask 3 boons of your choice . Nachiketa said my first boon is that , my father should get rid of all anger and greet me with love and happiness . The second boon is that , I like to know why there is no old age , death,hunger , thirst , pain etc in the kingdom of heaven . Yama granted both the boons and taught him the secret of fire sacrifice which leads to heaven for the second boon . Nachiketa said that some people say that , man does not exist after death whereas some other say that , he still exists even after death. I want that you teach me the truth and this is my 3rd boon . Yama said even the Gods of heaven have this doubt and the secret of death is very difficult to know . Nachiketa , you ask some other boon and release me from my promise . Nachiketa said , you say even the Gods have doubt and it is very difficult to know . In that case where can I get the right teacher other than you and is there any boon equal to this ? Yama said , Nachiketa you ask for kingdom , wealth , long life , all pleasures of life , God-ship in heaven or anything in this universe but do not ask about the secret of death . Nachiketa said these materials and pleasures will end tomorrow and death is sure to come . I like to know the mystery of death to go beyond it so it is my 3rd boon . Yama was satisfied with the determination of the boy without any temptation and found him fit to get this knowledge . Yama said there is perennial blissfulness of the soul and the passing pleasures of the senses are due to mind . The wise knows the difference between the two and not the ignorant . The ignorant runs after these passing pleasures and forgets the goal of life . The wise with his wisdom realises self and the ignorant gets more and more estranged from the real self . Yama said , Nachiketa you are worthy of this instruction as the passing pleasures do not tempt you . Yama said the ignorant proud with his vein knowledge goes round and round with sufferings in the cycle of life like one blind leads the other blind to far beyond. They are hypnotized by the pleasures of the universe with the superstition that they are body . These ignorant people die life after life and come easily to my hand . But blessed are those who realises self with the association of an enlightened master and escape from my hand . The mind and the intellect can’t reveal the truth of real self due to the duality of subject and the object . Those who see themselves in all and vice versa can help others and have the universal consciousness .This awakening can be achieved with close association of realised masters . Nachiketa you are also such a worthy seeker and we like to have many more such seekers of truth like you. Nachiketa said I know that , worldly pleasures are transient and truth is eternal .But have I renounced the worldly pleasures? Yama said I had offered you all the pleasures of life as boon number 3 , but you have renounced and not accepted all that with will , devotion , courage and wisdom . The wise with meditation realises that, immortal self is beyond time , space and all perceptions . They know they are neither body nor mind and beyond pain or pleasures . They find the source of blissfulness is in the immortal self , which is the divine principle of existence . Nachiketa said , please teach me that which is beyond sorrow and happiness , past and future , time and space , right and wrong , cause and effect etc . Yama said the all knowing self was never born and going to die . It is eternal and immutable . When the body dies the self does not die . Though one sits still at a particular place in meditation , the self within can move and exercise its influence anywhere . Yama said when one realises the formless self within in the midst of forms , names , changeless in the midst of changes , omnipresent and supreme , he goes beyond sorrow . The self can’t be known by studying scriptures , or through listening discourses , or through intellect . The self can be known only to the blessed few to whom the self chooses to reveal itself. The self can’t be revealed to them who does not do righteous act , do not practice meditation , do not have control over the senses and do not have a still mind . Yama said in the secret cave of the heart stays the self and the ego. Ego eats pleasures and dislikes sorrows whereas self likes both sorrow and pleasures , thereby the self stays in light and ego gropes in darkness. The sages and the householders worship this light of sacred fire in the name of the God . This fire burns the ego which enables man from fearful fragmentation to fearless fullness in the changeless whole . Know the self as lord , body as chariot , senses as horses , discriminating intellect as the charioteer , Mind as the reins and the selfish desires as the road . When the self is confused with the body , mind and senses , he seems to enjoy happiness and suffer sorrow . When one lose discrimination and his mind is indiscipline , his senses move here and there like wild horses . But if one has discrimination and made his mind focused the reins (senses) obey them like trained horses . Such people does not come to the jaws of death .They attain to the supreme self . The supreme self is beyond name and form , beyond senses , inexhaustible , without beginning and end , beyond space and time , beyond causality and eternal . The senses have been pierced outside to view the outside world . It does not have the ability to look inside .The wise disengage himself from the senses and look inside and beheld the deathless self . Know one in you and thereby know that all pervasive supreme . What is there is also here . The one who sees the multiplicity and not the indivisible self shall wander from death to death .The only one pointed mind sees that state of unity . When pure water is added to pure water it remains the same . So when the individual self is realised it merges with that whole and become the same .Those who meditate on self go beyond birth and death . If one fails to realise the self in this life he has to be born again .When one rises above I , me and mine(i.e Ego) , he realises the self . Know yourself to be pure and immortal .The realised persons live with supreme awareness transcending death . Kathoponishad is a story written by Rishis to impart spiritual knowledge of death in the form of a dialogue. There is no Yama or Nachiketa . They are only characters in the Upanishad to inflict their points on us . Many spiritual practices mentioned in this Upanishad to go beyond death has been deliberately not given in the scripture as it may be misused by ordinary people . Those practices are taught by a Guru to a deserved disciple in person . R.P.Rath Ahmedabad 9227233330
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 09:46:17 +0000
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