Upanishad Series - Ep. 4 (Katha Upanishad)
A long time ago, a little boy walked into the Land of the Dead.
There, he met the God of Death himself, who gave him the secret to Immortality.
This is their story…
The Katha Upanishad has 119 mantras divided into 2 sections - and it is found in the Krishna Yajurveda. We meet the pure-hearted Brahmin boy Nachiketa, whose father mistakenly gives him to Death in frustration during an argument.
Nachiketa, being a good son, obliges & goes to Yamaloka, where he waits 3 nights for Yamaraja, earning him 3 boons given by this Master of the Afterlife & the Auditor of our souls’ karma.
The first two wishes are quiet normal & easily granted, one asking his father to be freed from anger or worry for his son, and the second seeking instructions on how to perform a ritual sacrifice that can help one rise up to higher heavenly worlds than our Earth.
But the third wish baffles Yama, who tries hard to sway Nachiketa away from it because it is the most secretive knowledge that even the demigods don’t know.
Nachiketa asks for Brahma Vidya - the knowledge of Self, seeking what happens after one dies.
Accepting Nachiketa’s pure heart & intent, Yama teaches him 3 secrets:
Lesson 1) There are two options or paths in front of all of us - Preya & Shreya. Preya is filled with Avidya or Ignorance, it is the path of pleasure & comfort. Those who follow Preya keep coming back birth after birth.
In comparison, Shreya is the harder but preferable one, which will lead us to freedom from this cycle of life & death.
Lesson 2) Yama uses the example of a chariot to explain how we’re built. The jiva or living soul is the owner of this physical body, our intelligence is the charioteer, and our mind is the reign that holds the horses, our sense organs. The more we have control over our mind, through yoga & tapasya, the less our senses will wander & get attached to other people, wants, addictions or things, and the less we will suffer because of desires, wanting & expectations
Lesson 3) As we gain control of our mind, we will realise our True Self, the Divinity in all of us, which is Brahman itself - the super-soul.
The Brahman, represented by the highest symbol of Aum, never cannot be killed, nor does it kill. It basically means that we are all immortal, so we don’t need to be afraid of dying. The Brahman is Lord of the past, present & future - it was never born, it will never die. And those who understand this stop crying, complaining & worrying about life.
Those who know this are also kinder to other people because they know that we are all truly One.
However, this Self cannot be seen through studying, listening, or even knowledge - it can only be felt inside. By making ourselves worthy of that Realisation.
The Katha Upanishad is a truly eye-opening read, which promises that anyone who reads its knowledge & applies its lesson to lead a more disciplined & good life based on Dharma, will free themselves from Yamaraj’s cluthes of death itself.