Highest state of bliss is where knowledge of Brahman becomes a fact of direct experience

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Introduction to Katha Upanishad

Dr. C.S. Shah

 

All Upanishads are written in Sanskrit, and the commentary by Acharya

Shankara is taken as the most authentic. Upanishads are based on the

dialogue between a realized soul acting as the Teacher, Rishi, and a

sincere seeker of Truth who approaches Him as a disciple.

 

In Katha Upanishad the teacher is Yama - The Death Himself - and the

student is a young Nachiketa in his teens. This Upanishad is one of

the most popular Upanishads for its simplicity and clarity in making

the subject matter regarding the highest truth easily comprehensible.

It consists altogether of 120 verses.

 

This summary is based on the English exposition of Katha Upanishad by

Swami Ghambhirananda of Ramakrishna Order, which in turn takes

Shankara's commentary as its basis. I am not a scholar, nor do I know

Sanskrit. I accept the Truths of Upanishads because I know Sri

Ramakrishna had objectified - personified - Upanishadic Truths in his

life. Later Swami Vivekananda, his foremost disciple, decided to make

all these truths broadcast all over the globe for the benefit of

humanity.

 

The Contents

 

As the story goes, Vajashrava, Nachiketa's father, decided to acquire

fruits of sacrificial ritual -Viswajit Yagna- in which the performer

had to give away all his precious possessions. Cows were designated

as valuable and special possessions in those very ancient days, and

hence Vajashrava decided to donate all his cows to Brahmins.

 

Nachiketa was in his teens, and he was observing the sacrificial

ritual with innocent interest. However, he was surprised to notice

that his father was giving away only old and disabled cows, cows 'who

had given their milk for the last time and who were not capable of

bearing calves'.

 

This 'worldly cleverness' of his father produced unfathomable change

in the heart of this young boy in whose heart now entered Shraddha -

Faith. Nachiketa, in order to dissuade his father from engaging in

further mean acts, asked, " O father, whom have you decided to give me

away? " (The purport was to bring to the notice of his father the fact

that he has to give his everything and not just old cows.)

 

Initially, the father did not take any notice of this 'childish'

question, but Nachiketa was insistent. He repeated the question

thrice when the irritated father said, " O. K. O Nachiketa, I give you

to Death. "

 

Thus ordained, young Nachiketa went to the kingdom of Yama - The

Death - where he waited for the return of Death from his duties. On

his return, Yama was told about the 'Brahmin boy waiting for him for

there days without food or water'.

 

Yama praised sincerity of Nachiketa to wait for him, but also felt

grieved that he was responsible for keeping a Brahmin boy waiting for

him. Therefore, he granted three boons to Nachiketa one each for a

day of waiting.

 

The Boons

 

" O Death, of the three boons you have offered me, I ask for the first

to the effect that my father may become freed from anxiety about me

and he may recognize me and talk to me when freed by you, "

 

The boon was granted. As the next boon Nachiketa asked for granting

him the knowledge of the means to attain higher life in the heaven

and immortality. There is a dialogue between Yama and the boy about

the primordial Fire and sacrificial rituals to attain to heavenly

life. Yama tells him about the methods and ways of performing these

Yagnas etc. Death tells him that it is the sharpened intellect of

the enlightened one, which qualifies that sadhaka to become fit to go

to heaven. In heaven there is no fear, fear of old age, etc. having

transcended both hunger and thirst, and crossed over sorrow, one

rejoices in the heavenly world.

 

The Third Boon

 

Then comes the main subject matter of this Upanishad. As regards his

third boon, Nachiketa wants to know:

 

" This doubt that arises, consequent on the death of a man - some

saying 'It (The SELF) exists', and others saying 'It (The SELF) does

not exist'. I would like to know this, under your instruction, O

Death, what is the Truth. "

 

Nachiketa had asked for the ultimate knowledge. What is death, what

is after death! What is Reality and what is Truth. Yama tries to

dissuade the young boy from going into these subtle questions of

immense intricacies for Death was not sure whether Nachiketa was

qualified to receive this knowledge for which only an occasional and

rare aspires. Yama says to the boy, " O Nachiketa, ask for health,

life, riches, jewels, and enjoyment. Ask for lasting kingdom and

armies, ask for anything in this world or of heaven, I will grant you

all this as your third boon, but do not force me to go into the

secrets of life and death. Do not insist for ultimate knowledge. "

 

But Nachiketa argues that all worldly treasures and heavenly

pleasures come to an end sooner or later. If not day after, after

hundred years. These are not permanent means of enjoyment. He insists

to get the ultimate knowledge of Self, 'for, O Death, you have

promised me the third boon'.

 

Seeing the determination, faith, sincerity, and perseverance of

Nachiketa, seeing him to be the perfect disciple, Death agrees to

tell him about the Ultimate Reality: Brahman or Atman.

 

And as Death goes on elaborating the subtlety and nuances of means

and methods to achieve that transcendental state, consciousness of

Nachiketa also is getting established in that altered state to

experience those Truths.

 

It is wonderful fact that if the Teacher and the taught are of

highest qualifications, it is a matter of minutes to enter the state

of samadhi. As the Teacher explains so does the disciple experiences

the Truths spoken.

 

Nachiketa gets established into highest state of bliss where

'knowledge of Brahman becomes a fact of direct experience'. The same

thing can be seen when Arjuna experiences the cosmic form of Sri

Krishna when the Lord is telling him the Gita!

 

– Dr. C.S. Shah

January 2000

 

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