Kathopanishad – 3

Valli 2, Part - 1

In the first Valli it was seen that Naciketas passes the tests given by Lord Yama, thereby establishing that he has the right qualifications to pursue Athma jnana. Just as a student is happy to get a competent teacher, the teacher is also happy to get a competent student like Naciketas. The second Valli opens with a Mantra wherein, Yama states that there are two paths open to a person at all times. One is the path of worldly pleasure, a path for material advancement, the path of acquisition called preyas. This can be also called as karma marga, not  karmayoga marga, and also as pravritti marga.  Preyas gives one Bhogha, anathma sukham.   As contrasted with this, the other path is the path of spiritual advancement, the path of renunciation called sreyas. Sreyas can be also called jnana marga, yoga marga and also as nivritti marga.  Preyas is pleasant, but may be good or not and sreyas is good, but may be pleasant or not.  One cannot follow both of them simultaneously as their end objective as primary goals is different and one has to make a choice.  

In Mantra 2, Yama describes who makes what choice.

Shreyah cha preyah cha manushyam etah tau sam-pareetya vivinakti dheerah I

Shreyah hi dheerah preyasah abhi vrineete preyah mandah yoga kshemaat vrineete II

Sreyas and preyas approach the human being. Having clearly considered them from all sides, the wise person chooses sreyas preferring it to preyas. The unwise one chooses preyas for the sake of acquisition and preservation. (1-2-2)

Both the paths, the good and the pleasant are open to a person, when making a decision. The wise discriminating person, weighing pros and cons, chooses the path of good, for spiritual advancement, but the ignorant  person attached to acquisition of material possessions and their maintenance and well-being chooses the path of pleasant. 

In Mantras 2, 3 & 4, Yama praises Nachiketas for rejecting the attractive, most desired path of pleasant, in favour of unattractive but desirable path of good. In Mantras 5 & 6, Yama criticizes the people who out of ignorance choose the path of pleasant calling them immature, and foolish. He reserves his stronger criticism for those who not only choose the path of pleasant but also argue that there is nothing greater than Swarga to work for. In Mantra 5, such a person is  compared to a blind person, who is led by another blind person.  In Mundaka Upanishad (1-2-8) Guru Angiras uses same words with a minor change while pointing the drawback in following the path of rituals alone for happiness, here and hereafter. He says “Remaining within the fold of ignorance and thinking, ‘We are ourselves wise and learned ’, the fools ------- ramble about like the blind led by the blind”.

In Mantra 6, Yama points out that these people cannot get out of the birth-death cycle, calling them as slaves of death.  As these people believe they are the karthas and they are Apurna, incomplete, and only through possessions, they will automatically achieve Purnathvam, completeness, as bhokthas, this path is also called the path of Avidya, ignorance.  In Mantra 7, Yama glorifies  Brahma Vidya, which Nachiketas has sought as third boon.

Shravanaaya api bahubhih yah na labhyah

shrunvantah api bahavah yam na vidyuh I

Aashcharyah vaktaa kushalah asya labdhaa

aashcharyah jnaataakushala anu-shishtah II

This Athma is not available even for listening to many. And if they do manage to hear of It, many of them do not understand this (Athma). The one who reveals (Athma) is a wonder. The one who discovers this (Athma) is a wonder. Instructed by a (spiritual) master, the one who knows (this Athma) is a wonder. (1-2-7)

Brahman is one of whom many do not get the opportunity to hear,  and of the many people who hear of Him, only few are able to understand the knowledge. Rare indeed is a qualified teacher, who can teach this knowledge and rare also is the student who can comprehend this subtle knowledge, even when imparted by such an able teacher.  This idea Lord Krishna also expresses in Gita 2-29 wherein He states: “One sees Athma as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; another hears of It as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands It at all”

The reason for this is given in Mantras 8 and 9, wherein in Mantra 9 Lord Yama emphasizes ; “naisa tarkena matirapaneya (This knowledge cannot be attained by reasoning )”  This knowledge cannot be obtained through reasoning because it is not available for direct  observation as object or for inference as a concept.   Here sastras are the only valid means of knowledge and teacher should be versed in sastras and able to interpret them properly as lakshyartha, implied meaning, has to be grasped.  He should have a personal experience of the realization of Absolute Truth, that is Brahman and then only his words will have the ring of conviction when he teaches the identity of Athma with Brahman.  So he should be stortriya, versed in sastras and brahmanishta, one who is established in the realization of Brahman.  The student should also be a sadhana chathushtaya sampannaha, i.e endowed with the qualities of discrimination, dispassion, the six disciplines i.e mind control etc., and the desire for moksha. 

Nachiketas growing impatient as it were with the elaborate introduction now interrupts Lord Yama and reiterates the same boon he asked for in 1.1.20, but this time in a different way showing his knowledge of sastras in phrasing the question, as he himself defines Athma therein, without specifically naming it.

Anyatra dharmaat anyatra adharmaat anyatra asmaat krita akritaat I

Anyatra bhootaat cha bhavyaat cha yat tat pashyasi tat vada II

Tell (me) of that thing which you see as different from dharma, different from adharma, different from this cause and effect, and different from the past and the future. (1-2-15)

The original boon asked directly about what exists after death, implying what is it that exists besides the gross body and the subtle body equipment? The re-phrased version here asks indirectly about the same Truth i.e. it asks what is beyond the pairs of opposites which govern the body and mind levels as what is beyond dharma and adharma, beyond causation (cause and effect) and beyond time (past and future)? This points to the Athma only.  Lord Yama answers Nachiketas’s re-phrased boon directly starting with Omkara upasana, which let us see in the next blog.

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