Katha Upanishad in
Simple English:
PART ONE
Introduction
The Katha Upanishad is one of the eleven principal
Upanishads of the Hindu Religion. It is also called Kathakopanishad. It belongs
to the Taittiriya School of the Yajur Veda and consists of two chapters each of
which has three sections. There are a total of 119 verses in the Upanishad.
The Upanishad is about the boy Nachiketa obtaining the
knowledge of Brahm, the Supreme, from Yama, the Lord of Death himself.
A pious Brahmin Vajasravas performs a sacrifice and gives as
gifts to the priests old and feeble cows. Nachiketa, his son, feels disturbed
by this act of his father and questions his motives in giving away old, worn
out, and useless cows as gifts to the priests; and suggests that he be given as
gift to some priest, and when he persists, his father in anger gives Nachiketa
over to death.
In deference to his father’s command, Nachiketa goes to the
abode of Yama. Yama is not at home and returns only three days later. All this
while, Nachiketa waits without food or water in the residence of the Lord of
Death.
When Yama returns, he finds that Nachiketa has been waiting
for him for three days without food or water. To atone for this lapse of his,
Yama offers Nachiketa three boons, one for each night he has gone without food
and water.
It is the third boon of Nachiketa asking about what happens
after death, for enlightenment on the “great transition” which is called death,
and Yama giving Nachiketa that knowledge, that is the subject matter and the
central theme of the Upanishad.
The Upanishad is presented in three parts. Part one consists
of the Introduction and Section one of Chapter one. Part two consists of the
remaining two sections of Chapter one and Par three, the concluding part
consists of the three sections of Chapter three.
THE
UPANISHAD
Chapter One
Section One
Once upon a time long, long ago there lived in India in the
line of the great sage Gautama, a teacher by the name of Vajasravas.
Vajasravas had a son
called Nachiketa.
Desiring religious merit and heaven, Vajasravas performed
the Vishvajeet, literally meaning, world winning, sacrifice.
At the end of the
sacrifice he gave away all that he owned to the Brahmin priests.
Among the gifts being
given away to the priests were old cows so weakened by old age and infirmity
that they had no strength left in them and had no milk to give.
Nachiketa, his son, was watching.
Though very young and
just a boy, he was very spiritual minded and full of faith.
As the old cows were
being taken away, he thought: “These cows that my father is gifting are absolutely
useless, they have no strength left in them, they can barely eat grass or drink
water, and they have no milk to give.
Surely these cows
would be a burden for the one receiving them and would not give any benefit or
joy to him. And if the one receiving the gift gets no joy, then the one giving such a gift surely cannot expect to
get any benefit from the giving of such gifts either.
Rather than giving
any merit or heaven to my father which he is expecting, this act of his would
give him demerit and hell instead.
I must, therefore,
warn my father about this.
To gain true merit,
gifts that we give should be those that we ourselves prize and not ones for
which we ourselves have no use, and which are worthless.
My father loves and
values me very much.”
Thinking thus, Nachiketa went to his father, and said:
Father to whom will
you give me”?
His father ignored him.
Nachiketa repeated
his question.
His father again
ignored him.
Nachiketa persisted
and asked the question a third time.
By now his father was
very angry with Nachiketa, and in anger, said:
I give you to death.
These words of his
father stunned the young Nachiketa and set him thinking.
He thought: Along
with me, my father has many disciples.
Among them all, in
some matters I am at the top, I do most of my work without bidding, in some I
am in the middle, I do what I am told to do.
I am never at the
bottom. I never disobey or refuse to carry out an order.
I do not know what my
father wishes to accomplish today by giving me over to death.
Everyone has to die. Our forefathers before us all died and
those who follow us will also die.
Just as corn sprouts,
ripens, falls, becomes seed, and grows again; so too, do mortals grow old and
infirm with age, they die and are born again.
But I have not grown old so why should I have to die?
However, in deference to the command of his father, Nachiketa
reaches the abode of Yama, the Lord of Death.
Yama was not at home.
Nachiketa waited
three days and three nights in the home of Yama without food and water before
Yama returned.
When the Lord of death returned to his dwelling, he found
that the young Nachiketa had been in his home waiting for him for three days
and three nights without food or water.
He shuddered to think
of the plight of those in whose house such a one remains unfed.
He recalled the ancient
saying: Like god a seeker of Brahm enters into houses as a guest and people
give him peace offerings and honour him.
Disaster and
misfortune strikes those people of little understanding in whose house such a
one remains unfed.
Hope, expectation,
friendship, happiness, sacrifices, good works, sons, cattle, and wealth,
property and prosperity all go away from such a one; they have to live
their lives in misery.
Thinking about all this, Yama addresses Nachiketa: O seeker
of Brahm, since you, an honoured and venerable guest have stayed in my house
unfed for three days and three nights, I bow to you.
Let not this lapse of
mine bring misfortune to me. May all be well with me.
However, to compensate you for this omission of mine and for
the inconvenience and hardship you have endured remaining without food and
water for three days and three nights in my house, I grant you three boons, one
for each night of your ordeal.
The first boon of Nachiketa:
Nachiketa says: Very
well, sir, the first boon that I ask of you is that when I go back to my home
after being released by you, my father should be pleased to see me alive again,
return from death. His anxiety and his sorrow over sending me to death should
all be gone.
His anger should be
appeased and he should recognise me as his son and greet me with the love,
affection and grace befitting a loved son.
Yama replies: Dear Nachiketa, it shall be as you wish.
When you return, your
father, as he used to do earlier, on seeing you, will recognise you.
He will be happy to
see you released from the jaws of death and would sleep peacefully at night
through the remainder of his life, his anger gone.
This is my first boon
to you.
The second boon of Nachiketa: Nachiketa says:
Lord, we have heard
that in the world of heaven there is no death.
You are not there.
There is no fear, there is no old age, nor is there fear of old age.
There is no sorrow;
there is no hunger and there is no thirst.
Having crossed over hunger and thirst and leaving sorrow
behind, with all these not being there, there is only happiness and joy there;
people always rejoice in the world of heaven.
I understand that you, Yama, Lord of Death, know that fire
sacrifice which is the aid to heaven and which helps one attain heaven.
Please tell me in
detail about this fire sacrifice, in full faith, and about how those who live
in heaven gain immortality, how they gain freedom from death.
This is my second boon.
Yama replies: You are right Nachiketa; I know the fire
sacrifice which is the aid to heaven and, which helps in attaining heaven.
I will describe it in
detail to you. Listen carefully and learn it from me.
Know that the
knowledge of this fire is the means of attaining the infinite, limitless world,
know it as the support of the entire universe and as hidden and abiding in the
cave of the heart of every person.
Yama then went on to describe in detail that fire sacrifice
which is the beginning of the world, from where the world originated.
He described the kind
of bricks to be used, the number of bricks to be used, and the way and the
manner they should be put together to build the fire altar.
Yama then asked Nachiketa if he had understood what was told
to him.
Nachiketa repeated
exactly as Yama had told him to show that he had, indeed, understood everything
perfectly.
This pleased the Lord of Death very much and he said:
Nachiketa, I am very
pleased with you and give you here and now another special boon.
Henceforth, from now
onwards, this fire will be known by your name. It will be called the Nachiketa
fire.
I also give you this
chain which can take on many shapes.
Yama further says: One who has lit the Nachiketa fire
thrice, who has performed the Nachiketa sacrifice thrice, who has attained
union with the three, with the mother, with the father and with the teacher,
and who performs the three holy actions of studying the scriptures, of doing
worship and of giving charity to the needy, such a one crosses over birth and
death.
For then he knows the
god of fire, born of Brahm, the all knowing, the radiant, who always shines,
who is adorable, and, realizing Him, he attains everlasting, eternal peace.
He who does these duties, knowing well their full and true
meaning, he who, knowing the three duties, builds the altar of the fire
sacrifice and performs the Nachiketa sacrifice three times, and knowing so
meditates on the fire, such a one throws off the bonds of death, he overcomes
sorrows and enjoys and rejoices in the world of heaven.
This fire sacrifice leading to heaven Nachiketa, will
henceforth be known by your name.
This is my second
boon to you.
Choose now your third
boon, Nachiketa.
The third boon of Nachiketa:
Nachiketa asks Yama:
Lord, there is this doubt with regard to one who departs from this world after
death, some holding that he is, that he lives on, others holding that he is not
, that he dies.
I would like to know
the truth about this.
Please instruct me on
this knowledge.
This is my third
boon.
Yama tries to dissuade Nachiketa and replies:
Nachiketa the truth
about death is very subtle; it is very difficult to know and understand.
Even the gods in
heaven had their doubts about this and could not understand it properly.
Ask for something
else. Ask for another boon and release me from this one.
Nachiketa persists: Lord, you yourself say that even the
gods in heaven had doubts about this truth which is not easy to
understand. That being so, there could,
therefore, be nothing which could compare to this.
Furthermore, where
can I get a better teacher than you, the Lord of Death itself, to explain about
the mystery of death?
Yama continues in his attempt to dissuade Nachiketa.
He offers many allurements
to him saying:
Nachiketa choose
whatever you want in this world.
Choose a long life
for yourself for as many years as you wish. Choose wealth to go with it.
Ask for sons and
grandsons who will live for a hundred years.
Ask for as many
cattle, elephants, horses, and as much gold as you wish.
Ask for as much land
as you wish.
Ask for any desire
that you could possibly want to enjoy in this mortal world, desires hard to
obtain. Become the ruler of a large kingdom.
I will give you women
of rare beauty and loveliness, with many musical instruments and chariots, to
serve and entertain you in this world.
Ask for anything but
do not ask about the mystery of death.
But Nachiketa was made of sterner stuff.
He would not be
tempted. He would not be dissuaded from the truth he sought.
He said: All that you
have offered, O Lord, are transient, they must all wear out and must all end.
The vigour of all the senses of men are also transient and
must also wear out. The senses and strength of men wane and wither away with
age
All life, no matter
how long, no matter how full, is brief, and has to end.
Therefore, I have no use for your chariots, I have no use
for your women, I have no use for your music and the like.
I do not want any of
these. You may keep them all.
Man can never be satisfied
and contented with wealth. Having seen you we will get all the wealth we
desire.
But how can we ever
enjoy wealth when we know that death is always lurking? How can we live happily
knowing that we have to die, knowing that we are in your power?
Explain the mystery
of death. That alone is the boon that I still choose.
Having come in contact with an undecaying, immortal like you
and having witnessed immortality, how can a decaying mortal like me, who is
subject to old age, decay and death, ever enjoy a long life where all pleasures
are only of the senses, transient and temporary, and which have to pass away
and end.
Please reveal to me the great mystery of death, whether on
passing away a person still lives on or whether he dies, what is there in the
great passing on.
This is the boon that
I, Nachiketa, choose and none other.
End of Section One
END OF PART ONE
AUM, PEACE, PEACE, PEACE.
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