KATHA UPANISHAD - 37. Swami Advayananda.

Swami Udit Chaithanyaji

Chittorgarh is home to the Chittor Fort, the largest fort in India and Asia. 

The fort of Chittor has witnessed the world's longest-ruling dynasty, the Kingdom of Mewar, for almost 8 centuries. 

Built in the 7th century, Chittorgarh is the largest fort in Asia. 

Spread over the area of 700 acres, this place has 22 water bodies. 

It was sacked thrice; first in 1303 by Alauddin Khalji, again in 1535 by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, and lastly by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1568. 

Its Hindu Rajput rulers fought fiercely to maintain their independence.

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Saturday, 16 Sep 2023 06:10.

Chapter 1. Section - 2: (25 Mantras): THE CHOICE:

(“A Leap into the Beyond”):  Bhashyam by Sri Swami Adi Sankaracharya ji.

Mantram - 1.2.8: Principles in Spiritual Teaching

Post - 37.

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Mantram -1.2.8: Principles in Spiritual Teaching

1 

Na narena avarena   =  Not by an inferior instructor (who has not attained Brahman),

proktah eshah  =  can the Self be instructed; (if it is, it will not be)

2 

suvi-jneyah bahudhaa   =  easily understood due to the many 

chintya-maanah;  =   conflicting ways in which It is bound to be explained.

3 

ananya prokte   =  But, when taught by one who sees no Duality, 

gatih atra na asti  =   then no doubts and variations will arise.

4 

aniyaan hi atarkyam   =  Indeed, It cannot be argued that It is subtler

anu-pramaanaat.  =   than the subtlest (for that has no end).

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This is one of the key mantras in this chapter, and we give it special attention. Three 

key principles in spiritual teaching are conveyed in this verse. They are:

A. An Unqualified Teacher Cannot Succeed:

1-2 

However learned and brilliant a speaker may be, if he is not spiritually elevated 

he cannot make any impression on his audience. He may entertain them, but he will not 

bring clarity in their minds about the spiritual Truth or the path. Clarity comes only from 

actual direct experience of the Truth of experiencing oneness with the Self.

Such a teacher is himself usually a man of Preyas, using his knowledge as a means to 

earn an income. It is a business for him to speak and earn wealth. His mind is really set only 

on this gain from the talks, not on the welfare of his listeners. How can such a person make 

an impression on people’s hearts?

B. Self Can Be Taught From Non-Duality:

3 

The true teacher is a Brahma-Nishtha Guru. He is acquainted with the scriptures 

well enough to assist other seekers in clearing their doubts. He is also well established in 

Brahman, the supreme consciousness – that is, he is a realized Master. For the case of a 

qualified teacher, the following four interpretations are given in the Shankara Bhashya of 

the words ‘Ananya Prokta’ (a non-different teacher) and ‘Gatih’ (the arising of doubts):

a) 

Teacher is one with Self: As given above already, the teacher is one who is ‘nondifferent’ from the Self. He has Aparoksha Jnana or direct experience of the Self. When such 

a person teaches, the student is left with no doubt as to whether the Self exists or not. He 

can see the Truth in the person speaking. No Gatih or doubts arise in the listener’s mind.

b) 

The Teaching is About the Self: The non-different nature of the Self forms the 

subject matter, taught by the teacher who is one with It. The student is made to grasp the 

truth that this Self is really his true nature, that he is non-different from It. This teaching 

makes him convinced and there is no Gatih since there is no other knowledge besides it.

c) 

No Transmigration: The focus here is on Gatih. This word is taken to mean ‘transmigration’ or the repeated cycle of births and deaths. When the Self is spoken of by a

realized sage, the listener is left in no doubt, and the cause of rebirth is removed by the 

knowledge transmitted by the realized teacher.

d) 

No Non-Comprehension: Due to Samskrit Sandhee grammar rules, ‘Prokte-Gatih’ 

is a word combination that splits into the two words ‘Prokta Agatih’. This means ‘noncomprehension’. The teacher’s explanation leaves no room for not grasping it.

And so, Shankaracharyaji sees four facets of truth in the same set of words. These 

are not different interpretations, but different facets. All can be taken to be correct and 

applicable. Each facet indicates or emphasizes a particular aspect of the truth. A great 

teacher always integrates knowledge in this manner, rather than create controversy.

C. 

Truth is Beyond Argumentation:

4 

The third principle is very important for students engaged in scriptural study. There 

are many varieties of thought patterns in spiritual philosophy. If one is not careful of one’s 

foundations, he could be easily swayed by sophistry among the exponents of various 

philosophies. Truth is not a football for intellectual games to be played. Shankaracharyaji, 

through his vast experience, knows that better than most.

The Truth integrates, as Truth itself is integral. The teacher of Truth sees aspects of 

Truth in everything. Hence doubts do not arise when he teaches. In the hands of scholars 

the Self may have various interpretations. One may take it to be like the subtle atom. 

Another will come along and say it is subtler than that – it is like the proton. A third will 

cleverly present it as even subtler than that – it is an electron! And so on, in the hands of 

intellectuals, the Self becomes the ball in a football game.

This mantram warns us against such teachers, the “puritanical logicians”! Acharyaji 

brilliantly put it in these words: “When the Srutis marry the teacher, the child born to them 

is Pure Knowledge.”

Logic is only an instrument, like a knife. It can produce a thousand possibilities. That 

is not the purpose of our study. The intellect can cut, like a knife; what to cut it does not 

know. If we give it any problem it will work out a possible solution based on the parameters 

given to it. If it works within the limits or ‘banks’ of the scriptures, and does not overrun 

them, then alone can it be trusted.

The intellect cannot work on an unidentifiable, unknown or unknowable thing that 

has no qualities – such as the Self. It has no means to investigate the Self. The Self is beyond 

its realm of operation. To use the intellect well, we need to give it the right parameters of 

Dharma as per scriptural authority, and set it to work in that environment. Then it can be of 

enormous use in directing the course of our lives along the right channels.

*****

Next

Mantram - 1.2.9: The Exemplary Standard Set by Nachiketas

To be continued

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