KATHA UPANISHAD : (“A Leap Into the Beyond”) (Parts 1 & 2) : Part-1. Chapter- 1.0 INVOCATION & INTRODUCTION by Bhashya by Sri Swami Adi Shankaracharya ji.
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Reflections by Swami Gurubhaktananda on the 90 Lectures delivered by Swami Advayananda ji Acharyaji, 15th Batch Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai July 17th – September 29th, 2012.
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Adi Shankaracharya, Swami Sivananda, Swami Tapovanji, Swami Chinmayananda.
SERVE LOVE GIVE PURIFY MEDITATE REALISE
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KATHA UPANISHAD
Part 1 – Total 71 Verses
Chapters 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3
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Saturday, February 05, 2022. 21:00
Chapter- 1.0
INVOCATION & INTRODUCTION
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Santhi Mantram :
om saha navavatu; saha nau bhunaktu; saha veeryam ;
tejaswi -astu; ma vidvishaavahai. om shantih, shantih, shantih!
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Translation :
om saha navavatu; = May He protect us both together.
saha nau bhunaktu; = May He protect us both.
saha veeryam karava vahai; = May we attain vigour together.
tejaswi navadhitamastu; = Let what we study be invigorating.
maa vidvishaavahai. = May we not cavil at each other.
om shantih, shantih, shantih! = Om Peace, Peace, Peace!
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Commentary :
THIS IS A VERY COMMON chant prior to the start of any study between teacher and students. It is universal in nature. It overcomes the main difficulties which stand in the wayof grasping knowledge.
The main points are:
i) To bring quietness, peace and stillness into the minds of teacher and student, so that the mind can be focused easily on the knowledge.
ii) To bring up the correct attitude that the student and the teacher should have in order to make the learning effective. The prayer is for an attitude of understanding and respect, and avoiding all useless debating and arguing.
iii) To promote a vigorous intellect, so that the Truth may be reflected upon from all angles and assimilated well into the mind in its true import.
During studies, it is vital that conditions encourage these three to come forth. The teacher and student cannot exist without each other. To protect their harmony is crucial.Both must put forth effort to grasp the knowledge. Both must look forward to the class. There must be joy in the learning process. The end result desired is clarity of understanding., without doubts, and abidance in the knowledge. The knowledge must be lived, this is not just an intellectual pursuit.
May teacher and taught come to love each other eternally. Let it not be just a business relationship. There should no ill-will or disrespect between them.
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INTRODUCTION : from Shankara Bhashya
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SALUTATIONS TO Bhagavan Yama (Death), son of the Sun and the imparter of the knowledge of Brahman, and salutation to Nachiketas!
Now then, a brief exposition of the Cantos of the Katha Upanishad is begun for the sake of making their import easily comprehensible.
The Word “Upanishad”
This word is derived by adding two Upasargas, namely upa (near) and ni (with certainty), and kvip as a suffix to the root of the word sad.
Sad has three meanings:
i) To split up or destroy;
ii) To go, reach or attain;
iii) To loosen or weaken the hold of.
These three meanings will be brought out in this introduction.
Further, by the word ‘Upanishad’ is denoted here the Knowledge of the knowable
Entity that is going to be explained in this book. The relationship between the word
Upanishad and Knowledge is brought out here.
Upanishad as Knowledge
Upanishad is taken to mean “knowledge” by association with each of the three meanings of ‘Sad’ given above:
i) The knowledge of the Upanishads splits up, injures or destroys the seeds of worldly existence such as ignorance, etc., in the case of those seekers who, after becoming detached from the desire for the seen and unseen objects, approach it (the knowledge) and deliberate on it with steadiness and certainty. “Knowing That, one becomes free from the jaws of Death,” (3.15).
ii) Because of its connection with the idea of leading to Brahman, it makes seekers of liberation who possess the qualities mentioned already, attain the supreme Brahman.“Having become free from virtue and vice, as also desire and ignorance, he attained Brahman,” (6.18).
iii) The second boon of Nachiketas asked for the knowledge of Fire, which is explained in the text as a knowledge that is below the level of Self-Knowledge, but which is in accord with Dharma and leads one to the worlds which are free from sorrows, etc. Even such knowledge, known commonly as Karma Kanda or Upasana, is referred to as Upanishad.
This is because it ‘loosens or weakens’ the firm hold that the multitude of miseries have on the soul – namely birth, death, old age, etc. – which recur in endless lives. This loosening of their grip on man is a step towards the ultimate goal of reaching Brahman. Hence it is also considered to be a sub-definition of knowledge for the word ‘Upanishad’.
“The dwellers of heaven get immortality,” is a quote that refers to this knowledge.
Upanishad as Book
The definition of Upanishad as a book also stands without contradicting what has
been said already. The book is meant for the purpose of giving the knowledge only. And so it
can justifiably be denoted by the word ‘Knowledge’. For example, in the sentence “Ghee
(Clarified butter) is indeed life,” the word ghee, because it leads to enhancing one’s life, is
itself called life. Similarly, with regard to the word ‘Upanishad’, the primary sense in which it
is used is the knowledge it stands for; only in a secondary sense does it mean a book.
Anubandha Chatushtaya: “Prospectus” of the Katha Upanishad
The definition of the word Upanishad itself points out the person qualified to read this book. The subject matter is the supreme Brahman, the indwelling Self. The purpose of the Upanishad is the absolute cessation of the transmigratory state, which consists in the attainment of Brahman. And the connection or Sambandha is the knowledge itself that leads one to Brahman. It is a Bodhya–Bodhaka Sambandha (revealer-revealed relationship).
Shankaracharyaji explains these cantos for our best understanding. The story therein is for the sake of eulogizing the knowledge.
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