KATHA UPANISHAD - 9 Swami Advayananda.

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Chinmaya Mission

As India marked 75 years of Independence this past week, Chinmaya Mission celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav grandly across several states of India and online on YouTube. Chinmaya Yuva Kendra organized a special residential camp of youth to mark the occasion at Sri Lalitha Panchayatana Temple in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh from 13 - 15 August 2022.

Over 400 participants came from all across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and several distinguished spiritual mentors of Chinmaya Mission were there to guide the youth including Swami Mitrananda, Swami Chidrupananda, Swami Anukoolananda, Swami Suveerananda, Swami Turiyananda, Swami Raghuveerananda, Br. Anand Chaitanya, Brni. Usha Chaitanya, Br. Narayana Chaitanya, Br. Srivatsa Chaitanya. Other Special guests who graced the event were Smt. KGV Saritha, ASP, AP CID, Sri N. S. Rao, Retd. Major General.

One of the special features of the celebration was a grand procession that was led by the campers through the city of Kadapa carrying a 100 mts long National flag of India chanting and recalling India's glory.

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Monday, August 22,  2022, 07:00.

Chapter 1.Section-1: (29 Mantras) : The story of Nachiketas in the House of Death

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

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Chapter-1, Section-1.

Mantram :9  Lord Yama Offers Justice

Post-9.

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Mantram-9:

Yama, now addressing Nachiketas:

"Tisrah raatrih yat avaatseeh grihe me anashnan Brahman atithih namasyah; 

namah te astu Brahman svasti me astu tasmaat prati treen varaan vrineeshva."

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Translation :

1 Tisrah raatrih yat avaatseeh grihe me   = “As you have dwelt three nights in my house

2 anashnan Brahman atithih namasyah;      = without food, O venerable Brahmana guest,

3 namah te astu Brahman svasti me astu    = I beg of you, O Brahmana, be good to me.

4 tasmaat prati treen varaan vrineeshva.  = Hence, in return, please choose three boons.

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Commentary :

This mantram is a reflection of the spirit of the great Aryan tradition. Not only in 

hospitality but in all other sectors of life, there was this nobility of spirit which did not see 

age, status or learning, etc, as a barrier to express honest modesty. Here, none other than 

the Lord of Death himself becomes supplicant to a mere boy of nine years age.

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1-4 Lord Yama takes the oversight in hospitality very seriously. He is prepared to 

offer three boons to Nachiketas, one for each day that the boy had been made to fast 

outside his doors. It is not so much to make good the bad Karma which he and his family 

accrued, but to provide a just settlement to the boy whom he had offended; one may even 

add to the boy who already suffered the injustice of coming to him so soon.

One can expect this order of perfection from Lord Yama. It is adherence to Dharma 

that qualified him in the first place for this high post as Lord of Death. 

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Next - THE FIRST BOON

Mantram -10: Boon 1: “Forgive my Father”

To be continued ....

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