KATHA UPANISHAD - 13. Swami Advayananda.

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Chinmaya Mission Deepavali Celebrations =========================================================================

Wednesday, October 26,  2022, 06:30.

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.

THE SECOND BOON

1.1.13: Boon 2: “Heavenly Worlds for My People”

Post-13.

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Mantram-13 :

1 "Sah tvam agnim svargyam adhyeshi mrityo 2 prabroohi tam shraddadhaanaaya mahyam;  

3 svarga-lokaah amritatvam bhajante 4 etat dviteeyena vrine varena."  

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Translation :

1 Sah tvam agnim svargyam adhyeshi mrityo  =  “Thou knowest that fire sacrifice which leads one to Heaven, O Yama; 

2 prabroohi tam shraddadhaanaaya mahyam;  =  Explain that to me, who am possessed of the faith to deserve this knowledge,

3 svarga-lokaah amritatvam bhajante  =  that by which those desirous of attaining heaven may attain immortality there.

4 etat dviteeyena vrine varena.   =  I pray for this knowledge as my second boon.” This boon is for the sake of Nachiketas’s people, 

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Commentary :

1 Lord Yama is ready to impart this knowledge to Nachiketas, for he sees in him the 

determination and the ability to grasp it for the good of others.

2 Svargyam: Heaven,as understood in Indian scriptures, consists of various Lokas or 

worlds to which one goes after death. The qualification for it is to earn the merit to gain 

entry into the world of one’s desire. These worlds are of different types, but their essential 

common feature is the enjoyment of pleasures of an extraordinary type. 

3 The highest among these is Hiranyagarbha Loka or Brahmaloka. This is called 

‘eternal’ here only relative to all the lower heavenly worlds. It is not absolutly eternal.

Beyond Brahmaloka is the Unmanifest, Causal state of the universe when it goes 

into cosmic dissolution. Beyond even this is the unconditioned Absolute Brahman.

4 The Upanishad really wishes to direct our attention to this last mentioned state, 

but it has to do so gently, not to confuse people. In this line, the Absolute state is hinted at 

as being in the ‘hidden cave’ of the intellect of enlightened sages. Lord Yama says that the 

desire as well as the means to attain such worlds is established in this 'cave'.

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Next - 1.1.15: Detailed Knowledge is Taught

To be continued 

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