The Kathopanishad-2. Swami Krishnananda

Chinmaya Mission :

The heartfelt camp for the teachers of Chinmaya Vidyalaya Shegaon, curated by Swami Anukoolananda, took place from 4th to 6th June 2023.

Every session was powerful, memorable, and demanded the complete involvement and enthusiasm of the teachers, which they wholeheartedly demonstrated. They had an eye-opening experience of the tremendous possibilities that arise with the right vision. From beginning to end, this camp served as a testament to the grace and love of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji in action. It was fitting that such an event took place in the magnificent Vision Centre of Chinmaya Mission, the home of Chinmaya Jeevan Darshan and Swanubhooti Vatika.

Swami Anukoolananda curated a wonderful and comprehensive program that included a transformative talk by psychologist Dr. Sunitha Shanker, a workshop on holistic health by Dr. Renu Mahtani, a session on effective learning with Shri Pundlik Wagh, and enlightening talks on Pujya Gurudev and Chinmaya Mission by Smt. Pramodini Rao and Trishna Gulrajani, respectively.

Swami Anukoolananda's own sessions, infused with humor and camaraderie, were incredibly well-received. The games, activities, and bonfire fostered a strong connection among the participants.

By the conclusion of the three-day camp, the teachers radiated with dedication and devotion to Pujya Gurudev and His vision. This sentiment was expressed during the valedictory ceremony, where Guru Paduka Puja was performed, and the teachers shared their deeply moving impressions of the camp.

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Saturday, 17 May, 2023. 06:15.

Article

Scriptures

Post-2.

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“Now ask for the third boon.” This was a crucial issue that Nachiketas raised when he asked for the third boon. “What happens to the soul after death – after the death of this body, or it may be after the death of the individuality itself – in either case, what happens to the soul?“ While Yama, the Lord, was very eager and quick in the response to the questions of Nachiketas, in the case of the third question he was not willing to say anything. He said, “You should not ask this question. Nobody can understand what it is. The gods themselves have doubts about this matter. Therefore a young boy like you should not raise a question of this kind. Ask for better things – gold and silver, long life, health. The emperorship of the whole world, and a long life, as long as this world lasts, all the wealth of the world, all the glory, all the majesty and magnificence of an emperor of the world I shall grant you. Do not ask this question.”

Nachiketas said, “What good is this, what is the use of this long life? What do you mean by ‘long life'? How long will it be? One day it has to end. So anything that has to end is to be considered as short. It may be long from one point of view, but it has to end one day. Even if it is millions of years – after millions of years, what happens? It stops. Then why do you call it ‘long life'? It is short. All the life put together is purile and petty. I do not want long life. And what is the good of all the glory and majesty and the beauty and the enjoyments to which you have made reference? What is enjoyment to a person whose sense organs have worn out? As long as the sense organs are vigorous, things look beautiful, tasty and worthwhile. When the senses wither away, who will enjoy the world? So why do you tempt me with these offerings? 'Ask for better things,' you said. What can be better than the knowledge of this mystery of the soul after its departure from this body, this tabernacle?“

Yama was cornered like this from all sides and he found that there is an impossible student in front of him. Yama might have been testing him, the mettle of the student; whatever be the case, it is also an indication as to the difficulty in knowing what the soul is. The answer, however, does not come abruptly from Yama, though he finally agreed to give the answer.

What he says is, there are two ways available for every person in this world – the way of the good and the way of the pleasant. The good is called sreyas, the pleasant is called preyas. There are two roads along which we can tread. We can choose what is good, or we can choose what is pleasant. It is proper for a person to choose the good. It is improper for any person to choose the pleasant, because the good does not always look pleasant, and the pleasant is certainly not always good. That which is pleasant is nothing but the reaction of the sense organs in respect of objects outside. The pleasantness is only in the sensations. If we scratch our body there is a little sensation of pleasure, but itching is necessary in order that the scratching sensation may be pleasant. Unless there is itching, there will be no sensation of pleasure when scratching. If we are not hungry, no lunch can be delicious. If we are not healthy, the world looks stupid and meaningless. If the senses are not vigorous, nothing looks beautiful – everything is ugly and black.

So, what do we mean by pleasant experiences? There is no such thing as a pleasant experience as such, by itself. It is only a relative condition created under the circumstances of an action and reaction process taking place between the sense organs, the mind and the objects outside. Would anybody pursue this path which is utter foolishness? He who pursues the path of the pleasant will fall short of his aim. It is good that we follow the good. We understand to some extent that the pleasant is not actually something existent in the objects outside – it is only a sensation, a reaction of the sense organs, and therefore unreliable to the hilt. 

Will an old person, in a dying condition, have a pleasant experience of anything in this world? The senses are dying completely; there is no appetite of any kind. If pleasant things are really pleasant, they should be pleasant even at the last moment of our departure. Where is the pleasantness at that time? The condition of our body and mind and sense organs determines what we call pleasant; and also, what is pleasant to us need not be pleasant to another person. If there is real pleasantness in things, there should be pleasantness for all people equally. Why should it be attractive to us and not attractive to another person? Why is it that what we like is not liked by somebody else? This shows there is no such thing as pleasantness in anything. The pursuit of the pleasant, therefore, is a folly on the part of any individual.

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To be continued

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