The Kathopanishad: A Wondrous Epic of the Spirit: 1. Swami Krishnananda.

Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF)

Independence Day celebrations galore at Adi Sankara Nilayam 🇮🇳

The festivities commenced with Swami Sharadananda unfurling the glorious tricolour, followed by singing of the National Anthem.

Addressing the gathering, Swami Sharadananda emphasized the importance of learning from history to correct the mistakes of the past and create a bright future for a united, prosperous India. Only strength of communal harmony and dedication to India’s integrity will bring about global peace. 

The Chinmaya family came together with patriotic fervour, with the Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth (CVV) students leading the National pledge. The ceremony concluded with a melodious rendition of ‘Vande Mataram.’ 

The active participation of staff and sevaks of CIF, CIFSS and CVV, as well as participants of the residential Puja Vidhanam Course, was a showcase of the national pride and united spirit driving our nation forward.

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Thursday, 17 Aug 2023. 06:15.

Article

Scriptures

(Spoken on June 19, 1972)

Post-1.

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The search for truth is an arduous task demanding of us the spirit of real adventure. We have records of such instances where adventurous spirits had to encounter forces which were most unexpected in their search and quest for the unknown. A remarkable example given to us through the Upanishads is the heroic march of that lad called Nachiketas to that unknown mystery which began to work within him in a subtle, inexpressible manner.

In that mystical tale of the Kathopanishad we are given a history of the human spirit, which passes through various stages of suffering, test and experience. It is not all milk and honey that we see before our eyes when we walk the path of the spirit. That it is hardship and also accompanied with a sense of mystery and awe is exemplified by Nachiketas in the philosophical epic that we have in the Upanishad.

There are three or four stages of approach or ascent that we are given in this Upanishad, the stages by which human nature evolves towards its destination. We do not suddenly grapple with reality. We seem to be moving towards it, but the hurdles on the way are umpteen in number. They cannot be counted. The problems and the difficulties, the oppositions that come on the way, differ from person to person, from individual to individual in accordance with the intensity of the aspiration, as also the structural pattern of the individuality of the person concerned. It is like a disease, like a fever which varies from person to person. The character, the quality, and the mode of operation are all different in the various temperaments of human nature.

We are told at the outset that Nachiketas was obliged to confront a mysterious, terrific power whom we mythologically know in India as Lord Yama, the Lord of Death. He was forced to encounter this Lord, and in this story of Nachiketas' approach to Yama, we are told in the Upanishad that when the lad approached the gateways of the palace of Yama, the Lord was absent. He was not to be seen for three days. Three days and three nights did Nachiketas pass, without even water, waiting for the coming of the master whom he had to meet, and from whom he had to receive boons of various kinds.

These three days mentioned in the Upanishad are also of great mystical significance. Nachiketas stands for the human spirit, as Arjuna in the Bhagavadgita stands for mankind in its completeness. The human spirit is in search of the Supreme Spirit, and in this quest there is a very peculiar encounter which seems to be unavoidable. The Lord of Death is to be faced before we come face to face with the Spirit Supreme. In this quest of the spirit it is impossible to overestimate oneself and underestimate the powers of nature. It is the powers of nature that go by the name of death. They appear to be ferocious powers that work in dissonance with this structure of our personality, so that we cannot face them without a sense of dread. They can simply topple the sun and break the stars. The natural forces have to be released, and man's spirit seems to be a small spark that is ready to be extinguished before the mighty tempest that nature can blow over it.

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To be continued

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