KATHA UPANISHAD - 44. Swami Advayananda.

-

================================================================

Sunday, 10 Dec 2023 07:45.

Chapter 1. Section - 2: (25 Mantras): THE CHOICE:

Mantram - 15: The Goal of All Spiritual Efforts – “OM”

Post - 44.

================================================================

“OM” UPASANA:

Mantram - 1.2.15: The Goal of All Spiritual Efforts – “OM”

===============================================================

Yama says to Nachiketas:

1 

Sarve vedaah yat = That which all the Vedas 

padam aamananti = speak of as the Goal; 

2 

tapaamsi sarvaani cha = and which by all penances or acts of austerity

yat vadanti; = is also proclaimed; 

3 

yat icchhantah = and wishing for which 

brahma-charyam charanti = people practice Brahmacharya;

4 

tat te padam = that Goal to thee

sangrahena braveemi: = I will briefly declare:

5 

Om iti etat. = It is “OM”.

===============================================================

4-5 

Lord Yama answers Nachiketas’s re-phrased boon directly by stating what the 

answer is, without giving any explanation. This is the briefest possible answer – OM.

The first approach to this Truth is via a symbol that has been unanimously accepted 

by the enlightened Rishis of the Vedic period as being OM, written as “”.


Yama is providing an answer to the boon in the briefest manner. Under the symbol 

OM is found every possible detail in the scriptures of the path that leads to the Self. It is a 

perfect point to begin.


The symbol Om is used in three different contexts, as given in this verse in its first 

three Padas. These may be considered to be three more ways of expressing the same boon. 

In any case, it is the way Yama has understood the boon to be:

1 

Used widely in all the Vedas: Its use has scriptural authority. It is an accepted 

symbol for the Truth. Everyone will understand what is meant when the sound symbol OM 

is referred to.

2 

The Objective of All Tapas or Austerity: People perform many kinds of austerity, 

undergoing great hardship. However, the meditation upon Om is said to cover all these 

forms of austerities whether one wishes to attain merit or spiritual evolution.

3 

The Reason Why Brahmacharya or Celibacy is Observed: The greatest of all 

austerities is the vow of Brahmacharya, because it is the most difficult. There are two types 

of people who observe Brahmacharya: i) that observed by students of the Vedas during 

their period of study; or ii) the life-long observance of it for the purpose of making oneself 

fit to do the intense Sadhana to realize the Self. Conservation of energy for higher purposes 

is the principle behind this austerity.

4-5 

The symbol OM stands for all these. It is a blanket term for all Upasanas directed 

towards a goal beyond the ordinary earth plane. This is explained further.

===============================================================

Next

Mantram - 16: The Scope Covered by “Om”

To be continued

===============================================================

know the self, know the self in Nature, know the self in Jiva, Further Oneness.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUNDAKOPANISHAD : CHAPTER-3. SECTION-2. MANTRAM-4. { "Other means of Self-realisation." }

-
Image
MUNDAKOPANISHAD CHAPTER-3. SECTION-2. MANTRAM-4.  { "Other  means  of  Self-realisation." } Nayam-atma  bala-hinena  labhyo na  ca  pramadat  tapaso  va' py-alingat, etair-upayair-yatate  yastu  vidvan tasyaisa  atma  visate  brahma-dhama. na  =  not; ayam  =  this; atma  =  Paramatma; bala-hinena  =  by  the  weak  ( in  spirit ); labhyah  =  is  attained; na  =  not; ca  =  and; pramadat  =  insincerity,  careless-ness; tapasah  =  from  penances,  austerities; va  =  or; api  =  and; alingat  = ( literal  meaning - without  proper  sign ),  improper,  unintelligent; etaih  =  by  these; upayaih  =  practices,  means; yatate  =  strives; yah  =  that; tu  =  but; vidvan  =  wise  man; tasya  =  to  him; esah  =  this; atma  =  Paramatma; visate  =  attains; brahma-dhama  =  the  state  of  brahmam. "The  Self  is  not  gained  by  the  weak  ( in  body,  mind,  and  intellect  or  Spirit ),  n
Read more

Mundakopanishad : ( Seven tongues of fire ).Mantram-4.

-
Image
Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-4. ( Seven  tongues  of  fire ) "kali  karali  ca  manojava  ca  sulohita  ya  ca  sudhumra-varna, sphulingini  visvaruci  ca  devi  lelaya-mana  iti  sapta  jihvah." kali  =  kali ( the black  one ); karali  =  karali  ( the  terrific  one ); ca  =  and; manojava  =  as  swift  as  mind; ca  =  and; sulohita  =  deep-red-coloured; ya  =  who; ca  =  also; sudhumra  varna  =   the  smoke - coloured; sphulingini  =  the  sparkling; visvaruci  devi  =  the  variegated,  the  bright,  all  shining; ca  =  and; lelaya-mana  =  flickering; iti  =  that; sapta  =  seven; jihvah  =  tongues. "The  seven  flickering  tongues  ( jwala-s )  of  flames  are : 1. Kali,  the  black  one; 2. Karali,  the  terrific  one; 3. Manojava,  the  swift-as-mind  one; 4. Sulohita,  the  deep-red  one; 5. Sudhumra-varna,  the  smoke-coloured  one; 6. Sphulingini
Read more

Tat Tvam Asi – You Are That! – Chandogya Upanishad

-
Image
04/06/2019 Tat Tvam Asi – You Are That! – Chandogya Upanishad Uddalaka had a son called Svetaketu. When he was twelve, his father said to him, “It is time for you to find a spiritual teacher. Everyone in this family has studied the holy scriptures and the spiritual way.” So Svetaketu went to a teacher and studied the scriptures for twelve years. He returned home very proud of his intellectual knowledge. His father observed him and said, “My boy, you seem to have a high opinion of yourself; you are proud of your learning. But did you ask your teacher for the spiritual knowledge that enables you to hear the unheard, think the unthought and know the unknown?” “What is that knowledge, Father?” asked Svetaketu. “Just as by knowing a lump of clay, everything that is made of clay can be known, since any differences are only words, and the essential reality is clay. In the same way, by knowing a piece of gold, all that is made of gold can be known, since any differences are only wo
Read more