KATHA UPANISHAD - 49. Swami Advayananda.

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Saturday, 10 Feb 2024 07:30.

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

Mantram - 20: Self-Knowledge – 1: Majesty of the Self

Post - 49.

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1.2.20:

Self-Knowledge – 1: Majesty of the Self

"Anoh aneeyaan mahato maheeyaan  aatmaa asya jantoh  nihitah guhaayaam 

tam akratuh pashyati veeta shokah  dhaatuh prasaadaat  mahimaanam aatmanah." 

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Translation:

1. Anoh aneeyaan  =  The Self is subtler than the subtle  

mahato maheeyaan   =  and greater than the great; 

2 

aatmaa asya jantoh  =  The Self of every living creature 

nihitah guhaayaam   =  is lodged in the “Cave of the Heart”; 

3 

tam akratuh  =  A desireless man free from willing and wishing, 

pashyati veeta shokah  =  becomes free from sorrow, and beholds, 

4 

dhaatuh prasaadaat  =  through the grace of a tranquil mind and calm senses,  

mahimaanam aatmanah.   =  the glory and majesty of the inner Self. 

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This is a favourite and much quoted mantram among preachers and writers. It holds a 

full house of ideas that would make ornaments in the halls of Sadhakas.  

Juxtaposition of Contradictions:

 1

 Anoh aneeyaan: “large and small”. The first sentence points to the fact that the 

Self is in another plane altogether, totally unlike the relative one that we know through our 

senses. Small and big do not feature in the realm of the Self. Size is not of any consequence 

to the Infinite. This is the Truth behind the apparent contradiction. 

Acharyaji took great care to point out that the contradiction was not intended simply 

to blast our mind by placing in it two opposites side by side. No purpose is served by doing 

that. The intention here is to bring out the subtle quality of the Self. That is the purpose of 

using such a contradictory statement. 

2

 Nihitah Guhaayaam: “the core of our being”. To make that statement clearer, the 

Self is said to be lodged in the heart of every being. No size is referred to, but a Presence of 

Being, or an “I am-ness” is to be understood. Every creature feels certain that he exists. That 

sense of existence is the core of our heart. The pure existence of any being is entirely the 

Self. All else are only the walls of the ‘cave’. 

Desirelessness – the Essential Quality to Behold the Self:

 3a.Akratuh: 

Why is “desirelessness” so essential for God-vision? Desire – any desire – 

has the effect of engaging our mind upon it. To the extent we are engaged in this way, we 

are distracted; we cannot be serene enough to focus on the Self. Only the desireless person 

can be serene enough to make his mind vacant for the experience of the Self. The term 

‘Kratu’ refers to one who devotes himself to action to obtain a desire. Conversely, ‘Akratu’, 

refers to one who is actionless because he has no desire. He alone can behold the Self. 

“freedom from sorrow”. This is the freedom one gets as a result of 

being desireless. The word used here is actually ‘Veegata Shokah’, meaning “sorrow that is 

well-gone”, that is, sorrow that is gone for good, never to return. This has far-reaching 

meaning, but in brief it is nothing short of the end of all transmigration of the soul into this 

trouble-ridden world which produces the sorrow. Liberation from all sorrow is the goal 

achieved when the mind is totally free from all desire.  

4.Dhaatu-Prasad: 

This term is worthy of note. In this context, Dhatu means that 

which “holds the body together”, that is, the subtle body, mainly the mind and senses.  

When the mind becomes tranquil, and senses become calm, serenity is the fruit or Prasad it 

confers upon us. Thus, the real blessing all are seeking comes from our own mind!

 We may, of course, seek the blessings of saints and holy men, but their blessings are directed towards conferring upon us the blessings of our own mind. 

When this term is taken to refer to help from outside, there arises the Doctrine of 

Grace, which says that in the final analysis, God-realisation is due to the Lord’s Grace alone. 

This is an interpretation favoured by Dualists. When it is taken to refer to help from inside, 

one speaks of the Blessing of a Serene Mind. This is favoured by Advaitins (Non-dualists). 

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Next

Mantram -  1.2.21:   Self-Knowledge – 2: Contradictions in the Self  

Continued

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