KATHA UPANISHAD - 51. Swami Advayananda.

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Friday  08,  Mar  2024  06:20.

Chapter 1. Section - 2: (25 Mantras) 

THE CHOICE:

Mantram - 22:Self-Knowledge – 3: Meditation on the Self 

Post - 51.

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Mantram - 1.2.22: Self-Knowledge – 3: Meditation on the Self 

1 

Ashareeram shareereshu  =  As bodiless in the midst of bodies; 

2 

anavastheshu avasthitam;   =  as permanent in the midst of the impermanent; 

3 

mahaantam vibhum aatmaanam   =  and as great and all-pervasive – 

4 

matvaa dheerah  =  the wise man who meditates thus on the Self  

na shochati.  =  does not come to grief. 

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In mantram 20 the fruit of freedom from sorrow was said to be attained simply through 

Dhatu-Prasad or the serenity of one’s mind. In this mantram, the same end – freedom from grief – is said to be attained through the practice of meditation:

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This clearly equates the two, giving us the truth: “The essence of meditation is 

serenity of mind”. Expressed another way, one can say: “Only with a serene mind is it 

possible to really meditate.”  

Then follows the understanding that through proper meditation alone can one have 

single-pointed focus on the Self. 

The question is: “How do we actually go about meditating?” The method given here 

combines three techniques: 

1

 Ashareeram: “without a body”. The association of the Self to a body is the result of 

It being reflected in the intellect of the individual being. Without interference from the 

intellect, It has no such association to a body; It is bodiless; It is the same Self in all

 bodies. 

There are no boundaries to the Self. Our meditation is thus directed to take us beyond 

body-consciousness. This technique is taken up further later in this text. 

The Self, in the body, remains the Self and does not become the body. It is totally 

non-attached to the body, and goes beyond the body. Whether the body is that of a King or 

a beggar, the Self is the same pure substratum in both. 

2

 Avasthitam: “that which is fixed; the permanent”. With reference to all the 

Upadhis that are associated with the Self, the Self is fixed or permanent, while the Upadhis 

are Anavastheshu, not fixed or impermanent. 

3

 Mahantam: “very large”; which cannot be locked up into any particular object. It is 

pervasive throughout an object and beyond it. That is to be meditated upon. Meditating in 

such a manner one attains the Self. 

4

 The practical result of such meditations is freedom from all sorrow. In addition 

there is the serenity of mind as described earlier. 

The use of the word Atman to refer to the Reality is significant, because we are 

talking of the Reality with reference to the individual body, for which the word Atman is 

more appropriate than Brahman. Brahman is the collective; Atman is the individual. 

This verse is a Mahavakya type of verse. It contains all the essential elements of the 

Brahman-Jiva identity. All the key words are placed in the same case (Dviteeya Vibhakti), viz. 

Ashiram, Asthitam, Mahantam, and Atmanam. This means they all refer to the same 

Reality. 

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NEXT

THE ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATION

MANTRAM - 1.2.23: The Sole Condition: Choose the Self 

Continued

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