KATHOUPANISHAD - 73. Swami Advayananda.
===================================================================================================Sunday 29, December 2024, 11:55.
KATHA UPANISHAD
Part 2 – Total 49 Mantras
Chapters 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3
Chapter 2.1: (15 Mantras)
INTELLECT – INDIVIDUAL INTELLIGENCE
Mantram - 2.1.8: Hiranyagarbha’s Worship in Virat
Post - 73.
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Mantram - 2.1.8: Hiranyagarbha’s Worship in Virat:
1
Aranyoh nihitah = Lodged between two pieces of wood (known as the Arani),
jaata-vedaah = is the Fire of Knowledge that signifies omniscience.
2
garbhah iva subhritah = It is like a foetus that is well-protected (nourished),
garbhineebhih; = there in the womb of pregnant women.
3a
dive dive eedyah = Day by day, it is carefully tended and adored (worshipped)
3b
jaagrivadbhih = i) by the sleepless one (the awakened Jnani in his contemplations);
4
havishmadbhih = ii) by the offerers of oblations (the devout householders); and
manushyebhih agnih. = iii) by the men (Upasakas) who worship the ‘(Nachiketas) Fire’.
5
Etat vai tat. = This is verily That!
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Three types of worshippers (see 3b-4) utilise some means or other from the realm of Hiranyagarbha and Virat to worship Brahman, the Supreme.
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The Symbolism of the Foetus in the Womb:
1. Aranyoh:
In Vedic times, sacrificial fires were lit in a specially made instrument called an Arani, which had two pieces of wood, an upper one which was churned and the
lower one with a cup in which the upper piece was rotated to produce a fire by friction.
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2-3a
There is a “double simile” used here. The first simile is the Arani Fire which represents Brahman, the ultimate object of worship for all three worshippers.
This Fire itself is described by a second simile, the human foetus in the mother’s womb. The protective care provided by a pregnant woman to her foetus is compared to the care with which the
fire in an Arani is carefully tended from a small, easily extinguishable spark to a full-blown flame within the Arani and then transferred with equal care to start the sacrificial fire in the havan kund. This is done day after day with great devotion and feeling, just as the mother takes care of her yet-to-be-born child. This second simile is remarkably appropriate to show the love that inflames the worshipper’s heart.
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3b-4
A comparison may be drawn between this mantram and v 1.3.1. In both mantras mention is made in the same order of all three types of worshippers of the Self, namely, i)
the Brahma Jnanis; ii) the devout householders; and iii) the Upasakass who light the ‘Nachiketas Fire Sacrifice’.
5
This is the line that is repeated in this Upanishad as its Mahavakya.
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THE SYMBOLISM OF FIRE:
Agni or Fire carries very auspicious symbolism. It stands for purity, austerity, and rigorous spiritual practice. Whether it is in the practice of meditation performed by advanced Jnanis, or in performing the fire sacrifice, purity, austerity and rigour are the virtues attached to them in all three cases.
Yogis spend many hours daily in vigilance to control their thoughts. This is an austerity comparable to fire. The havan kund represents the heart of the meditator, i.e. the intellect.
All care and attention is given to nurture the fire of meditation as is given to nurture the Arani fire or the foetus in the mother’s womb.
Fire is also the “postman” in Vedic rituals. It delivers our request or prayer to the respective Deities.
The worship of Fire is at two levels – the Adhiyajna and Adhyatma, i.e. the Divine in the Universe and the Divine within our heart. The Upasaka doing rituals does them with an
external result in mind; whereas the Yogi engaged in meditation does it with no desire except the desire to be united with God.
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THE USE OF VIRAT IN WORSHIP:
Fire represents form and colour. Among the gross elements, it is the subtlest that is visible to humans. (Space and Air cannot be seen.) Hence Fire stands for the entire gross
manifestation of the universe. Virat is the Consciousness or Brahman that is associated with this manifestation. In addition to the symbolism of fire, the fire sacrifice itself stands as a symbol for spiritual Sadhana. It represents the worshipper’s intention to work in harmony with the Deities who govern various functions at the gross level of Creation.
This verse can be taken to mean that the whole of Virat, the gross manifestation, has to be considered as being nothing but Brahman Himself. The same applied earlier to
Hiranyagarbha. Now the Upanishad extends the idea to include even Virat to stand for Brahman alone.
The Vedic view of life at the physical level is that it is an expression of the Divine. The Divine is seen as both imminent as well as transcendent. He is in the gross as well as the
subtle, and beyond even the subtle. The gross manifestation, when seen as God, is cared for just as carefully as a foetus in the mother’s womb, or the delicate flames arising in the Arani.
The idea conveyed is that Nature is to be revered and seen as a god-given gift for our sustenance, with the purpose of promoting our spiritual evolution. Nature is seen as a field for our spiritual growth. It has to be used for good purposes, not abused.
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Next
BRAHMAN – ABSOLUTE INTELLIGENCE
Mantram - 2.1.9: Brahman – the Ultimate Support
Continued
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