Finding peace within - the Katha Upanishad
Finding peace within - the Katha Upanishad
The wise realizing through meditation
The timeless Self, beyond all perception,
Hidden in the cave of the heart
Leave pain and pleasure far behind
Those who know they are neither body nor mind
But the immemorial Self, the divine
Principle of existence, find the source
Of all joy and live in joy abiding.
Translation by Eknath Easwaran (part 1 v12&13)
This week the sun’s been shining and I’ve been sitting on my roof reading the Katha Upanishad. It is one of my favourite Upanishads because it tells a story that’s both literal and symbolic: a conversation between a teenage boy, Nachiketa, and Yama (death), who becomes his teacher.
It also contains the first recorded mention of yoga as a spiritual practice for liberation, so it’s an important text for us aspiring yogis.
The story starts with Nachiketa questioning why his father is giving away his possessions as religious offerings. Nachiketa has faith but doesn’t understand the benefit of giving away cows that are too old to milk. This is perhaps a criticism of his father, who is giving away only that which has no value, or of the practice of making offerings to the Gods for material benefit.
Nachiketa, goading his father, asks “And where will you send me?”. At this point, his father, having had enough of Nachiketa’s questions, replies “To death I send you”. And so, Nachiketa, knowing that death is a fate that befalls every living being, makes his way to Yama’s abode.
When he arrives, Yama is not there and he’s forced to wait outside for three days. This reminds us that spiritual teachings are never easy to come by and only those willing to put in the work will receive them.
When Yama returns, he apologises for his absence and failure as a host and offers Nachiketa three boons (wishes) in return for the three nights he waited.
Nachiketa’s three wishes
Nachiketa is a smart guy and his first wish is for his father’s anger to be forgotten so that he receives Nachiketa with love on his return. Yama grants both this and his second wish, which is to learn the fire sacrifice that leads to heaven. We can think of heaven here not as a final resting place or liberation, but as a wonderful, celestial place where one spends some time after accumulating good karma on Earth. Yama is very impressed with how well Nachiketa performs the fire sacrifice; so much so that he gives it Nachiketa’s name.
Nachiketa’s third and final wish is for Yama to answer an age-old question: what happens when a person dies?
Do they still exist, or do they not? At first, Yama is reluctant to answer Nachiketa’s question, telling him this is something that has puzzled even the Gods of old. Yama tries to tempt Nachiketa with wealth, a long life, a beautiful wife, and sons that will live for 100 years (sexism is alive and well in the Upanishadic era). But as we’ve already seen, Nachiketa is wise. He knows wealth cannot bring happiness, and fleeting pleasures bring no joy when everything will eventually come to an end. He wants only to know the secret of this great mystery.
Finally, Yama relents. Satisfied that Nachiketa has passed this final test by refusing the worldly pleasures on offer, he shares the teachings with him, introducing concepts of Brahman (the Supreme Self) and the Atman (individual Self), which run throughout the Upanishads and are summarised very briefly below.
Yama’s teachings
The Self was never born and nor can it ever die. The Self is eternal; when the body dies, the Self does not die. It exists, not larger than a thumb, enshrined in the hearts of all living creatures. This is the Atman.
Those who do not know the Self wander from death to death. Driven by the ego and its likes and dislikes, they have little control over their thoughts.
Only those who can control the five senses, and still the mind through meditation, can know the Self. This is the state of yoga.
t can come and go or, if one is truly established in this state, it can remain. Those who know the Self are freed from the cycle of birth and death.
Finding comfort within
Whilst these concepts might seem difficult to grasp at first, they are central to the understanding of yoga philosophy, and the teachings of the Upanishads are repeated and expanded on, in many later texts. The central concept of the eternal divine Self within us (something like the soul) that is separate from the physical body-mind complex is what we try to connect with when we practice yoga.
If we’re able to cultivate this connection during our yoga or meditation practice it can become a place of refuge, a safe haven, somewhere we can find comfort and a sense of peace during difficult times.
