Chapter 1The Katha Upanishad of the Black Yajurveda

Book 3. Katha Upanishad

The Katha Upanishad of the Black Yajurveda THE FIRST CYCLE; FIRST CHAPTER ufn

h v

vAjvs sv v ds

ddO ty h nEck tA nAm p

aAs

1. Vajasravasa, desiring, gave all he had. Now Vajasravasa had a son named Nachiketas. t

h k

mAr

s t

dE ZAs

nFymAnAs

!AEvv f so,m yt

2. As the gifts were led past, faith took possession of him who was yet a boy unwed and he pondered: pFtodkA j.Dt

ZA d

.DdohA EnErE d yA an dA nAm t

lokAtAn

s gQCEt tA ddt

3. “Cattle that have drunk their water, eaten their grass, yielded their milk, worn out their organs, of undelight are the worlds which he reaches who gives such as these.” s hovAc Eptr

tt km

dAysFEt EtFy

tFy

hovAc m

vA ddAmFEt

4. He said to his father, “Me, O my father, to whom wilt thou give?” A second time and a third he said it, and he replied, “To Death I give thee.” bh

nAm Em Tmo bh

nAm Em m8ym Ek

Evmy kt y

y myA kEryEt

5. “Among many I walk the first, among many I walk the midmost; something Death means to do which today by me he will accomplish.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One an

p$y yTA p

Etp$y tTApr

syEmv my

pQyt

syEmvAjAyt

6. “Look back and see, even as were the men of old, — look round! — even so are they that have come after. Mortal man withers like the fruits of the field and like the fruits of the field he is born again.” v 4Anr EvfyEtETb A Zo g

hAn

ty tA

fAE t

v E t hr v vvtodkm

His attendants say to Yama: 7. “Fire is the Brahmin who enters as a guest the houses of men; him thus they appease. Bring, O son of Vivasvan,1 the water of the guest-rite. aAfAtF

s gt

c -Ap

svA n

etd

zqyASpm Dso yyAn@n

vsEt b A Zo g

8. “That man of little understanding in whose house a Brahmin dwells fasting, all his hope and his expectation and all he has gained and the good and truth that he has spoken and the wells he has dug and the sacrifices he has offered and all his sons and his cattle are torn from him by that guest unhonoured.” EtHo rAFy dvAsFg

m ,n@n

b /EtETn my nmt ,t

b n

vEt m ,t

tmAEt F vrA v

ZFv

9. “Because for three nights thou hast dwelt in my house, O Brahmin, a guest worthy of reverence, — salutation to thee, O Brahmin, on me let there be the weal, — therefore three boons do thou choose; for each night a boon.” 1 Yama, lord of death, is also the master of the Law in the world, and he is therefore the child of the Sun, luminous Master of Truth from which the Law is born.

Katha Upanishad fA ts kSp s

mnA yTA yAd

vFtm y

tmo mAEB m

yo vs

mAEBvd tFt ett

yAZA

10. “Tranquillised in his thought and serene of mind be the Gautama, my father, let his passion over me pass away from him; assured in heart let him greet me from thy grasp delivered; this boon I choose, the first of three.” yTA p

rtAd

BEvtA tFt aO3AlEkrAzEZm s

- s

rAF fEytA vFtm y

EfvA m

KAm

11. “Even as before assured in heart and by me released shall he be, Auddalaki Aruni, thy father; sweetly shall he sleep through the nights and his passion shall pass away from him, having seen thee from death’s jaws delivered.” vg

lok

n By

Ek cnAEt n t v

n jryA EbB Et uB

tFvA fnAyAEppAs

fokAEtgo modt

vg lok

12. “In heaven fear is not at all, in heaven, O Death, thou art not, nor old age and its terrors; crossing over hunger and thirst as over two rivers, leaving sorrow behind the soul in heaven rejoices. s vmE.n

v.y m8y Eq m

yo b

Eh v

3DAnAy m9m

vg lokA am

Bj t etd

EtFy n v

vr Z

13. “Therefore that heavenly Flame2 which thou, O Death, stud- iest, expound unto me, for I believe. They who win their world of heaven, have immortality for their portion. This for the second boon I have chosen.”

b vFEm td

EnboD v.y mE.n

nEck t jAnn

an tlokAEImTo Et:A

EvE! vm t

EnEht

hAyAm

2 The celestial force concealed subconsciently in man’s mortality by the kindling of which and its right ordering man transcends his earthly nature; not the physical flame of the external sacrifice to which these profound phrases are inapplicable.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One 14. “Hearken to me and understand, O Nachiketas; I declare to thee that heavenly Flame, for I know it. Know this to be the possession of infinite existence and the foundation and the thing hidden in the secret cave of our being.” lokAEdmE.n

vAc tm

yA i-kA yAvtFvA

yTA vA s cAEp tyvdd

yTotmTAy m

nr vAh t

15. Of the Flame that is the world’s beginning3 he told him and what are the bricks to him and how many and the way of their setting; and Nachiketas too repeated it even as it was told; then Death was pleased and said to him yet farther; tmb vFFymAZo mhAmA vr

tv hA ddAEm B

y tv v nAJA BEvtAymE.n s

c mAmn k)pA

hAZ

16. Yea; the Great Soul was gratified and said to him, “Yet a farther boon today I give thee; for even by thy name shall this Fire be called; this necklace also take unto thee, a necklace4 of many figures. EZAEck tEEBr y s ED

Ekm k

trEt j mm

b j*

d vmFX

EvEdvA EncAMy mA

fAE tmy tm Et

17. “Whoso lights the three fires5 of Nachiketas and comes to union with the Three6 and does the triple works,7 beyond birth and death he crosses; for he finds the God of our 3 The Divine Force concealed in the subconscient is that which has originated and built up the worlds. At the other end in the superconscient it reveals itself as the Divine Being, Lord and Knower who has manifested Himself out of the Brahman. 4 The necklace of many figures is Prakriti, creative Nature which comes under the control of the soul that has attained to the divine existence. 5 Probably, the divine force utilised to raise to divinity the triple being of man. 6 Possibly, the three Purushas, soul-states or Personalities of the divine Being, indicated by the three letters AUM. The highest Brahman is beyond the three letters of the mystic syllable. 7 The sacrifice of the lower existence to the divine, consummated on the three planes of man’s physical, vital and mental consciousness.

Katha Upanishad adoration, the Knower8 who is born from the Brahman, whom having beheld he attains to surpassing peace. EZAEck tym td

EvEdvA y ev

EvA En

nAEck tm

s m

pAfA p

rt Zo fokAEtgo modt

vg lok

18. “When a man has the three flames of Nachiketas and knows this that is Triple, when so knowing he beholds the Flame of Nachiketas, then he thrusts from in front of him the meshes of the snare of death; leaving sorrow behind him he in heaven rejoices. eq t ,E.nn Eck t v.yo

ymv

ZFTA EtFy n vr Z etmE.n

tv v v<yE t jnAst

tFy

nEck to v

ZFv

19. “This is the heavenly Flame, O Nachiketas, which thou hast chosen for the second boon; of this Flame the peoples shall speak that it is thine indeed. A third boon choose, O Nachiketas.” y y

EvEcEksA mn

y ,tFy k

nAymtFEt c k

etd

EvAmn

Ef-vyAh

vrAZAm q vrt

tFy

20. “This debate that there is over the man who has passed and some say ‘This he is not’ and some that he is, that, taught by thee, I would know; this is the third boon of the boons of my choosing.” d v rAEp EvEcEkEst

rA n Eh s

* ymZ

r q Dm

a y

nEck to v

ZFv mA moprosFrEt mA s

j nm

21. “Even by the gods was this debated of old; for it is not easy of knowledge, since very subtle is the law of it. Another boon choose, O Nachiketas; importune me not, nor urge me; this, this abandon.” 8 The Purusha or Divine Being, Knower of the Field, who dwells within all and for whose pleasure Prakriti fulfils the cosmic play.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One d v rAEp EvEcEkEst

Ekl v

c m

yo y/ s

* ymAT vtA cAy vAd

g yo n lyo nA yo vrt

Sy ety kEt

22. “Even by the gods was this debated, it is sure, and thou thyself hast said that it is not easy of knowledge; never shall I find another like thee9 to tell of it, nor is there any other boon that is its equal.” ftAy

q p

pOA v

ZFv bh

hEtEhrNym4An

m m hdAytn

ZFv vy

c jFv frdo yAvEdQCEs

23. “Choose sons and grandsons who shall live each a hun- dred years, choose much cattle and elephants and gold and horses; choose a mighty reach of earth and thyself live for as many years as thou listest. et7

yEd m ys

ZFv Ev7

EcrjFEvkA

c mhAB

mO nEck tvm ED kAmAnA

vA kAmBAj

kroEm

24. “This boon if thou deemest equal to that of thy asking, choose wealth and long living; possess thou, O Nachiketas, a mighty country; I give thee thy desire of all desirable things for thy portion. y

kAmA d

l BA my lok

svA kAmA $C dt AT yv imA rAmA srTA st

n hFd

fA lMBnFyA mn

aAEBm 7AEB pErcAryv nEck to mrZ

mAn

A F

25. “Yea, all desires that are hard to win in the world of mortals, all demand at thy pleasure; lo, these delectable women with their chariots and their bugles, whose like are not to be won by men, these I will give thee; live with them for thy handmaidens. But of death question not, O Nachiketas.” 9 Yama is the knower and keeper of the cosmic Law through which the soul has to rise by death and life to the freedom of Immortality.

Katha Upanishad 4oBAvA my y yd tk tt

E d yAZA

jryE t t j aEp sv + jFEvtmSpm v tv v vAhAtv n

ygFt

26. “Until the morrow mortal man has these things, O Ender, and they wear away all this keenness and glory of his senses; nay, all life is even for a little. Thine are these chariots and thine the dancing of these women and their singing. n Ev7 n tp ZFyo mn

yo l>yAmh

Ev7md A<m c RvA jFEvyAmo yAvdFEfyEs v

vrt

vrZFy s ev

27. “Man is not to be satisfied by riches, and riches we shall have if we have beheld thee and shall live as long as thou shalt be lord of us.10 This boon and no other is for my choosing. ajFy tAmm

tAnAm

p y jFy my

vDT jAnn

aEB8yAyn

vZ rEtmodAnEtdFG

jFEvt

ko rm t

28. “Who that is a mortal man and grows old and dwells down upon the unhappy earth, when he has come into the presence of the ageless Immortals and knows, yea, who when he looks very close at beauty and enjoyment and pleasure, can take delight in overlong living? yEmE/d

EvEcEksE t m

yo ysA prAy

mhEt b

Eh ntt

yo,y

vro g

Ymn

Ev-o nA y

tmA/Eck tA v

ZFt

29. “This of which they thus debate, O Death, declare to me, even that which is in the great passage; than this boon which enters in into the secret that is hidden from us, no other chooses Nachiketas.” 10 Life being a figure of death and Death of life, the only true existence is the infinite, divine and immortal.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One THE FIRST CYCLE; SECOND CHAPTER a yQC & yo, yd

t v

nAnAT

EsnFt tyo

y aAddAny sAD

BvEt hFyt ,TA

yo v

ZFt

Yama speaks: 1. One thing is the good and quite another thing is the pleasant, and both seize upon a man with different meanings. Of these whoso takes the good, it is well with him; he falls from the aim of life who chooses the pleasant.

y mn

ym ttO s prFy EvEvnEt DFr

yo Eh DFro,EB

yso v

ZFt

yo m do yog mAd

ZFt

2. The good and the pleasant come to a man and the thought- ful mind turns all around them and distinguishes. The wise chooses out the good from the pleasant, but the dull soul chooses the pleasant rather than the getting of his good and its having. s v

EyAE y)pA

kAmAnEB8yAyn

nEck to,yHA F n tA

Ev7myFmvAIo yyA

m2jE t bhvo mn

3. And thou, O Nachiketas, hast looked close at the objects of desire, at pleasant things and beautiful, and thou hast cast them from thee; thou hast not entered into the net of riches in which many men sink to perdition. d

rm t

EvprFt

Evq

cF aEvA yA c Ev Et *AtA EvABFE>sn

nEck ts

m y

n vA kAmA bhvo,lol

p t

4. For far apart are these, opposite, divergent, the one that is known as the Ignorance and the other the Knowledge. But Nachiketas I deem truly desirous of the knowledge whom so many desirable things could not make to lust after them.

Katha Upanishad aEvAyAm tr

vt mAnA vy

DFrA pENXt m ymAnA d d MymAZA pEryE t m

YA a D n v nFymAnA yTA DA

5. They who dwell in the ignorance, within it, wise in their own wit and deeming themselves very learned, men bewildered are they who wander about round and round circling like blind men led by the blind. n sA prAy EtBAEt bAl

mA t

Ev7moh n m

loko nAEt pr iEt mAnF p

n p

nv fmApt

6. The childish wit bewildered and drunken with the illusion of riches cannot open its eyes to see the passage to heaven; for he that thinks this world is and there is no other, comes again and again into Death’s thraldom. vZAyAEp bh

EByo

n ly f

Nv to,Ep bhvo y

n Ev

aAyo

vtA k

flo,y lNDA,,yo

*AtA k

flAn

Ef-

7. He that is not easy even to be heard of by many, and even of those that have heard they are many who have not known Him, — a miracle is the man that can speak of Him wisely or is skilful to win Him, and when one is found, a miracle is the listener who can know God even when taught of Him by the knower. n nr ZAvr Z ot eq s

Ev* yo bh

DA Ec ymAn an yot

gEtr nAyZFyAn

9tV mZ

mAZAt

8. An inferior man cannot tell you of Him; for thus told thou canst not truly know Him, since He is thought of in many aspects. Yet unless told of Him by another thou canst not find thy way there to Him; for He is subtler than subtlety and that which logic cannot reach. n qA tk

Z mEtrApn yA otA y n v s

*AnAy

: yA

vmAp syD

Etb tAEs vAd

no B

yA/Eck t -A

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One 9. This wisdom is not to be had by reasoning, O beloved Nachiketas; only when told thee by another it brings real knowledge, — the wisdom which thou hast gotten. Truly thou art steadfast in the Truth! Even such a questioner as thou art may I meet with always. jAnAMyh

f vEDEryEny

n 9D

A>yt

Eh D

tto myA nAEck tEto,E.nrEny d y

AIvAnEm Enym

Nachiketas speaks: 10. I know of treasure that it is not for ever; for not by things unstable shall one attain That which is stable; therefore I heaped the fire of Nachiketas, and by the sacrifice of transitory things I won the Eternal. kAmyAEI

jgt Et:A

[torn ymByy pArm

tom

mhd

zgAy

Et:A

\A D

yA DFro nEck to,yHA F

Yama speaks: 11. When thou hast seen in thy grasp, O Nachiketas, the pos- session of desire and firm foundation of this world and an infinity of power and the other shore of security and praise and scope and wide moving and firm foundation,11 wise and strong in steadfastness thou didst cast these things from thee. t

d f + g

Ymn

Ev-

hAEht

g]r :

rAZm

a8yAmyogAEDgm n d v

mvA DFro hq fokO jhAEt

12. Realising God by attainment to Him through spiritual Yoga, even the Ancient of Days who hath entered deep into that which is hidden and is hard to see, for he is established in our secret being and lodged in the cavern heart of things, the wise and steadfast man casts far from him joy and sorrow. 11 Or, “and great fame chanted through widest regions”.

Katha Upanishad etQC

vA s pErg

DMy mZ

m tmA>y s modt

modnFy

Eh lN8vA Evv

s nEck ts

m y

13. When mortal man has heard, when he has grasped, when he has forcefully separated the Righteous One from his body and won that subtle Being, then he has delight, for he has got that which one can indeed delight in. Verily I deem of Nachiketas as a house wide open. a y DmA d yADmA d yAmAt

tAk

tAt

a y B

tAQc ByAQc y7p$yEs td

Nachiketas speaks: 14. Tell me of That which thou seest otherwhere than in virtue and otherwhere than in unrighteousness, otherwhere than in the created and the uncreated, otherwhere than in that which has been and that which shall be. sv

v dA ypdmAmnE t tpA Es svA EZ c ydE t yEdQC to b cy + crE t t7

s g h Z b vFMyoEmy tt

Yama speaks: 15. The seat and goal that all the Vedas glorify and which all austerities declare, for the desire of which men practise holy living, of That will I tell thee in brief compass. OM is that goal, O Nachiketas. et^ vA r

et^ vA r

prm

et^ vA r

*AvA yo yEdQCEt ty tt

16. For this Syllable is Brahman, this Syllable is the Most High: this Syllable if one know, whatsoever one shall desire, it is his. etdAlMbn

:m tdAlMbn

prm

etdAlMbn

*AvA b lok

mhFyt

17. This support is the best, this support is the highest, knowing

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One this support one grows great in the world of the Brahman. n jAyt

Em yt

vA EvpE/Ay

tE/ bB

v kEt

ajo Eny fA4to,y

rAZo n h yt

h ymAn

frFr

18. That Wise One is not born, neither does he die; he came not from anywhere, neither is he anyone; he is unborn, he is everlasting, he is ancient and sempiternal, he is not slain in the slaying of the body. h tA c m yt

h t

ht m yt

htm

uBO tO n EvjAnFto nAy

hE t n h yt

19. If the slayer think that he slays, if the slain think that he is slain, both of these have not the knowledge. This slays not, neither is He slain. aZorZFyA mhto mhFyAnAmAy j toEn Ehto g

hAyAm

tm[t

p$yEt vFtfoko DAt

sAdA mEhmAnmAmn

20. Finer than the fine, huger than the huge the Self hides in the secret heart of the creature: when a man strips himself of will and is weaned from sorrow, then he beholds Him, purified from the mental elements he sees the greatness of the Self-being. aAsFno d

v jEt fyAno yAEt sv t kt

mdAmd

d v

md yo *At

mh Et

21. Seated He journeys far off, lying down He goes everywhere. Who other than I is fit to know God, even Him who is rapture and the transcendence of rapture? afrFr

frFr vnvT vvETtm

mhA t

EvB

mAmAn

mvA DFro n focEt

22. Realising the Bodiless in bodies, the Established in things unsettled, the Great and Omnipresent Self, the wise and steadfast soul grieves no longer.

Katha Upanishad nAymAmA vcn n lyo n m DyA n bh

t n ym v q v

t n lyty q aAmA Evv

vAm

23. The Self is not to be won by eloquent teaching, nor by brain power, nor by much learning: but only he whom this being chooses can win Him, for to him this Self bares His body. nAEvrto d

ErtA/AfA to nAsmAEht nAfA tmAnso vAEp *An n nmA>n

yAt

24. None who has not ceased from doing evil, or who is not calm, or not concentrated in his being, or whose mind has not been tranquillised, can by wisdom attain to Him. yy b

c uB

Bvt aodn m

y yops cn

k iTA v d y s

25. He to whom the sages are as meat and heroes as food for His eating and Death is an ingredient of His banquet, how thus shall one know of Him where He abideth? THE FIRST CYCLE; THIRD CHAPTER _t

Epb tO s

ty lok

Ev-O prm

prAD

CAyAtpO b Evdo vdE t p0cA.nyo y

c EZAEck tA

Yama speaks: 1. There are two that drink deep of the Truth in the world of work well accomplished: they are lodged in the secret plane of being and in the highest kingdom of the most High is their dwelling: as of light and shade the knowers of the Brahman speak of them and those of the five fires and those who have the three fires of Nachiketas. y s t

rFjAnAnAm r

yprm

aBy

EttFq tA

pAr

nAEck t

fk mEh

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One 2. May we have strength to kindle Agni Nachiketas, for he is the bridge of those who do sacrifice and he is Brahman supreme and imperishable, and the far shore of security to those who would cross this ocean. aAmAn

rETn

EvE! frFr

rTm v t

sArET

EvE! mn g hm v c

3. Know the body for a chariot and the soul for the master of the chariot: know Reason for the charioteer and the mind for the reins only. iE d yAEZ hyAnAh

Ev qyA t q

gocrAn

aAm E d ymnoy

Bot yAh

m nFEqZ

4. The senses they speak of as the steeds and the objects of sense as the paths in which they move; and One yoked with Self and the mind and the senses is the enjoyer, say the thinkers. yvEv*AnvAn

Bvyy

t n mnsA sdA ty E d yANyv$yAEn d

-A4A iv sArT

5. Now he that is without knowledge with his mind ever unapplied, his senses are to him as wild horses and will not obey the driver of the chariot. yt

Ev*AnvAn

BvEt y

t n mnsA sdA ty E d yAEZ v$yAEn sd4A iv sArT

6. But he that has knowledge with his mind ever applied, his senses are to him as noble steeds and they obey the driver. yvEv*AnvAn

Bvymnk sdA,f

Ec n s tpdmA>noEt s sAr

cAEDgQCEt

7. Yea, he that is without knowledge and is unmindful and is ever unclean, reaches not that goal, but wanders in the cycle of phenomena.

Katha Upanishad yt

Ev*AnvAn

BvEt smnk sdA f

Ec s t

tpdmA>noEt ymAd

yo n jAyt

8. But he that has knowledge and is mindful and pure always, reaches that goal whence he is not born again. Ev*AnsArETy t

mng hvAn

nr so,8vn pArmA>noEt tEZo prm

pdm

9. That man who uses the mind for reins and the knowledge for the driver, reaches the end of his road, the highest seat of Vishnu. iE d y y prA 9TA

y pr

mn mnst

prA b

E!b

! rAmA mhA pr

10. Than the senses the objects of sense are higher; and higher than the objects of sense is the Mind; and higher than the Mind is the faculty of knowledge; and than that is the Great Self higher. mht prmytmytAt

zq pr p

zqA/ pr

Ek EcsA kA:A sA prA gEt

11. And higher than the Great Self is the Unmanifest and higher than the Unmanifest is the Purusha: than the Purusha there is none higher: He is the culmination, He is the highest goal of the journey. eq sv

t q

Yo,,mA n kAft

$yt

v`yyA b

^A s

<myA s

<mdEf EB

12. The secret Self in all existences does not manifest Himself to the vision: yet is He seen by the seers of the subtle by a subtle and perfect understanding. yQC d

vAwnsF A*tQC 2*An aAmEn *AnmAmEn mhEt EnyQC t

tQC QCA t aAmEn

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One 13. Let the wise man restrain speech in his mind and mind in his self of knowledge, and knowledge in the Great Self, and that again let him restrain in the Self that is at peace. uE7:t jAg t A>y vrAE/boDt

ry DArA EnEftA d

ryyA d

g + pTtt

kvyo vdE t

14. Arise, awake, find out the great ones and learn of them; for sharp as a razor’s edge, hard to traverse, difficult of going is that path, say the sages. afNdmpf m)pmyy

tTArs

Enymg DvQc yt

anAn t

mht pr

EncAMy t m

KAt

Qyt

15. That in which sound is not, nor touch, nor shape, nor diminution, nor taste, nor smell, that which is eternal, and It is without end or beginning, higher than the Great Self and stable, — that having seen, from the mouth of death there is deliverance. nAEck tm

pAHyAn

snAtnm

uvA

vA c m DAvF b lok

mhFyt

16. The man of intelligence having spoken or heard the eternal story of Nachiketas wherein Death was the speaker, grows great in the world of the Brahman. y im

prm

Avy d

b s sEd yt A!kAl

vA tdAn yAy kSpt

tdAn yAy kSpt iEt

17. He who being pure recites this supreme secret at the time of the Shraddha in the assembly of the Brahmins, that turns for him to infinite existence.

Katha Upanishad THE SECOND CYCLE; FIRST CHAPTER prAE0c KAEn yt

vyMB

tmAprAR

p$yEt nA trAmn

kE!Fr ygAmAnm

dAv

tvEmQCn

Yama said: 1. The Self-born hath set the doors of the body to face out- ward, therefore the soul of a man gazeth outward and not at the Self within; hardly a wise man here and there desiring immortality turneth his eyes inward and seeth the Self within him. prAc kAmAnn

yE t bAlAt

yoy E t Evtty pAfm

aT DFrA am

EvEdvA D

vmD

v Evh n AT y t

2. The rest childishly follow after desire and pleasure and walk into the snare of Death who gapeth wide for them. But calm souls having learned of immortality seek not for permanence in the things of this world that pass and are not. y n )p

g D

fNdAn

pfA + m T

nAn

et n v EvjAnAEt Ekm pErEfyt

3. By the Self one knoweth taste and form and smell, by the Self one knoweth sound and touch and the joy of man with woman; what is there left in this world of which the Self not knoweth? This is the thing thou seekest. v>nA t

jAgErtA t

coBO y nAn

p$yEt mhA t

EvB

mAmAn

mvA DFro n focEt

4. The calm soul having comprehended the great Lord, the omnipresent Self by whom one beholdeth both to the end of dream and to the end of waking, ceaseth from grieving. y im

m8vd

v d aAmAn

jFvmE tkAt

IfAn

tByy n tto Evj

>st

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One 5. He that hath known from very close this Eater of sweetness, the Jiva, the Self within that is lord of what was and what shall be, shrinketh not thereafter from aught nor abhorreth any. This is the thing thou seekest. y p

v + tpso jAtmd

y p

v mjAyt g

Ev$y Et: t

yo B

t EBy p$yt et

6. He is the seer that seeth Him who came into being before austerity and was before the waters; deep in the heart of the creature he seeth Him, for there He standeth by the mingling of the elements. This is the thing thou seekest. yA AZ n s BvyEdEtd

vtAmyF g

Ev$y Et: tF

yA B

t EBy jAyt et

7. This is Aditi, the mother of the Gods, who was born through the Prana and by the mingling of the elements had her being; deep in the heart of things she has entered, there she is seated. This is the thing thou seekest. arNyoEn Ehto jAtv dA gB

iv s

to gEB ZFEB Edv

Edv IX

yo jAg

vEd

Bh EvmEd

Bm n

y EBrE.n et

8. As a woman carrieth with care the unborn child in her womb, so is the Master of knowledge lodged in the tinders, and day by day should men worship him who live their waking life and stand before him with sacrifice; for he is that Agni. This is the thing thou seekest. ytod Et s

y c gQCEt t

d vA sv

,Ep tAtd

nAy Et kn et

9. He from whom the sun riseth and to whom the sun re- turneth, and in Him are all the Gods established, — none passeth beyond Him. This is the thing thou seekest.

Katha Upanishad yd v h tdm

ydm

tdE vh m

yo s m

mA>noEt y ih nAn v p$yEt

10. What is in this world is also in the other, and what is in the other, that again is in this; who thinketh he sees difference here, from death to death he goeth. mns v dmAIy

n h nAnAEt Ek cn m

yo s m

gQCEt y ih nAn v p$yEt

11. Through the mind must we understand that there is nothing in this world that is really various; who thinketh he sees difference here, from death to death he goeth. a=

:mA p

zqo m8y aAmEn Et:Et IfAno B

tByy n tto Evj

>st

12. The Purusha who is seated in the midst of ourself is no larger than the finger of a man. He is the lord of what was and what shall be; Him having seen one shrinketh not from aught nor abhorreth any. This is the thing thou seekest. a=

:mA p

zqo 2yoEtErvAD

mk IfAno B

tByy s evA s u et

13. The Purusha that is within is no larger than the finger of a man; He is like a blazing fire that is without smoke, He is lord of His past and His future. He alone is today and He alone shall be tomorrow. This is the thing thou seekest. yTodk

pv t q

EvDAvEt ev

DmA p

p$y tAn vAn

EvDAvEt

14. As water that raineth in the rough and difficult places, run- neth to many sides on the mountain-tops, so he that seeth separate law and action of the one Spirit, followeth in the track of what he seeth.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One yTodk

!mAEst

tAd

g v BvEt ev

n Ev jAnt aAmA BvEt gOtm

15. But as pure water that is poured into pure water, even as it was such it remaineth, so is it with the soul of the thinker who knoweth God, O seed of Gotama. THE SECOND CYCLE; SECOND CHAPTER p

rm kAdfArmjyAv[c ts an

:Ay n focEt Evm

t Evm

Qyt

Yama said: 1. The Unborn who is not devious-minded hath a city with eleven gates; when He taketh up his abode in it, He grieveth not, but when He is set free from it, that is His deliverance. This is the thing thou seekest. h s f

Ecqd

r tEr s!otA v EdqdEtETd

roZst

qrsd

tsd

yomsdNjA gojA _tjA aEd jA _t

2. Lo, the Swan whose dwelling is in the purity, He is the Vasu in the interregions, the Sacrificer at the altar, the Guest in the vessel of the drinking; He is in man and in the Great Ones and His home is in the Law and His dwelling is in the firmament; He is all that is born of water and all that is born of earth and all that is born of the mountains. He is the Truth and He is the Mighty One. U8v + AZm

/yypAn

ygyEt m8y

vAmnmAsFn

Ev4

d vA upAst

3. This is He that draweth the main breath upward and casteth the lower breath downward. The Dwarf that sitteth in the centre, to Him all the Gods do homage.

Katha Upanishad ay EvH smAny frFrTy d Ehn d hAd

Evm

QymAny Ekm pErEfyt

4. When this encased spirit that is in the body falleth away from it, when He is freed from its casing, what is there then that remaineth? This is the thing thou seekest. n AZ n nApAn n myo

jFvEt kn itr Z t

jFvE t yEm/ tAv

pAEtO

5. Man that is mortal liveth not by the breath, no, nor by the lower breath; but by something else we live in which both these have their being. h t t id

v<yAEm g

snAtnm

yTA c mrZ

A>y aAmA BvEt gOtm

6. Surely, O Gautama, I will tell thee of this secret and eternal Brahman and likewise what becometh of the soul when one dieth. yoEnm y

p t

frFrvAy d Ehn TAZ

m y ,n

s yE t yTAkm

yTA

7. For some enter a womb to the embodying of the Spirit and others follow after the Immovable; according to their deeds is their goal and after the measure of their revealed knowledge. y eq s

I q

jAgEt

kAm

zqo EnEm mAZ td v f

[

td vAm

Qyt

tEm }okA EtA sv

nAy Et kn et

8. This that waketh in the sleepers creating desire upon desire, this Purusha, Him they call the Bright One, Him Brahman, Him Immortality, and in Him are all the worlds established; none goeth beyond Him. This is the thing thou seekest.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One aE.ny T ko B

Ev-o )p

Et)po bB

v ektTA sv B

tA trAmA )p

Et)po bEh

9. Even as one Fire hath entered into the world but it shapeth itself to the forms it meeteth, so there is one Spirit within all creatures but it shapeth itself to form and form; it is likewise outside these. vAy

y T ko B

Ev-o )p

Et)po bB

v ektTA sv B

tA trAmA )p

Et)po bEh

10. Even as one Air hath entered into the world but it shapeth itself to the forms it meeteth, so there is one Spirit within all creatures but it shapeth itself to form and form; it is likewise outside these. s

yTA sv loky c

El>yt

q bA 9doq

ektTA sv B

tA trAmA n El>yt

lokd

K n bA9

11. Even as the Sun is the eye of all this world, yet it is not soiled by the outward blemishes of the visual, so there is one Spirit within all creatures, but the sorrow of this world soils it not, for it is beyond grief and his danger. eko vfF sv B

tA trAmA ek

DA y kroEt tmAmT

y ,n

p$yE t DFrAt qA

fA4t

n tr qAm

12. One calm and controlling Spirit within all creatures that maketh one form into many fashions; the calm and strong who see Him in the self as in a mirror, theirs is eternal felicity and ’tis not for others. Enyo,EnyAnA

c tn tnAnAm ko bh

yo EvdDAEt kAmAn

tmAmT

y ,n

p$yE t DFrAt qA

fAE t fA4tF n tr qAm

13. The One Eternal in many transient, the One Conscious in many conscious beings, who being One ordereth the desires of many; the calm and strong who behold Him in the self as in a mirror, theirs is eternal peace and ’tis not for others.

Katha Upanishad td tEdEt m y t ,End

prm

tEjAnFyA

Ekm

BAEt EvBAEt vA

14. “This is He,” is all they can realise of Him, a highest felicity which none can point to nor any define it. How shall I know of Him whether He shineth or reflecteth one light and another? n t s

BAEt n c d tArk

n mA Ev

to BAE t k

to,ymE.n tm v BA tmn

BAEt sv + ty BAsA sv Emd

EvBAEt

15. There the Sun cannot shine and the moon has no lustre; all the stars are blind; there our lightnings flash not, neither any earthly fire. For all that is bright is but the shadow of His brightness and by His shining all this shineth. THE SECOND CYCLE; THIRD CHAPTER U8v m

lo,vAfAK eqo,4T snAtn td v f

[

td vAm

Qyt

tEm }okA EtA sv

nAy Et kn et

Yama said: 1. This is the eternal uswattha tree whose roots are aloft, but its branches are downward. It is He that is called the Bright One and Brahman and Immortality, and in Him are all the worlds established; none goeth beyond Him. This is the thing thou seekest. yEdd

Ek c jgsv + AZ ejEt Ens

mhd

v~m

y etd

Evd

tAt

BvE t

2. All this universe of motion moveth in the Prana and from the Prana also it proceeded; a mighty terror is He, yea, a thunderbolt uplifted. Who know Him are the immortals.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One ByAdyAE.ntpEt ByA7pEt s

ByAEd d

vAy

DA vEt p0cm

3. For fear of Him the fire burneth, for fear of Him the sun giveth heat, for fear of Him Indra and Vayu and Death hasten in their courses. ih c dfko!

frFry EvHs tt sg

lok q

frFrvAy kSpt

4. If in this world of men and before thy body fall from thee, thou art able to apprehend it, then thou availest for embodiment in the worlds that are His creations. yTAdf

tTAmEn yTA v>n

tTA Ept

lok

yTA>s

prFv dd

tTA g Dv lok

CAyAtpyoErv b lok

5. In the self one seeth God as in a mirror but as in a dream in the world of the fathers, and as in water one seeth the surface of an object, so one seeth Him in the world of the Gandharvas; but He is seen as light and shade in the heaven of the Spirit. iE d yAZA

T.BAvm

dyAtmyO c yt

pmAnAnA

mvA DFro n focEt

6. The calm soul having comprehended the separateness of the senses and the rising of them and their setting and their separate emergence putteth from him pain and sorrow. iE d y y pr

mno mns sRvm

7mm

sRvAdED mhAnAmA mhto,ytm

7mm

7. The mind is higher than the senses, and above the mind is the thought, and above the thought is the mighty Spirit, and above the Mighty One is the Unmanifest.

Katha Upanishad aytA7

pr p

zqo yApko,El= ev c y

*AvA m

Qyt

j t

c gQCEt

8. But highest above the Unmanifest is the Purusha who per- vadeth all and alone hath no sign nor feature. Mortal man knowing Him is released into immortality. n s d

Et:Et )pmy n c

qA p$yEt kn nm

dA mnFqA mnsAEBk Io y etd

Evd

tAt

BvE t

9. He hath not set His body within the ken of seeing, neither doth any man with the eye behold Him, but to the heart and mind and the supermind He is manifest. Who know Him are the immortals. ydA p0cAvEt: t

*AnAEn mnsA sh b

E! n Evc -Et tAmAh

prmA

gEtm

10. When the five senses cease and are at rest and the mind resteth with them and the Thought ceaseth from its work- ings, that is the highest state, say thinkers. tA

yogEmEt m y t

ETrAEmE d yDArZAm

am7tdA BvEt yogo Eh BvA>yyO

11. The state unperturbed when the senses are imprisoned in the mind, of this they say “it is Yoga”. Then man becomes very vigilant, for Yoga is the birth of things and their ending.12 n v vAcA n mnsA AI

fVo n c

qA atFEt b

vto, y kT

plyt

12. Not with the mind hath man the power to see God, no, nor by speech nor with the eye. Unless one saith “He is,” how can one become sensible of Him? 12 Shankara interprets, “As Yoga hath a beginning (birth) so hath it an ending.” But this is not what the Sruti says.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One atFy voplNDytRvBAv n coByo atFy voplNDy tRvBAv sFdEt

13. One must apprehend Him in the concept “He is” and also in His essential principle, but when he hath grasped Him as the Is, then the essential of Him dawneth upon a man. ydA sv

Qy t

kAmA y ,y Ed EtA aT myo

to Bvy b

sm@

14. When every desire that harboureth in the heart of a man hath been loosened from its moorings, then this mortal put- teth on immortality; even here he enjoyeth Brahman in this human body. ydA sv

EB t

dyy h g Ty aT myo

to Bvy tAv^n

fAsnm

15. When all the strings of the heart are rent asunder, even here in this human birth, then the mortal becometh immortal. This is the whole teaching of the Scriptures. ft

c kA c dyy nAX

ytAsA

DA nmEBEns

t kA tyo8v mAy/m

tvm Et Ev4 yA u[mZ

BvE t

16. A hundred and one are the nerves of the heart and of all these only one issueth out through the head of a man; by this the soul mounteth up to its immortal home but the rest lead him to all sorts and conditions of births in his passing. a=

:mA p

zqo, trAmA sdA jnAnA

s EnEv- t

vAQCrFrAt

h m

0jAEdv qFkA

D y

Z t

EvAQC

[mm

EvAQC

[mm

tEmEt

17. The Purusha, the Spirit within, who is no larger than the finger of a man is seated for ever in the heart of creatures; one must separate Him with patience from one’s own body as one separates from a blade of grass its main fibre. Thou

Katha Upanishad shalt know Him for the Bright Immortal, yea, for the Bright Immortal. m

otA

nEck to,T lN8vA EvAm tA

yogEvED

c k

b AIo Evrjo,B

Evm

r yo,>y v

yo Evd8yAmm v

18. Thus did Nachiketas with Death for his teacher win the God-knowledge; he learned likewise the whole ordinance of the Yoga: thereafter he obtained Brahman and became void of stain and void of death. So shall another be who cometh likewise to the science of the Spirit.

Mundaka Upanishad