Katha Upanishad part 1: The two paths of goodness and pleasure

 Hari Aum.

I was reading the Katha Upanishad recently after a long time. This is perhaps one of the greatest Upanishads. It contains many valuable teachings related to Vedantic philosophy.

I thought it would be useful to reflect upon and discuss some of the key points here. As mentioned in my previous post introducing the Upanishads, I feel it is very important to take a practical approach when studying this subject. After reflecting upon the topics discussed in these texts, we need to consider whether we want to make any changes in our way of thinking, feeling and living. And if yes, we need to try and implement those changes. That would be the way to benefit from this study. 

So, let us begin.

The Katha Upanishad involves a conversation between a great teacher, a Guru (i.e. a knower of the Self or God, a Self-realised Being) and an extraordinary student who happens to be a child.

The Guru in this Upanishad, is Lord Yama, the demi-god (or deva) of death. His role in the material universe is to oversee the departure of souls from this Earth and other temporary realms of existence. To use a simple analogy, demi-gods such as Yama serve the Supreme Being, or God (who is known by many names) in the way that many ministers serve their leader, the Prime Minister.

Lord Yama and his 'team' of assistants (higher beings) are said to carefully monitor and record every single thought, feeling, word and action of every human being. Nothing escapes their watchful gaze. The reason they need to record all these (especially our actions) is to enable the law of karma to be applied. The law of karma states that joy follows noble deeds while suffering is produced by ignoble actions. Yama and his team ensure that our actions are carefully recorded and that each one of us receives a mixture of joy and sorrow in accordance with our own karma.

The student or disciple in this Upanishad is a relatively young child. We are not told his exact age in the book, but many assume that he could be around ten years old. His name is Nachiketas, and he is an extraordinary young boy. Extraordinary because, at such a young age, he has the key qualities required for a genuine spiritual seeker, including:  

1. Viveka-- this Sanskrit word essentially means intelligence and wisdom. It means the ability to see things clearly as they are, the ability to be balanced and calm, the ability to control the turbulent emotions, the capacity to distiguish between good and bad, right and wrong, the ability to have good judgement, to be discerning, to be spiritually wise (not a mere intellectual who has bookish knowledge alone).

2. Vairagya-- this Sanskrit word means one who has the understanding that it is the immortal that brings joy and peace in life, not the mortal. A simple translation is 'detachment' or 'dispassion'. 

People who have this quality, have a deep-rooted feeling within them that nothing and nobody on this Earth can grant them joy; they know somehow that joy exists within themselves. Therefore, they feel compelled to look within to discover it. They are spiritual seekers.

They know, deep within their hearts, that the Supreme, God, the Higher Intelligence (whatever one wishes to call Him/Her/That) alone can give them joy, that Being whose nature is joy or 'Ananda'. That Being who exists within each one of us. 

Therefore vairagya involves a longing for the Eternal, and a resulting natural turning away from the perishable. It involves seeking joy in God, not in sensual pleasure. This is the key concept discussed in this Upanishad as we will see ahead.

(Note: all true spiritual seekers will have some degree of viveka and vairagya. This is what leads us to take up spiritual life and keep going on the path. These are the qualities of the 'higher mind'. It is these qualities that help us to become aware of and gradually transcend the sensual tendencies of the lower mind).

So Nachiketas had a very strong higher mind with a firm foundation of both viveka and vairagya. This enabled him to understand the teachings of his Guru, Lord Yama, and benefit fully from them. In many ways, he is a role model for each of us when we read the Upanishads and the spirtual teachings of our own Gurus.

Having introduced the two key speakers in this Upanishad, let me now tell you the story. I am not attempting to provide a complete word-by-word translation (as that is already available online on many websites). 

I aim to tell you the story in brief, and to focus on reflecting upon some of the key teachings that apply to us in our daily lives, that can benefit us in our spiritual lives.

The Katha Upanishad opens with a man conducting a ritual in worship of God, a part of which involves giving gifts to worthy people. The man is Nachiketas' father. He wants to go to 'Svarga' in the afterlife, the celestial realm of the demi-gods, a temporary material realm of divine pleasures (this is not the same as Self-realisation, or attaining the eternal 'realm' of God or recognising one's immortal nature as one with God). 

Unfortunately, he is a somewhat miserly man. He gives away gifts that are worthless to the recipients (for example, cows that are incapable of producing any milk). His son, Nachiketas, observing his father, feels concerned for him (as any son might when seeing his father perform a negative karma that would produce suffering later on). In order to diplomatically draw his father's attention to the mistake he was making, Nachiketas asks him the question 'To whom will you give me O father?'. (As a child is obviously precious to a parent, by asking this question, he is implying that his father ought to give something of value as a gift).

His father ignored him on two occasions, but when Nachiketas repeated the question a third time, his father became enraged and declared 'I shall give you to death!'. 

Now, words once spoken have weight. In ancient times in particular, people would act in accordance to words that were spoken in order to uphold the principle of truth or Satya (which is regarded as the foundation of righteousness/dharma, and the basis of success in spiritual and material life).

Nachiketas, in accordance with his father's pronouncement, therefore went to the realm of the demi-god of death, Lord Yama (in other words, he seemed to die; this was temporary though, as we shall see).

Upon arrival at Lord Yama's divine residence, Nachiketas found that the demi-god of death was nowhere to be seen (was probably out on business!). He therefore decided to wait for him to return and ended up waiting three entire days without eating or drinking anything. When Lord Yama returned home, he was deeply concerned to discover a young child waiting at his home who was in a rather miserable, hungry and thirsty condition. 

There is a famous saying in Sanskrit (from another Upanishad) that declares:

 "Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Athithi devo bhava". 

The literal meaning of this is "mother is God, father is God, teacher/Guru is God and guest is God".

This is based on the concept that one God exists in all, including the mother, father, teacher and guest. In other words, the idea is that the presence of God in all beings should be recognised and honoured, including in parents, Gurus and the guest who visits one's home.

In accordance with the 'athithi devo bhava' (the guest is God) principle, Lord Yama wished to make amends for not having made any arrangements to serve guests at his home while away. He apologised sincerely to Nachiketas and then said that, to compensate him for the poor treatment at his residence, he would grant him three wishes/boons or blessings (one for each day that he had been waiting). 

Nachiketas accepted Lord Yama's apology and the wishes. He then said that his first wish was that his father (whom he felt was probably greatly distressed since his departure from Earth) should be calm, happy and be free from anger at him when he returned to Earth. 

Lord Yama immediately granted this request made by Nachiketas for the welfare of his father. It is interesting to note that Nachiketas made the welfare of another his first concern, and asked for this before asking anything for himself. This concern for the welfare of others, including his ignorant, unfair and rather unethical father, demonstrates that he was kind and compassionate-- both very important qualities for success as a spiritual seeker.

For his second wish, Nachiketas asked Yama to explain a specific Vedic ritual of worship of God that was performed for the attainment of the heavenly realm of the demi-gods (Svarga). Lord Yama promptly explained this to him in detail. 

The  boy listened carefully and repeated back all that had been said to demonstrate that he had learned it well. Lord Yama was very pleased with his excellent pupil and declared this Vedic ritual would henceforth be named after him, i.e. be called the 'Nachiketas ritual'.

Now came the moment to ask for the third wish. Nachiketas paused, carefully considering his choice, and uttered the following words:

"O Yama, there is doubt as to what happens to a person after death. Some say he exists, while others say he does not. What is the truth? This is what I desire to know from you. This is my third wish".

Lord Yama was startled by this deeply philosophical question from a relatively young boy. 

The demi-god replied, saying:

"Even the demi-gods of ancient times have their doubts regarding this subject. It it not easy to understand. The subject (of the Self/Atman) is subtle. Do not insist upon my answering this question, Nachiketas. Ask for another wish!"

Nachiketas however was persistent (as many children can be when they sense there is something interesting to be discovered, though he was of course much more than a curious child!).

The boy therefore declared:

"O Yama, you have yourself said that even the demi-gods have doubts regarding this subject and that it cannot be easily understood. However, a wise teacher like you (who knows the subject well) is difficult to find. There surely is no other blessing comparable to this!".

Yama continued to try to wiggle out of Nachiketas' tricky question. He also decided to test the boy's ability to understand the subject at hand as the answer to this question could only be grasped by a subtle intellect, by a spiritually inclined mind (not a gross materialistic one).

The demi-god of death therefore said (the translation below aims to convey the gist of what is said and is not an exact word-by-word translation though it very nearly is):

"Boy, I can offer you wonderful things on Earth. You can have wealth in plenty, the company of extremely beautiful and charming women and long-lived children and grandchildren. I can grant you vast lands and much property. You can have plenty of cattle, elephants, horses and gold. You can enjoy the most enchanting music and dance of the celestial realms."

"If you wish, I can make you king of the entire Earth and grant you a long life of enjoyment of Earthly pleasures. What more can you desire boy! You only have to ask it of me, and it shall all be yours!". 

But Nachiketas, being wise, was not so easily fobbed off.

The boy said:

"O Death, all that you have offered is but temporary. They are not eternal. These Earthly enjoyments are extremely short-lived. One day, you shall come and take them all away. Then what will be left?"

"No, keep your wealth, women, music and dance to yourself. I shall accept nothing less than what I have asked for. I desire to know only the truth of the existence of the human being".

Lord Yama was secretly pleased. Here at long last, was a worthy disciple. It was not every day that Gurus like Lord Yama encountered a genuine spiritual seeker! (There is nothing more pleasing for a true Guru than a sincere disciple). Most beings he met seemed all too easily tempted away by a few material trifles. He therefore gladly accepted the boy's wish and answered him.

He began by saying:

"Listen then, O boy! There are two paths that appear before people during their lifetimes. These are the path of goodness, and the path of pleasure. These two differ widely in their final destination."

"The path of goodness is the path of spiritual ascent. It is the path of the soul. It leads to immortality. By walking this path, one realises one's true eternal nature as being one with God".

"The path of pleasure is the path of material dependence. It is the path of the downfall of the soul. It makes the soul dependent upon matter, and thus leads to it becoming trapped in the cycle of birth and death (samsara in Sanskrit)."

"These two paths present themselves at every moment before a human being. The one who calmly assesses them both and then chooses the path of goodness is wise. The one who chooses the path of pleasure is a fool."

"You have shown, boy, that you are a true seeker of wisdom. You were not tempted by the material enjoyments that I offered, those tempations that cause the fall of many a soul. You were able to ponder their limited value and thus renounce them all."

Lord Yama continued, saying:

"The Higher Self (or God) never reveals Itself to the fool obsessed with material wealth and pleasure. The fool lives thinking "This world is all that there is. There is nothing higher". Thus, such a one becomes subject to my power again and again (is reborn and dies again and again and thus suffers repeatedly)."

"The Higher Self (Atman) is a subtle subject indeed. Subtler than the subtlest. There are few who ask about this subject. Of those who ask and hear about it, few really understand."

"Rare is the teacher who knows the subject, and rare is the student who is able to truly grasp it."

"This subject is not understood by mere intellectual prowess or debate. It can be grasped only when taught by a teacher who truly knows (has experienced) it".

"The wise one, through concentration/meditation upon the Self, attains knowledge of That subtle essence, the Source of all joy, that is not perceptible to the eyes or senses, that is the support of the intelligence and is hidden within the body. Upon attaining this, one rejoices, having attained all that there is to be attained".

(Note: The Sanskrit term for the path of goodness is 'Shreyas' while the word for the path of pleasure is 'Preyas'. Spiritual Gurus advise their disciples to gradually embrace the path of Shreyas, the bright path leading to spiritual attainment, and slowly disentangle themselves from the path of Preyas, the lower path leading to material bondage".

I will conclude my first post on this wonderful Upanishad here. In following posts, I will narrate and discuss the remainder of the fascinating conversation between the great teacher, Lord Yama, and the wonderful student, Nachiketas.

Om.

Salutations to Lord Yama and Nachiketas.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Om Shri Gurave Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

(P.S. The name of the demi-god of death, 'Yama', is similar to the name of yogic ethics or restraints that people are advised to follow, also called the 'yama'. There is a separate post on the subject of these yogic ethics).