Hari Aum.
Let us continue with the study of the Katha Upanishad. Before we do this, it would be useful to remind ourselves of the teaching that Lord Yama has given Nachiketas so far.
He has said that:
i) there are two paths that present themselves to every human being throughout life that lead to two very different destinations. One is the path of self-control, the path of dharma (adhering to righteousness/goodness). This path, known as the 'shreyas marga' in Sanskrit, leads one to experience the truth of one's true existence, the Self.
The other path is the path of unrestrained sensual indulgence (or sensual slavery), the path of allowing oneself to become a victim of the impulses of the impetuous mind. This path blocks the realisation of the Self. It leads one to falsely believe that the body and mind are all that exists and that these alone are our true identiy; as these are mortal and must die one day, the loss of these produces grief and one suffers (and is reborn and dies again and again in accordance with the law of karma).
ii) the syllable Om not only represents but actually is, the Supreme Being (in the form of sound). This syllable can be used to access the Supreme, our true Self. Restraining the senses and concentrating the mind/meditating upon Om (or other mantra or name of the Divine as these are regarded as equal to Om according to the sages) will lead us to experience the Self within.
This realisation, that our true nature is immortal and blissful, produces an extraordinary joy that transcends anything that the senses can offer.
The wise therefore embrace the path of shreyas, meditate upon Om/the Supreme and attain this wisdom. The Self is birthless, deathless, omnipresent, exists in the hearts of all beings (therefore the sages advise us to respect all to the best of our ability).
Ok, so moving on to the next set of teachings.
Lord Yama tells Nachiketas the following:
i) The chariot:
Lord Yama uses the analogy of a chariot with horses and a rider to describe the various aspects of the human being.
He says the human body is similar to a chariot. It contains five senses likened to horses (these are ever restless and difficult to control). The mind is likened to the reins connected to the horses. The intellect is described as the charioteer, the one who holds the reins (mind) and commands the horses (senses) connected to the chariot (body). Within the heart of the chariot, seated behind the charioteer, is the owner of the chariot-- this is the soul, the Atman, the Self. External things that are perceived by our five senses (horses) are the roads upon which the horses travel.
Lord Yama says that a person of wisdom, who has learned to control the mind, skillfully moves his/her chariot towards the Supreme (he calls it the 'supreme position of Vishnu' or Brahman). Here, the charioteer (intellect/spiritual heart/higher mind) is in control of the chariot and the journey is therefore successful (the path selected for the chariot is the shreyas marga).
In contrast, in the unwise one, of uncontrolled mind, the charioteer is unable to restrain the wild and restive horses. Such a one (under control of the senses and lower mind), he says, loses the power of 'viveka' (the ability to tell apart right and wrong, dharma and adharma). The chariot moves along the path of uncontrolled sensuality (the preyas marga, which is often associated with adharma) and the thus person remains within the realm of samsara (the cycle of birth and death) and the net of Lord Yama.
ii) the Self:
He goes on to say that a sharp and subtle intellect is required to recognise or 'see' the presence of the Self within.
He states that it is by the power of the unseen, hidden, subtle Self, that the gross world exists and functions. He declares that the power of the senses to see, hear, touch, smell and taste, comes from the Self. In addition, our ability to perceive anything, be conscious of anything, be it in the waking state or the dreaming state, comes from the Self.
iii) the outer and the inner ways:
Lord Yama says that those who are unwise, who are unable to think of anything beyond the senses, seek only worldly pleasures in objects outside of themselves. Their minds are ever turned outwards. These people, he declares, do not recognise the Self within and thus fall into his net of death again and again.
In contrast, he says that those who have cultivated wisdom, who are able to contemplate something beyond sense objects, seek the immortal. He says that they close their eyes and look inwards and eventually discover the Self within. Such people, he says, gain freedom from the jaws of death.
iv) perception: unity and multiplicity
Lord Yama further says that the wise recognise that one Self exists in all (animate and inanimate). Thus they are able to see the unity underlying the apparant external differences perceived by the five senses. (And, being conscious of the presence of the Self or the Divine in all things, such people will naturally approach these accordingly, with reverence, and live an ethical/dharmic life. Such an approach further cleanses the mind and eventually enables perception of the Self within.)
In contrast, he says the unwise only focus on the superficial differences perceived by the five senses. The unifying principle that exists in all things is completely missed by them. (And with this come ideas of high and low, superiority and inferiority, pride, greed, craving, anger, jealousy and other undivine qualities that lead one spiritually downward).
Lord Yama explains this point further using the analogy of water. He says that just as pure water when mixed with pure water becomes one with it, so also, the mind of the sage who 'sees' Brahman recognises his/her unity with It.
However, just as rainwater falling onto a mountain peak runs down in various different directions, so also the mind of the unwise one, seeing only differences everywhere, runs in various directions after them (and misses the spiritual goal).
So in summary, in this section Lord Yama discusses the unity that underlies the diversity of all existence. He tells us that the mind and senses should be controlled by the wise intellect/higher mind, and this enables one to perceive the Self within and thus escape the net of death (repeated rebirth and death in the mortal realms of samsara).
He advises us to be careful, to avoid allowing the restless horses of the senses to lead us astray, to fool us by convincing us that only differences exist everywhere and that there is no unity.
He teaches us to learn to truly 'see' and perceive both ourselves and the world around us, not merely via the limited faculty of the five senses (which are easily deceived anyway, e.g. like the mirage of water in a desert) but rather using our higher mind or intuition or spiritual intellect/heart.
Sivananda and other gurus also advise their disciples to train the mind to truly 'see', not just with the physical eyes, but with the higher mind or the 'spiritual eye'/spiritual heart. They advise us to attempt to see the unity that is present in the diverse world around us, to reflect upo this, and then most important of all, to live a life based upon this truth.
Such a life would naturally be based upon the yogic ethics of ahimsa (non-violence, kindness/compassion), satya (truthfulness) and brahmacharya (self-control). When we 'see' that the Self alone exists everywhere, we will be inclined to be kind to all, to speak and live by the truth and to remain in control of our senses as best as we can.
We will find the motivation and inner strength required to tame the lower mind within ourselves, and control our inner demons. We will be able to gradually conquer those inner forces that prompt us to act against our higher nature, those forces that compel our souls to bow before the world of matter-- instead of expressing our spiritual freedom and rising above it. We will eventually be able to break free from the net of Yama and recognise our spiritual nature, that transcends and is independent of matter.
May that Self, which Lord Yama says exists within the heart of each one of us, guide and protect us, may the Self grant us true perception of ourselves and the world that we live in. May we thus live rightly and may our chariots reach their true destination-- may we travel on the shreyas marga, the path of dharma and bhakti/jnana, and recognise our true immortal nature in this very lifetime.
To be continued...
Om.
Salutations to Lord Yama and Nachiketas.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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