Chapter 6 JnAna and Moksha
6-5 Katha Upanishad
6-5-25 Katha 2.1.12 to 2.1.15 JivAtamA, i.e., embodied Self is as though situated in the heart of the body. It is Consciousness that illumines thoughtful and thoughtless states of the mind. The heart is of the size of the fist and the mind is imagined of the size of the thumb. The non-dual Self is the Lord of the past, present and the future. Although it appears to be limited in size, it is the limitless, all-pervading and is non-dual. The space within the pot is viewed as limited space. Upon inquiry, we understand that the expression limited space is a delusion. The space is neither inside nor outside the pot, but all pots are within the space. In the same way, Consciousness is neither within nor without the heart; everything is within consciousness. After knowing that I am the limitless consciousness, I never feel insecure. It is this Consciousness that Nachiketa has sought to know in the third boon.
The Upanishad compares the embodied consciousness with smokeless flame that illuminates the objects and, in whose presence, things are known. Every sense organ is comparable to light. In the presence of the mind, things are known and therefore the mind is also a light. By extension, the ultimate light is Consciousness without whose presence, neither the mind nor the sense organs can perceive. That is why jivAtmA is called the light of lights. It is same as ParamAtmA, the Lord of the past, present and the future. This means that plurality is only apparent and not real. Consciousness does not move; only the body-mind complex moves. The plurality of the bodies and their movements are falsely transferred to Consciousness.
It is a misconception that Consciousness is destroyed with the death of the body. Yama says that Consciousness alone existed yesterday, exists today and that will exist tomorrow. This is a direct answer to the question in 1.1.20: after my death, do I continue to exist or not? The answer is that AtmA is changeless and eternal. This Consciousness is that Nachiketa has sought to know through the third boon.
To convey non-duality, Yama gives an analogy of water rained on the slope of the mountain. This water divides itself into many streams and then gets absorbed in the mud. It gets divided, dissipated and destroyed. When the streams unite together, they become a huge river that never gets destroyed. When the wave looks at itself as an individual wave, it is frightened of mortality because it will eventually be destroyed. When the very same wave understands that there are no waves, but only water, there is no fear of mortality. The wave knows it is eternal as water and that the “waveness” is just the name and form. The identity of jivAtmA and ParamAtma is illustrated through an analogy. When a container of pure water is poured into a larger container of pure water, one cannot differentiate one water from the other – they become indistinguishably one. Similarly, through proper sadhanAs, when the wise pour jivAtamA into the ParamAtmA the adjectives jivA and Parama drop and AtmA alone remains.
The Upanishad, in its peculiar manner, says that on gaining Self-knowledge one does not want to save the Self because he has attained fearlessness. One wants to save the Self so long as one is in the midst of fear and considers the Self to be impermanent. When one identifies with the eternal, non-dual Self, where is the need to save It and what for?
6-5-26 Katha 2.2.1 to 2.2.5 As Brahman is not an object of knowledge and is difficult to know, the Upanishad uses indirect method to know It. The human body is a city with eleven gates, where the eternal unborn Self dwells. They are the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the mouth, the navel, the two lower apertures, and the imperceptible opening at the top of the head. The Self or AtmA is the ruler in this city because all the organs get sentiency from the Self to function. The body is subject to change but Self is beyond any modification and human imperfections. An intelligent man knows the splendour of Self and identifies himself with Self. This identification sets him free from grief and suffering and is liberated. He becomes free from that part of his personality which grieves and suffers.
The embodied AtmA that pervades one body also pervades other bodies. One Self pervades the sun, heaven, space, fire, sacrifice. This is the next stage of understanding. By practice, replace the paradigm “I am the body with Consciousness” with “I am the Consciousness with an incidental body”. The function of the body is to conduct transactions in this world. The body will perish one day but I, the Consciousness operating through the body is indestructible. The space-like, formless, and indivisible consciousness functions through innumerable bodies. The final understanding is that all the bodies are manifestations of one Consciousness and are of lower order of reality. From the viewpoint of Self, there is only Self, i.e., non-duality. Self creates this body and transact through it like a dream which is created by the waking state.
The Upanishad dispels a misconception that prAna is by nature sentient. prAna is made of matter and is inert. By borrowing sentiency from Self, it becomes sentient and transfers the sentiency to other organs, and they function. Therefore, Self is the supreme. When prAna leaves the body at the time of death, Self, though all-pervasive is not manifested in the body. Out of 17 components of the subtle body (RM), one is prAna. Here the subtle body is represented by prAna. Prana by nature is inert, made of subtle elements, and cannot lend sentiency to the physical body. Its function is to receive sentiency from the OC and transfer to the body through RC. To illumine the darkroom, both the mirror and the reflected sun are required. If the mirror is removed, dark room is not illumined. In short, prAnAs are dependent on Atma for sentiency.
6-5-27 Katha 2.2.6 and 2.2.7 Yama reveals the status of the Self (Atma) after death. An ignorant person takes rebirth in a form decided by his deeds. After death, physical body mingles with the five elements. The surviving subtle and causal bodies survive after death travel and occupy another physical body of a deva, human being or other living beings including plants. God does not determine the type of new body directly. Karmic-law determines it. God only administers the law. AtmA survives the death. It does not travel because it is everywhere.
6-5-28 Katha 2.2.8 to 2.2.11 Brahman is Consciousness dwelling in every individual. It is self-luminous and makes internal organs conscious when they are awake and ready to transact in the world. When the mind is active, the Consciousness illumines the active mind and when the mind is asleep then also Consciousness illumines the sleeping mind which experiences the blankness because the mind is resolved, and the experience is stored in memory. This is why, on getting up, a person remembers sleep. During dream, I, the Consciousness create an inner world through the mind.
I as the Self am untainted and ever pure during creation and experience of external world, inner world of dream and sleep. I am limitless and not limited to this body. All bodies are in me, the immortal Self. Just as the space does not disappear when the walls are removed, I do not die when the body dies. The Upanishad began with the statement that Consciousness resides in the body and now it says that all the bodies reside in Consciousness. Therefore, nothing in the creation exists beyond Consciousness. In that AtmA, the Consciousness, the whole world rests. Atma is everywhere. As fire though one becomes many according to what it burns or enters so does the AtmA within all living beings, though one, seemingly becomes many according to what it pervades. Air which is everywhere assumes separate forms according to the shapes of the containers. Likewise, the all-pervading and formless Self assumes the form of the object of dwelling. It is inside and outside. It has no boundary.
As the sun, the eye of the whole world, is not defiled by external impurities seen by the eyes, the one inner Self of all living beings is not defiled by the misery of the world. The sun is called the eye of the world because it reveals all objects. As the sun shines on the most impure object, yet remain uncontaminated by it, so the Self within is not touched by the impurity or suffering of the physical form in which it dwells, the Self being beyond all bodily limitations.
Contd Part 23