Index…
Kathopanisad
Chapter 1 Valli 2 Mantra 22
Lecture
Mantra
aśarī̍raṁ śa̱rīre̍ṣvanavastheṣu a̱vasthi̍tam
mahānta̍ṁ vibhu̍m ātmā̱na̱ṁ ma̱tvā dhī̍ro na̱ śoca̍ti.
matvā = having meditated [upon]; mahāntaṁ = the great; vibhum = all pervading; ātmānam = Self; aśarīraṁ = bodiless; śarīreṣu = among bodies; avasthitam = unchanging, stable, permanent; anavastheṣu = in the impermanent, transient; dhīraḥ = the wise one; na śocati = does not grieve, experience suffering.
The wise man, who knows the Aman as bodiless, seated firmly in perishable bodies, Great and All-pervading does never grieve.
by Swami Chinmayananda:
Our wrong understanding that we are the body-mind-intellect-equipment and that there is no other greater Truth in us at all, is the gurgling source of all the pains and agonies, disease and death, despairs and dejections, hopes and desires that befall us. When in the maturity of discrimination, a man with an evolved intellect and mind, like that of Naciketa, comes to enquire and know, seek and discover for himself the Atman within, such a saintly one, at the peak of evolution, dwelling in the Realm of perfection comes to identify himself permanently as that Truth principle, and thereafter, naturally, he shall know no pain or limitation. This idea is explained here in this Mantra.
All that man has to do to become God is to renounce totally his egocentric vanity and the satanic murmurings of his own impure mind of uncontrolled devilry! Detached from the false, attach yourself to the Truth! Therein lies the true redemption and all successes and achievements.
by Swami Gurubhaktananda:
In verse 20 the fruit of freedom from sorrow was said to be attained simply through Dhatu-Prasad or the serenity of one’s mind. In this verse, the same end – freedom from grief is said to be attained through the practice of meditation. This clearly equates the two, giving us the truth: “The essence of meditation is serenity of mind”. Expressed another way, one can say: “Only with a serene mind is it possible to really meditate.” Then follows the understanding that through proper meditation alone can one have single-pointed focus on the Self.
The question is: “How do we actually go about meditating?” The method given here combines three techniques:
- Ashareeram: “without a body”. The association of the Self to a body is the result of It being reflected in the intellect of the individual being. Without interference from the intellect, It has no such association to a body; It is bodiless; It is the same Self in all There are no boundaries to the Self. Our meditation is thus directed to take us beyond body-consciousness. The Self, in the body, remains the Self and does not become the body. It is totally non-attached to the body, and goes beyond the body. Whether the body is that of a King or a beggar, the Self is the same pure substratum in both.
- Avasthitam: “that which is fixed; the permanent”. With reference to all the Upadhis that are associated with the Self, the Self is fixed or permanent, while the Upadhis are Anavastheshu, not fixed or impermanent.
- Mahantam: “very large”; which cannot be locked up into any particular object. It is pervasive throughout an object and beyond it. That is to be meditated upon. Meditating in such a manner one attains the The practical result of such meditations is freedom from all sorrow. In addition there is the serenity of mind as described earlier.
The use of the word ātman to refer to the Reality is significant, because we are talking of the Reality with reference to the individual body, for which the word Atman is more appropriate than Brahman. Brahman is the collective; Atman is the individual.
This verse is a Mahavakya type of verse. It contains all the essential elements of the Brahman-Jiva identity. All the key words are placed in the same case (Dviteeya Vibhakti), viz. Ashiram, Asthitam, Mahantam, and ātmānam. This means they all refer to the same Reality.
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