Satsangatve nissangatvam nissangatve nirmohatvam, nirmohatve niscalatattvam niscalatattve jivanmuktiH.
Index…

Kathopanisad

Chapter 1 Valli 3 Mantra 3

Lecture

Mantra

ā̱tmāna̱ṁ rathi̍naṁ vi̱ddhi̱ śarī̍raṁ ra̱thame̍va tu
bu̱ddhiṁ tu̱ sāra̍thiṁ vi̱ddhi̱ mana̍ḥ pragra̱hame̍va ca

viddhi = know that; ātmānaṁ = the Self [the enjoyer of the fruits of karma]; rathinaṁ = is the rider of the chariot; śarīraṁ = the body; ratham eva = is indeed the chariot; tu = and; buddhiṁ = the intellect [characterized by determination]; viddhi = know [to be]; sārathiṁ = the charioteer; manaḥ = the mind [characterized by volition and doubt]; pragraham = is the bridle.

Know the Atman as the Lord of the chariot, who sits with in it and the body as the chariot. Know the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as, verily, the reins.

by Swami Chinmayananda:

With this stanza we begin the discussion of an analogy, famous in the Hindu philosophical literature, often quoted by authors and orators. Herein we may detect also the exact point in this famous Upanishad which probably gave all the fiery inspiration necessary for Sree Vyasa Bhagavan to write his famous Upanishad-poem, the Gita.

The analogy of the chariot is, as such, most picturesquely depicted in the Divine Song, the Gita. Therein we have the picture of a chariot led by the five surging horses with Lord Krishna, the Supreme Intelligence, at the charioteer’s box and Arjuna the confused and confounded, sitting in the chariot, as the lord of it. On both sides of the chariot stand the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas, drawn up in battle array ready to strike and open their total war at the sign.

It is at these tense moments, just before the actual war has started, that we have the setting for the great Gita. Arjuna despaired at the questions of righteousness and the call-of-duty, confused in mind and intellect, falls prostrate at the Lord’s feet, imploring of Him light and guidance; and the Lord half-turning towards Arjuna holding the reins tight and the five steeds steady, as though smiling, gives out a summary of the Truth declared in the various Upanishads. No wonder then that an artist, as Sree Vyasa was, while trying to express in simpler words the transcendental Truth declarations of the Upanishads, has to repeat ten Mantras or parts of Mantras from this Upanishad in the Gita. We have already discussed many instances of such borrowings and we shall see later on again many more similar instances.

In the analogy of the chariot, the Self is the master of the chariot; the pure discriminating intellect is the charioteer, the body of the individual is the chariot, and the reins with which the intellect guides the movements of the body are the mind.

It is also noteworthy here that there is a similar comparison in Swataswatara Upanishad.

 

by Swami Gurubhaktananda:

  1. Aatmaanam rathinam viddhi   –  Know the Jiva to be the master of the chariot;
  2. shareeram ratham eva tu;       –  and the body to be the chariot;
  3. buddhim tu saarathim viddhi   –  know the intellect as the charioteer;
  4. manah pragraham eva cha.    –  and the mind as verily the bridle.
  1. The Owner –                    The Jiva, the individual soul, who rides in the chariot;
  2. The Chariot –                   The physical body;
  3. The Charioteer –              The intellect;
  4. The Bridle or Reins –       The mind;

The Link Text between verses 2/3 in the Bhashya says that of the two selves, the Jiva is travelling in this body chariot. Where he goes depends on his state of knowledge or ignorance. The former takes him across Samsara; the latter, deeper into Samsara.

Is the Jiva a Samsari?

The owner is the Jiva who simply sits in the back seat as the traveler. He engages others to take his chariot to its destination. They are employed by him, as it were. In reality, each Jiva gets the necessary intellect, mind, sense organs and body due to it in accordance with his Prarabdha. So he is responsible for training his ‘employees’.

Emphasis is placed in the Bhashya on the fact that the Jiva is not really a Samsari by nature. He has a far greater purpose to fulfil. His real destination in this life is to unite himself to the Supreme Self, the Atman. Due to ignorance he has become ‘trapped’ into a very limited existence in his physical and mental Upadhis he possesses. He really does not want to remain bound to the world, but that is his helpless situation. He searches for the knowledge to get out of this vicious cycle.

The chariot metaphor helps us to grasp what is to be done to progress spiritually. It tells us the options available to the Jiva. The Jiva has to choose the right options.

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