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Kathopanisad

Chapter 2 Valli 1 Mantra 12

Mantra

aṅgu̍ṣṭha-mātraḥ pu̱ruṣo̍ madhya̱ ātma̍ni tiṣṭhati |
ī̱śāno bhūta̍-bhavya̱sya̱ na̱ tato viju̍gupsate |
e̱tad vai tat ||

puruṣaḥ = That Being; aṅguṣṭha-mātraḥ = the size of a thumb; tiṣṭhati = exists, resides; madhya ātmani = in the body; īśāna = the Ruler; bhūta-bhavyasya = of the past and the future;  tataḥ = thereafter [knowing which]; na vijugupsate = fears nothing; etat vai tat = this verily is that.

The person (Purusha) of the size of a thumb, resides in the middle of the body, as Lord of the past and the future, hence-forward (after knowing Him) fears no more. This is indeed That.

by Swami Chinmayananda:

The Sruti declares that a human life fully flowers itself into an adorable success only when the individual comes to rediscover himself to be the all; and this achievement can be affected only through a control and a perfect sublimation of the

mind. Mind has an existence only when it entertains its natural tossing, doubts and emotions. If thoughts do not arise in the mental plane, that itself is the “state of no mind”. In order to reach this “state of mindlessness”’ the Yogi is advised not only to practice a life of self-restraint and self-control, study and retirement, but also to bring the newly released energy, of his mind, to a single-pointed application at a given point for purposes of developing its powers of concentration.

In the case of those who walk the Path of Bhakti (devotion), they have the natural prop for meditation and concentration in Name and Form of their beloved Lord. In the case of the Hatha yogin, he has the Kundalini Shakti (the Serpent Power).

For the Karma-Yogin, similarly, there is the constant remembrance of his all dedication to the Lord of the Universe, Sree Narayoi. It is only for the rare few who come to tread the rocky uphill Path of Knowledge that we find it difficult to provide them with an intellectually feasible prop to fix their mental attention and develop their secret powers of high concentration.

No doubt the Sruti texts are in themselves the vedantic students’ ultimate prop in his meditation. But before he can launch himself into the philosophical contemplations upon the nature of the Divine Spark, the Self in himself, he must first of all have a powerful and high degree of concentration to apply himself. This early training for the development of his powers of concentration is achieved by him through the process now discussed by the Sruti in this Mantra. Kind Sruti advises the Vedantic students to meditate upon the Purusha who dwells in the center of the heart and who is of the size of one’s own thumb.

To limit the all-pervading Truth to the form of the thumb and to locate It within the limitations of a circumscribed space, as the human heart, is indeed a blasphemy! But the Sruti permits herself even to stoop down to such a crime against herself, only to provide her children with something to lean upon and learn to step out on their first few steps in walking the Halls of Wisdom.

The second line is a repetition from Section 4, Mantra 3 of the same Upanishad and for commentary please refer back.

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