Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.1

Text: पुरमेकादशद्वारमजस्यावक्रचेतसः । अनुष्ठाय न शोचति विमुक्तश्च विमुच्यते । एतद्वैतत् ॥ १ ॥ puramekādaśadvāramajasyāvakracetasaḥ | anuṣṭhāya na śocati vimuktaśca vimucyate | etadvaitat || 1 || 1. The city of the unborn, whose knowledge is permanent, has eleven gates; thinking on him, one does not grieve and being freed, becomes free. This verily is that. Shankara’s Commentary: As Brahman is not easily knowable, this if commenced for the purpose of ascertaining the entity of the Brahman, again by another method....

2 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.2

Text: हँसः शुचिषद्वसुरान्तरिक्शसद्धोता वेदिषदतिथिर्दुरोणसत् । नृषद्वरसदृतसद्व्योमसदब्जा गोजा ऋतजा अद्रिजा ऋतं बृहत् ॥ २ ॥ ham̐saḥ śuciṣadvasurāntarikśasaddhotā vediṣadatithirduroṇasat । nṛṣadvarasadṛtasadvyomasadabjā gojā ṛtajā adrijā ṛtaṃ bṛhat ॥ 2 ॥ 2. As mover, he dwells in heaven; as pervader, in inter-space; as fire, in the altar; as guest, in a house; he dwells in man, dwells in betters, dwells in truth and dwells in the akas. He is all that is born in water, all that is born of earth, all that is born of sacrifices and all that is born of mountain; true and great....

2 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.3

Text: ऊर्ध्वं प्राणमुन्नयत्यपानं प्रत्यगस्यति । मध्ये वामनमासीनं विश्वे देवा उपासते ॥ ३ ॥ ūrdhvaṃ prāṇamunnayatyapānaṃ pratyagasyati | madhye vāmanamāsīnaṃ viśve devā upāsate || 3 || 3. He leads the prana upwards and casts the apana downwards; the dwarf seated in the middle, all Devas worship. Shankara’s Commentary: Com.—In realising the existence of the atman an evidence is offered—Upwards] from the heart. Praba the wind, whose function is connected with breath. Unnayati ] leads upwards....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.4

Text: अस्य विस्रंसमानस्य शरीरस्थस्य देहिनः । देहाद्विमुच्यमानस्य किमत्र परिशिष्यते । एतद्वैतत् ॥ ४ ॥ asya visraṃsamānasya śarīrasthasya dehinaḥ | dehādvimucyamānasya kimatra pariśiṣyate | etadvaitat || 4 || 4. When this atman seated in the body escapes from the body what here remains? This verily is that. Shankara’s Commentary: Again, of this atman in the body, visramsamanasya escaping. Dehinah embodied. The meaning of the word visramsamana is explained by the expression dehat vimuchyamanasya (being free from the body); what here remains?...

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.5

Text: न प्राणेन नापानेन मर्त्यो जीवति कश्चन । इतरेण तु जीवन्ति यस्मिन्नेतावुपाश्रितौ ॥ ५ ॥ na prāṇena nāpānena martyo jīvati kaścana | itareṇa tu jīvanti yasminnetāvupāśritau || 5 || 5. Not by prana, not by apana, does any mortal live; but it is by some other on which these two depend that men live. Shankara’s Commentary: The theory may be urged ‘that the body becomes destroyed only by the exit of prana, apana, etc....

2 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.6

Text: हन्त त इदं प्रवक्श्यामि गुह्यं ब्रह्म सनातनम् । यथा च मरणं प्राप्य आत्मा भवति गौतम ॥ ६ ॥ hanta ta idaṃ pravakśyāmi guhyaṃ brahma sanātanam | yathā ca maraṇaṃ prāpya ātmā bhavati gautama || 6 || 6. To thee, Oh Gautama, I will explain the secret ancient Brahman and also how after death, the atman becomes. Shankara’s Commentary: I will now explain to thee again this secret ancient Brahman by whose knowledge cessation of all samsara results and not knowing which, how after death the atman travels in samsara....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.7

Text: योनिमन्ये प्रपद्यन्ते शरीरत्वाय देहिनः । स्थाणुमन्येऽनुसंयन्ति यथाकर्म यथाश्रुतम् ॥ ७ ॥ yonimanye prapadyante śarīratvāya dehinaḥ । sthāṇumanye’nusaṃyanti yathākarma yathāśrutam ॥ 7 ॥ 7. Some jivas (dehinah) go into wombs to be embodied; others pass into the immoveable, according to their karma and to their knowledge. Shankara’s Commentary: Into wombs, combined with semen virile. Some ignorant fools go to take a body. The meaning is that the jivas having a body enter the womb....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.8

Text: य एष सुप्तेषु जागर्ति कामं कामं पुरुषो निर्मिमाणः । तदेव शुक्रं तद्ब्रह्म तदेवामृतमुच्यते । तस्मिंल्लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे तदु नात्येति कश्चन । एतद्वैतत् ॥ ८ ॥ ya eṣa supteṣu jāgarti kāmaṃ kāmaṃ puruṣo nirmimāṇaḥ | tadeva śukraṃ tadbrahma tadevāmṛtamucyate | tasmiṃllokāḥ śritāḥ sarve tadu nātyeti kaścana | etadvaitat || 8 || 8. This Purusha who wakes when all sleep, creating what was desired is certainly ‘the pure,’ that is Brahman and that is said to be immortal....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.9

Text: अग्निर्यथैको भुवनं प्रविष्टो रूपं रूपं प्रतिरूपो बभूव । एकस्तथा सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा रूपं रूपं प्रतिरूपो बहिश्च ॥ ९ ॥ agniryathaiko bhuvanaṃ praviṣṭo rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo babhūva | ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo bahiśca || 9 || 9. As fire, though one, having entered the world, takes a separate form in respect of every form, so does the internal atman of all living things assume a form for every form and is outside all forms....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.10

Text: वायुर्यथैको भुवनं प्रविष्टो रूपं रूपं प्रतिरूपो बभूव । एकस्तथा सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा रूपं रूपं प्रतिरूपो बहिश्च ॥ १० ॥ vāyuryathaiko bhuvanaṃ praviṣṭo rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo babhūva | ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo bahiśca || 10 || 10. As wind, though one, having entered the world, assumes forms responsive to every form, so the internal atman of all living things, though one, assumes forms responsive to every form and is outside them all....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.11

Text: सूर्यो यथा सर्वलोकस्य चक्शुर्न लिप्यते चाक्शुषैर्बाह्यदोषैः । एकस्तथा सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा न लिप्यते लोकदुःखेन बाह्यः ॥ ११ ॥ sūryo yathā sarvalokasya cakśurna lipyate cākśuṣairbāhyadoṣaiḥ | ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā na lipyate lokaduḥkhena bāhyaḥ || 11 || 11. As the sun, the eye of all the world, is not tainted with the stains in external objects seen by the eyes, so, the one internal atman of all living things is not tainted with the world’s grief, being external to it....

2 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.12

Text: एको वशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति । तमात्मस्थं ये’नुपश्यन्ति धीरास्तेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम् ॥ १२ ॥ eko vaśī sarvabhūtāntarātmā ekaṃ rūpaṃ bahudhā yaḥ karoti | tamātmasthaṃ ye’nupaśyanti dhīrāsteṣāṃ sukhaṃ śāśvataṃ netareṣām || 12 || 12. Sole, controller, the internal atman of all living things who makes his own form diverse to the intelligent who realizes him as seated in the self, eternal bliss is theirs, not others....

2 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.13

Text: नित्योऽनित्यानां चेतनश्चेतनानामेको बहूनां यो विदधाति कामान् । तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीरास्तेषां शान्तिः शाश्वतीनेतरेषाम् ॥ १३ ॥ nityo’nityānāṃ cetanaścetanānāmeko bahūnāṃ yo vidadhāti kāmān | tamātmasthaṃ ye’nupaśyanti dhīrāsteṣāṃ śāntiḥ śāśvatīnetareṣām || 13 || 13. Eternal among the ephemeral, conscious among the conscious, who, being one, dispenses desired objects to many, the intelligent who see him seated in their selves, to them, eternal peace, not to others. Shankara’s Commentary: Again, deathless among mortal things, conscious among the conscious, such as Brahma and other living beings....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.14

Text: तदेतदिति मन्यन्तेऽनिर्देश्यं परमं सुखम् । कथं नु तद्विजानीयां किमु भाति विभाति वा ॥ १४ ॥ tadetaditi manyante’nirdeśyaṃ paramaṃ sukham | kathaṃ nu tadvijānīyāṃ kimu bhāti vibhāti vā || 14 || 14. They think of that as this—the indescribable highest bliss. How shall I know that, whether that which shines is seen clearly or not. Shankara’s Commentary: That bliss of the knowledge of the atman which is indescribable, highest and which, though beyond the speech and mind of men, under the sway of Prakriti, they, the Brahmins freed from all desire, describe as this, i....

1 min · TheAum

Katha Upanishad - Verse 2.2.15

Text: न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः । तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति ॥ १५ ॥ na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṃ nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto’yamagniḥ | tameva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṃ tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhāti || 15 || 15. The sun does not shine there; nor do the moon and the stars, nor do these lightnings shine. How could this fire? Him shining, all shine after....

2 min · TheAum