Katha Upanishad Verse 17-18

Thoughts on the Katha Upanishad Verses 17-18

The next few passages sum up most of Vedanta philosophy. Like most passages from the Vedas the teachings can sometimes be hidden in the story or dialogue and yet, at other times the teachings hit you right in the face. These passages have a bit of both.

Here Nachiketa is receiving the gift of the fire sacrifice and Yama explains the knowledge gained from the performance. He refers to the father, the mother and the teacher and we can certainly take this at face value but it is always worth considering some deeper meaning. It’s quite possible, but I’m not certain, that father can be in reference to the cosmos, earth would be represented by the mother and the teacher would be this physical, material existence that we are experiencing.

Verse 17

“Those who have thrice performed this sacrifice, realized their unity with father, mother, and teacher, discharged the three duties of studying the scriptures, ritual worship, And giving alms to those in need”

Commentary~

This is in direct reference to the three forms of yoga. The three duties given are the study of scriptures, ritual worship and giving alms to those in need.

The three forms of yoga are Jnana, Bhakti and Karma.

Jnana- yoga of wisdom or knowledge.

Bhakti- The yoga of devotion

Karma- The yoga of selfless service

Thus

Study of scripture- Jnana

Ritual worship- Bhakti

Giving of alms- Karma

Verse 17 cont.

“Rise above Birth and death. Knowing the god of fire Born of Brahman, they attain perfect peace.”

Commentary~

Rising above birth and death is liberation from one’s karma. In terms of our immediate reality though, this could be taken to mean a couple of things. One, that we are free from the upheaval from extreme emotional states that effect our behavior and Two, a much higher state of being, that absolute presence is achieved with no resistance to the flow of one’s experience. Achievement of the latter is likely left to the dedicated lifestyles of the sanyasi (monk or nun)

Verse 18

“Those who carry out this triple duty conscious of its full meaning will shake off the dread noose of death and transcend sorrow to enjoy the world of Heaven”

Commentary~

One Primary objective in yoga is to move from a state of dukha (suffering) to the state of sukha (joy). Transcending sorrow is the achievement of sukha