KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 4 SHLOK 8

                                                       अरण्योर्निहितोजातवेदा 

                                                      गर्भ इव सुभृतोगर्भिणीभिः ।

                                                       दिवेदिवेईड्योजागृवद्भि-

                                                 र्हविष्मद्भिर्मनुष्येभिरग्निः । एतद्वैतत् ॥ ८

                                              ARANYOR NIHITO  JATAVEDA

                                       GARBH IV  SUBHRUTO  GARBINIBHI  |

                                          DIVEDIVE  IRDYO  JAGRUVADBIR

                         HAVISHMDBHIR  MANUSHYEBHIR  AGNIH |ETAD VIA TAD ||8

AS THE UNBORNE CHILD -FETUS IS PROTECTED OR PRESERVED BY THE PREGNANT 

MOTHER, THE FIRE IN THE  'ARANI' THE 2 WOODEN PIECES IS WORSHIOED BY MAN

                             WHO   IS AWAKE AND WHO OFFERS OBLATION  DAILY ,

                                                   AND THIS IS INDDED THAT ||8 

  Now in this Shlok the Lord of Death is telling Nachiket as to what is life or life principle. In ancient time the fire was created by rubbing the 2 pieces of weeds. This is taught to scouts in their survival techniques. So the fire is not obvious when we see the wood bot it generated by the wood  and so it must be 'hidden' and protected .Just like the pregnant lady has a child in her womb. The mother takes care of the child and it is not obvious from outside about the fetus or wood. So we are told that we have the fire in ourself and we are not aware of it and when we realize the the fire within ourselves , we should take care of it and worship it . So this the independent force or image of the God. 

    We talk about the life or the SELF  and we also talk about the PRANAS which are 5 in  umber and which are the life forces  and LEAVE the physical body upn the death of physical body. This so called fire is hidden and is inside and is well protected and those who are AWAKE will perceive it  and then will need to worship it and then only one will KNOW about it. So the SELF is the Fire , Self is the PRANA  and that is present in every living beings  and that is that . 

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 4 SHLOK 7

                                                                  या प्राणेन संभवत्य-

                                                                   -दितिर्देवतामयी ।

                                                                  गुहां प्रविश्य तिष्ठन्तीं

                                                                  या भूतेभिर्व्यजायत । 

                                                                       एतद्वैतत् ॥ ७       

                                                               YA  PRENEN SAMBHAVATI 

                                                               ADITIR  DEVATAMAYI |

                                                        GHUHAM  VRAVISHYA  TISHTANTI  

                                                           YA  BHRUTEBHIR  VYAJAYAT ||

                                                                           ETAD VAI TAT ||7

            THIS PRANA (HIRANYAGARBHA )IS IN ALL DEVATAS AND IN ALL BHUTAS

               (LIVE THINGA)ENTERS AND STAYS IN THE CAVE (OF THE HEART) AND 

                                                      THIS IS INDDED THAT ||7

       In this Shlok there is a talk of PRANA - we sometimes refer to PRAN as energy or life in Indian language He has no PRANA to do certain things -which means he is too tired -has not enough energy . But we also say that the PRANA has left the body. So this PRANA is not the breath but the Life Force  and that is borne off HIRANYAGHARBH  and even the DEVATAS have it Or the DEVATAS are in it . I feel that the Lord Of Death is telling that this PRANA which at microcosm and as precursor to the Prana is called Hiranyagarbh at Macrocosm. The individual life comes from the cosmic energy or Hiranyagarbh. The Devatas - are no exception and they also are created when the universe is borne and they also derive the Life or the energy or the PRANA from Hiranygarbh. All living beings have it . Or may be all the things that we see have it. This Life or Prana enters the all living beings and stays in the cave (of the Heart).

    (One might feel that in scripture things are repeated. But I feel that the repetition makes an impact  and also make us understand what is being told. If one is chopping a wood, multiple strikes will split the log of wood , The same thing applies in case of scriptures.)

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 4 SHLOK 6

                                                           यः पूर्वं तपसोजात-

                                                         मद्भ्यः पूर्वमजायत । 

                                                         गुहां प्रविश्य तिष्ठन्तं 

                                                        योभूतेभिर्व्यपश्यत । एतद्वैतत् ॥ ६

                                                     YAH  PURC  TAPASOJATAM

                                                    ADBHYAH  PURVAM  AJAYAT|

                                                GUHAM  PRAVISHY  TISHANTAM

                                YO  BHUTERBHIR  VYAPASYATA || ETAD  VAI TAT ||

           WHO IS  BORN OF TAPAS- AUSTARITY -WAS THERE BEFORE WATERS 

               AND IT ENTERS THE CAVE (OF HEART) AND  DWELLS  THERE

                          (HE SEES THE BRAHMAN)THIS IS VERILY THAT 

                                                        (YOU HAD ASKED ME)||6

   In this Shlok the Lord of Death is telling Nachiket the answer to i question to some extent. He is telling that the Atman enters the cave of the Heart and then stays there. But this Atman is that one which started even before the the origin of Universe  and it was born off the Tapa  and it came before the waters. The concept is that there was Spirit and Water  and then the BRAHMAN (nor Brahma) produced the Ishavara  and then the ego etc. The word Bhuta could be the Great elements - 5 elements that go in forming the universe - the so called PANCH MAHABHUTA or the Bhuta may mean LIVE THINGS. In any case the Atman is from BRAHMAN and it enters and stays in all the living beings  and once one knows that this is the fact then that is what the Nachiket had asked as his question. This Atman is part of or is Brahman and so that does not die. 

   The origin of the universe is complicated  and there are certain principles and all will not agree with it. There is a cycle and at the end of each cycle the entire universe goes in to singularity This singularity has all 2 Gunas and all 5 Mahabhute and also Universal ego and so on. The there is a disturbance in this singularity and from that starts the formation of NEW Universe. So the disturbance is in the 3 Gunas and then the AHANKAR or EGO rises and then there are other changes  and the universe is borne. . 

   

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 4 SHLOK 5

                                                                 य इमं मध्वदं वेद 

                                                           आत्मानं जीवमन्तिकात् ।

                                                               ईशानं भूतभव्यस्य

                                                      न ततोविजुगुप्सते। एतद्वैतत् ॥ ५

                                             YA IMAM  MADHVADAM  VED

                                               ATMANAM  JIVAM ANTIKAT

                                              ISHANAM  BHUTBHAVYASYA  

                                  NA TATO VIJUGUPSATE| ETAD VAI TAT ||5

ONE  WHO  KNOWS THIS 'SELF'THE EXPERIENCER OF THE FRUITS OF ACTIONS ,AS THE

                           SUPPORTER OF THE LIFE,CLOSE AT HAND AND 

                             THE LORD OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE-

                                FEARS  NOTHING, THIS VERILY ,IS THAT ||5

   In this SHLOK we are given some more information. It may be little confusing as sometimes it feels like Lord of Death is repeating same thing. In this one he has used word JIVA  and ATMAN. So what is said has I think little different meaning than we may think. The Jiva or JAVATMA is the reflection of the PARAMANTMA which is confined to the 3 bodies and is bound by them. The Jiva thinks that it is body and not FREE and is bound by the limits of body. So when the body dies we think that that is the end . But here we are told that the Jiva is the enjoyer of the fruits of action. Since the enjoyment happens to be associated with sense organs and mind and may be intellect, -all are part of NATURE  and not PURUSH or Sprit , the Jiva thinks that it is body. Most and all the happiness and sorrpw is associated with physical body  and some with mind . I enjoy eating sweets or I enjoy listening to good music . The sense organs carry the sensation and the MIND has the enjoyment . So it is through nature . But the actions that are taken by the body under the guidance from mind and intellects , we create the future  and the past is future of past-past .So The Atman is the Lord of the Past and the Future .It also supports the the life . without the Jiva there won't be life and the Jiva is nothing but reflection of the Atman. So without the Jiva there won't be life. Once one knows that the Jiva is the enjoyer and the sustainer of life and creats future and does not die then he has nothing to fear .

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 4 SHLOK 4

                                                               स्वप्नान्तं जागरितान्तं 

                                                               चोभौयेनानुपश्यति । 

                                                               महान्तं विभुमात्मानं 

                                                             मत्वा धीरोन शोचति ॥ ४

                                                   SWAPNATAM JAGARITANTAM

                                                 CHOBHAU YENANUPASHYANTI|

                                                 MAHANTAM VIBHUMATMANAM

                                                    MATVA DHIRON SHOCHATI ||4

HAVING KNOWN THE GREAT AND OMNIPRESENT ATMAN IS THE PERCEIVER OF OBJECTS   

            IN DREAMS AND WHILE AWAKE, THE WISE MAN DOES NOT GRIVE||4

    In this Shlok the Lord of death is telling the same thing in different way. It is stated that when we are asleep and have dream the things that are perceived are perceived by none other than Atman and then when we are awake and when we are not awake then also the perceiver of the objects is the Atman. There are 4 states that are described .Awake, sleep -dream, unconsciousness and (THE 4TH ) TURYA. We perceive objects when we are awake and they are perceived by organs of Knowledge - the so called DNYANENDRIY , But are they really the perceivers. I am be looking at something but if my mond is thinking something else I don't see the object that is in front of my eyes. We often say I did not hear as I was lost in thought. So the light and the sound waves are going in  and stimulating the centers in the brain but unless the mind is paying attention ,we do not perceive. But is is really the mind or is it something beyond that . In this Shlok we are told that what actually perceives is the Great  and Omnipresent ATMAN or the SELF.

    The situation is not any different when we are asleep  and have a dream. We see many different objects in our dream and they are perceived by our sense organs. We may be chased by bad guys'  and there may be shooting and even injuries and death. But is it perceived by our mins ? We are told that the perceiver is the ATMAN 

   When one realizes this fact then he does not grieve Swami Sarvapriyanand tells a story of 10 men in his lectures many times. It is applicable in this context. There were 10 people crossing the river and when they reached the other side one person decided to count to make sure no one drowned in the river. He counted and found only 9 as he was not counting himself . So the other did the same thing and he also got only 9 and so they all started crying as they thought one of them drowned. A passer by saw this and asked them as to why they were crying and when they told him and counted in front of him, he the outsider saw the mistake and asked them to count them again and when the man who was counting came to 9 the passer by turned his finger and counted 10. So the 10 people were very happy as no one had drowned . So they were unhappy when they thought one was missing and the KNOWLEDGE made them happy and they stopped grieving . 

   The same thing is stated here. When a man knows that the perceiver is not the physical body but the ATMAN which is indestructible, he does not grieve.

NOTE question may arise as to who is  HE that Knows that Atman is the perceiver ?

I HAVE WRITTEN THIS SHLOK AGAIN