KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA 4

                                                                अस्य विस्रंसमानस्य

                                                                शरीरस्थस्य देहिनः । 

                                                               देहाद्विमुच्यमानस्य

                                                        किमत्र परिशिष्यते। एतद्वैतत् ॥ ४

                                                    

                                                     ASYA  VISRAM  SAMANASYA

                                                        SHARIRASTH DEHINAH |

                                                    DEHAD  VIMUCHYAMANASYA

                                                     KIM  ATRA  PARISHISHYATE ||

                                                                 ETAD VAI TAD ||4

WHEN IT (ATMAN) WHICH DWELLS IN THE BODY (PHYSICAL BODY) LEAVES THE 

                        BODY   THEN  WHAT REMAINS? THIS VERILY THAT ||4

    This Shloka is the answer to the question that Nachiket had asked . What happens when some one dies. Nachiket wanted to know as to what happens when people say he is dead as the physical body is still there. The Lord of Death is telling us and Nachiket that when the Atman leaves the physical body, nothing remains or what remains is of no importance or use. We all know this fact. Once the life is gone the physical body decays. So indirectly He is differentiating between the physical body and the Atman. The Physical body is a vehicle and by itself it can not do anything. The Atman is the main things due to which the physical body function.. If the Atman is gone then there is no use of physical body. It os like any electrical instrument. The computer will not work without the electricity, even though it still has hardware and software. So physical body is like hardware . The electricity is needed to run it or do the job . butt electricity itself does not do any of the computer work . The same electricity will be needed for light bulb to give light and TV to work and show us the TV programs - images and other things. But the electricity by itself is not TV or light bulb, So the electricity is needed for the function of all these equipment but the electricity itself does not do the work of these equipment. Similarly the Atman is needed for physical body to perform it's function, but it itself does not do the functions of this body nd when it leaves there is no function that physical body can do. .

     The mind has two way connection. One way is towards the physical body and other way is the connection is to the Atman. In reality there is no connection as such but the Mind FEELS that way . When the mind along with intellect and Chitta  and the Atman and Causal body THE KARAN SHARIR leaves the physical body, the connection of Mind with physical body is gone. But the Atman and connection  of mind  to Atman is still there . The Atman is the cause of functioning Mind. If there is no Atman there is no mind functioning. So the physical body dies but the Atman and Astral body and the Causal body they all continue.. 

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA-3

                                                             ऊर्ध्वं प्राणमुन्नयत्य

                                                               पानं प्रत्यगस्यति ।

                                                              मध्येवामनमासीनं 

                                                               विश्वेदेवा उपासते॥ ३

                                              URDHVA PRANAM UNNAYATYA

                                                 APANAM  PRATYAGASYATI |

                                              MADHYE  VAMANAM  ASINAM

                                                  VISHVE DEVA UPASATE ||3

                              HE SENDS PRANA UP AND APANA DOWN,THAT ADORABLE ONE

                                           STAYS IN THE MIDDLE AND DEVAS WORSHIP IT||3

   In this Shloka, the 2 PRANAS are mentioned . But we are told about only 2 of the 5 PRANAS. The 5 PRANAS are PRANA-APAN-SAMANA-UDAN-VYAN- each one has a function in the physical body. Each has different  function. Each one has been mentioned as doing different things by different people, but main thing is very clear. PRANA is one in lungs or the breath. The APAPNA is excretion of things like bowel movement, vomiting or urinary excretion. SAMANA is digestion .UDANA is cough - voice etc. as function. And VYAN is circulation.

    So in this Shloka we are told that the SELF or ATMAN control the various PRANAS but it stays in the center and all the DEVAS worship that SELF. One must understand that the PRANAS are the function of physical body and Subtle Body. The SELF is not actually doing anything in the body as such ,but without the SELF ,the physical body or the Subtle body will not function. So it is the witness to the bodily function, but it does not do the function of anything. It can be compared to electricity. Due to electricity one can run a computer or light bulb or TV or microwave etc. Without the electrical power these things will stop function even though the physical elements are present. So the electricity is needed, but it does not function as TV or microwave or light bulb etc. This SELF, is adorable and the Gods worship it. These Gods are the personalized Gods or the Gods that are actually positions in cosmos. One could consider INDRA,VARUN etc as such Gods.

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA 2

                                                      हँसः शुचिषद्वसुरन्तरिक्षसद्होता 

                                                           वेदिषदतिथिर्दुरोणसत् । 

                                                         नृषद्वरसदृतसद्व्योमसद् अब्जा 

                                                      गोजा ऋतजा अद्रिजा ऋतं बृहत् ॥ २

                     HAUNSAHA SHUCHISHADA VASTUR ANTARIKASHSA SAD HOTA

                                             VEDI SHAD ATITHIR DURONSAT |

                                  NRUSHAD VARASAT RHUTSAT VYOMASAD ABJA 

                                  GOJA  RHUTAJA  ADRIJA  RHUTAM  BRUHAT ||2

HE IS IN HEAVEN IN VAYU(WIND),IN SPACE.IN FIRE.ON THE ATLTAR,ON EARTH 

DWELLS INGUEST HOUSE,HUMAN BEINGS GODS,IN SCRIFICE IN SKY,,BORN IN WATER,

      EARTH,BORN  IN SACRIFICE ON THE MOUNTAINS . HE IS TRUE AND GREAT||2

  This Shloka is describing what is PURUSHA or the Consciousness. We often say that the Atman or the SELF or Purusha is INSIDE THE BODY . But that is misconnect. The inside and outside are the concepts of human mind. If I have a pot with water in it . I will say that the water is inside the pot and I will be correct . But let us say I have a pot and I say that the Air is inside the pot . I will be partially correct as the air is not only INSIDE the pot but also outside the pot . If I move the pot from one place to other , would I be moving the air? So the Purusha is all pervading. So in this Shloka we are told as to how it is all over, heavens and sky and water and space and fire and earth  and also human beings and Gods  and  it is TRUE ( REAL) AND GREAT. 

     I want to clarify one thing here .It is there everywhere and it pervades everything. But the concept like air is there everywhere or the water spread everywhere when there is flood is different that the PURUSHA pervading everything . It is SAKSHI or witness to everything but it itself does not do anything. It is needed for mind to think and intellect to judge and sense organs to perceive external world. So in absence of Purusha , theses things will not work. But it does not do the thinking or make judgement or see things etc. Someone gave an example of modern day computer  and I liked it . The computer has hardware and software  and CPU and has source of power . The hardware is like human Physical body, The memory chip is like Subtle body . The weight of hard drive or memory chip does not alter if it has no programs or the memory is full. But all these things need ELCRICITY TO RUN . The brain is the CPU. But all of this is useless without the power or electricity. But the electricity does not do any of the work of theses different parts of the computer and just electricity without the hardware and the software can not do the work of the computer. So one can plug in computer to the electrical outlet but if it has no software ,it will  not function. This is like dead body . When the astral body leaves the physical body the electricity or Purush is still there but can not function as live person. So the consciousness or SELF or Purusha pervades EVERYTHING and is witness of Everything . It is the only thing that is REAL AND GREAT.

  One note of caution- NO EXAMPLE IS PERFECT  and so the electricity example also has it's own drawbacks.