KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA 8

                                                            य एष सुप्तेषुजागर्ति

                                                     कामं कामं पुरुषोनिर्मिमाणः ।

                                                             तदेव शुक्रं तद्ब्रह्म 

                                                            तदेवामृतमुच्यते।

                                                        तस्मिँल्लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे

                                                 तदुनात्येति कश्चन । एतद्वैतत् ॥ ८

                                              YA  ESH  SUPTESHUJAGARTI

                                       KAMAM KAMAM PURUSHONIRMIMANAH  |

                                              TADEV  SHUKRAM  TAD BRAHM

                                                 TADEV  AMRUTAM UCHYATE  |

                                             TASMIN  LOKAH SHRITHAH  SARVW

                                                  TADU  NANTYETI KASCHAN  |

                                                            ETAD  VAI  TAT || 8

                   THAT WHICH IS AWAKE EVEN WHEN WE SLEEP AND IS SHAPING 

ALL SORTS OF OBJECTS-DESIRES, IS PURE , THE BRAHMAN, AND IS IMMORTAL. IN THAT

                     RESTS ALL THE WORLD AND NONE CAN TRANSDEND THAT ||8 

                                                         THIS IS VEILY THAT .

      This Shloka is very interesting and separates the CONSCIOUSNESS from the REST. The rest is what we know  and consciousness is what we know about but not KNOW it. The Consciousness or also the PURUSHA as it is called in Vedic religion, is there everywhere. It itself does not do anything . But without it we cannot do anything. So we experience the various Objects which arouse various reactions , emotions. We do have them in waking state - which we all know  and also in sleep when we are dreaming. In dreamless deep sleep, we still have an experience of NOTHING. So nothingness is also an experience. So the physical body  and the subtle body or astral body with its mind and intellect , and the causal body - the KARAN SHARIR all is the REST, It cannot function without consciousness  or the PURUSHA , But The PURUSHA cannot do or do anything without the REST . But it is PURE as it does not get affected by the actions of physical body or the the thought process of the astral or subtle body. So if I see a fruit that I love and have a desire to eat it , the mind and physical body will not function without Purusha being there. But Purusha neither has desire nor it enjoys the fruit. It can be compared to Sunlight which shine and we can see . Some may be exercising and some may be happy and some may be unhappy , some may be doing good deeds and some bad deeds . The Sunlight is not affected ,not it does any of the deeds  and so in that sense it is pure. The PURUSH IS PURE AND THAT IS BRAHMAN. 

   One can see an object -the fruit that I see an object, I am seeing it so the eyes are the organ of perception and the mind that gets the desire is the subtler that the eyes . But when we reach the PURUSHA , there is NOTHING BEYOND IT. So one can not go beyond it. 

   The physical body will die but the Brahman never dies  and is Immortal. 

    The BRANMAN IS PURE, IMMORTAL AND THERE IS NOTHING BEYOND IT.

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA -7

                                                                 योनिमन्येप्रपद्यन्ते

                                                               शरीरत्वाय देहिनः । 

                                                              स्थाणुमन्येऽनुसंयन्ति

                                                             यथाकर्म यथाश्रुतम् ॥ ७

                                                 YONIM  ANYE  PRAPADYANTE 

                                                    SHARIRATVAYA  DEHINAH |

                                               STHANUM  ANYE  ANUSNYANTI

                                              YATHA   KARM  YATHA  SRUTAM ||7

                        SOME  SOULS  ENTER  THE  WOMB  TO  HAVE    A  BODY ,

 OTHERS  IMMOVABLE  ACCORDING   TO THEIR  KARMA  AND  KNOWLEDGE ||7

   In this Shloka, we are told about 2 principles which are main in Vedic religion and may be different that Abrahamic religion, namely Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The Vedic religion has Law of Karma and Reincarnation. So we are told in this Shloka ,that the 'SOULS' will enter wombs to be reborn with Body or may be STEADY - UNMOVABLE according to their Karma and Knowledge. This is the principle of Vedic religion . Most of the people will be reborn in another body  and the selection is based on Karma - desires  and KNOWLEDGE. How much we have evolved as a soul. Do we still have intense desires for satisfying sense organs -this will decide as to what kind of body we will get. So the improvement in out detachment from sense organs and our Knowledge in union with God or universal consciousness will be carried from one life to other  and that will determine which womb we enter . 

    One of the things that we know is there are 8400000 different species in Vedic religion and they do have a count in detail if one is interested in knowing it precisely as to which are these 8400000 species. I am not sure if the word 'STANUM' which means immovable -describes plant kingdom or it means that some souls DO NOT MOVE . This may happen if one has no desires and have  achieved significant Knowledge but not yet 100% to get MUKTI or Nirvana. Most of the authors who have done commentary on this Shloka, sates this as entering plant. I am not convinced . I also feel that most of the Human beings will come back as Human beings ,unless they have so much bad Karmas that they need to exhaust their DESIRES - VASANAS that they have to go back to Animal kingdom where the Karma or Actions are done with Instinct.

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA -6

                                                           हन्त त इदं प्रवक्ष्यामि 

                                                            गुह्यं ब्रह्म सनातनम् । 

                                                           यथा च मरणं प्राप्य 

                                                            आत्मा भवति गौतम ॥ ६

                                                   HAST  TA  PRAVKSHAMI

                                       GUHYAM  BRAMHMA SANATANAM |

                                           YATHA CH MARANAM PRAPYA

                                                ATMA BHAVATI GAUTAM  ||6

WELL O GAUTAMA,I WILL EXPLAIN THE MYSTERIOUS AND ANCIENT BRAHAM 

                                AND WHAT HAPPENS TO SOUL-ATMAN  AFTER DEATH  ||6

  The question Nachiket wanted Yamaraj to answer was 'what happens to the soul after the death of physical body ' and now after the discourse Yamarj is ready to answer it . In this Shloka he is telling his student, whom he had tested  and confirmed that he is ready to receive the Knowledge. He is stating that in this Shloka. He is referring to the soul or Atman as 'Mysterious ' and SANATAN -old or everlasting. These two qualifications tell us that the Atman is not easy to understand  and it is indestructible. But many a times the confusion arises as we use ATMAN and SELF  and SOUL - English translation of the Sanskrit word -interchangeably. Then there is JIVA or also called JIVATMA and that adds to the confusion in understanding. This has been clarified to some extent in past . But just to state it again there is no true translation of ATMAN or SELF in English. When due to ignorance the SELF is confined to a physical body, it is called JIVA  and since it is related to ATMAN we sometimes call it JIVATMA. So now Yamaraj is going to tell us as what happens when  the physical body dies. 

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOK 5

                                                                न प्राणेन नापानेन

                                                              मर्त्यो जीवति कश्चन ।

                                                                इतरेण तुजीवन्ति

                                                             यस्मिन्नेतावुपाश्रितौ॥ ५

                                                    NA PRANEN  NA  APANEN

                                                  MARTYO JIVATI KASCHAN|

                                                       ITAREN TU JIVANTI 

                                                  YASMIN ETO  UPASHRITO ||5

NOT BY PRAN NOT BY APAN, THE MORTAL  LIVES,BUT BY SOME OTHER,(MORTAL LIVES)

                                           THESE TWO (PRAN AND APAN) LIVE ||5

     This Shloka is little different and though it may sound as repetition, it does convey certain meaning and understanding which is different. The PRANA is used by many in India as LIFE. When someone dies we often say that the Prana left the body . The same thing when someone is killed we say that the murderer took away the Prana. So in our customary talk Prana is equal to LIFE which is equal to Jiva or SELF. So one may have thought the the body which has Organs or perception and organs of Action - the DNYANEDRIYAS AND KARMENDRIYAS , are under the control of Life force or Prana. But in this Shloka we are told that PRAN and APAPNA not as important for life as something else is . Hers the the Lord Yama is making us understand the difference in PURUSHA nd the PRAKRUITI, The physical body and the Subtle body and Causal body are part of Nature or Prakruti. The PANCHMAHABHUTA - the 5 great elements  and the PANCH PRAN the 5 PRANAS or the LIFE FORCE are also part of the Prakruti and they all including PRANAS depend upon the PURUSHA or the Self for the life . The light shines on this world and then we can see . So if there was no light , we will not be in position to see, even though we have eyes. So the light itself MAKES our eyes to see things but the light itself does not SEE anything . So the SELF is something like that  and without the SELF the product of Nature is useless . So we are ALIVE not due to anything else but the SELF .Even so called PRANA are not cause of our LIFE