KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA 13

                                                    नित्योऽनित्यानां चेतनश्चेतनानाम् 

                                                    एकोबहूनां योविदधाति कामान् । 

                                                      तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीराः 

                                                  तेषां शान्तिः शाश्वती नेतरेषाम् ॥ १3

                                NITYA  ANITYANAM  CHETANAH  CHETANANAM 

                                     EKA  BAHUNAM  YAH  VIDADHAT  KAMAN |

                               TAM ATMASTHAM YE  ANUPASHYNTI  DGIRAH

                            TESHAM  SHANTIH SHASHVATI  NA ITARESHAM ||13

THE ETERNAL AMONG TRANSIENT,THE CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG CONSCIOUS, ONE

 AMONG MANY,WHO GRANTS THEIR DESIRES.TO THEM WHO PERCEIVES HIM IN SOUL 

                                                       ,IS ETERNAL PEACE ||13

     This is Shloka appears to be similar to the previous ones , but this has something different . The Yamaraj is telling us that the SELF id nonchanging. We were told that in past .Everything in his MORTAL world changes even when we do not perceive the change . The chair that I am sitting on is CHANGING even though I do not see any change from day to day . But if I would see the same chair after year, I will seethe change. So the everything in this world is changing, but the SELF or BRAHMAN is note changing. The second one in this Shloka is that that this is CHETANA in those who have CHETANA. The word CHETANA is translated by different people in different ways. One could say Chetana is LIFE or the Consciousness . Some call it Intelligence  and I don't agree with that. So what makes us ALIVE is what Lord Yama is referring to when he says that this is LIFE in those who are ALIVE or this is CONSCIOUSNESS among those who are Conscious. Without this - the BRANHAN one would not be alive. The next one is related to the same. Yamaraj states that one can fulfill his desires due to THIS BRAHMAN. This is related to life . If there is physical body but no LIFE - dead body- it can not fulfill the desires of the MIND or the subtle body . So when there is connection between the SELF- BRAMHAN- LIFE then and then only the desires of subtle body can be fulfilled and so stated that THIS grants the desires. And lastly Yamaraj states that when one perceives this SELF -CONSCIOUSNESS- BRAHMAN-CHETANA etc. then he becomes eternal - immortal and gets the eternal peace 

   So the BRAHMAN is eternal and it is the cause of life  and due to the Brahman only the physical and subtle bodies can function and when one realizes this he has the peace.

KATHOPANISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA 12

                                                            एकोवशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा 

                                                           एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति । 

                                                          तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीराः

                                                        तेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम् ॥ १2

                                         EKO  VASHI  SARVABHUTA   ANTARATMA

                                         EKAM  RUPAM  BAHUDHA  YAH  KAROTI |

                                      TAM-ATMASYA  YE ANUPASHYANTI DHIRAH 

                            TESHAM  SUKHAM SHASHRUTAM NA  ITARESHAM ||12

THE ONE(SUPREME) RULER OF ALL BEINGS  WHO BECOMES MANY IN ALL THE BHUTAS -

WISE MEN WHO PERCEIVE  HIM AS EXISTING  IN THEIR  OWN SELF TO THEM BELONGS

                                       ETERNAL  HAPPINESS AND TO NONE ELSE ||12

    This is a Shloka is interesting. It is difficult to fully understand. We are taught to perceive the outer world with out 5 senses and then analyses with mind and intellect and that is done based on our previous experiences .In reality the Intellect is nothing more that analyzing the situation or current experience based on on our previous experiences . But here we are asked to not look OUTSIDE of our body - external world but look inside . The soul or the Atman is limited to our physical body as we understand it ,but it is the ultimate ruler or the BRAHMAN which is one but appears as many in many living beings. So we have to perceive our ATMA as nothing but the BRAHMAN. It is almost like we looking in the mirror to see our own face or eyes. So we are told in this Shloka that the one who perceives own soul as nothing but the Brahman or Universal soul is the Wiseman and has eternal happiness. 

    The problem with this thought process is that we SEE things with sens organs  and we think with mind  and analyze with Intellect. The soul or Atman is just a witness to all theses things So how do you perceive the Atman as part of Brahman ?This is the problem or the difficulty with the solution that is provided. 

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOK 11

                                                          सूर्यो यथा सर्वलोकस्य चक्षुः

                                                          न लिप्यतेचाक्षुषैर्बाह्यदोषैः ।

                                                           एकस्तथा सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा

                                                       न लिप्यतेलोकदुःखेन बाह्यः ॥ 11

                                       SURYO TATHA  SARVLOKASYA  CHAKSHUR  

                                     NA LIPYATE  CHAKSHUSHYAR  BAHYDOSHIH |

                                      EKAS THATA  SARVABHUTA  ANTARATMA 

                                      NA LIPYATE  LOKA DUHYENA  BAHYAH ||11   

AS THE SUN -THE EYE OF THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT COVERED (CONTAMINATED-

OBSCURED ) BY THE DEFECT OF THE EXTRENAL EYE, THE THE ATMAN WHICH IS

 INNERMOST ESSENCE OF ALL BEINGS, IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE SORROWS

                                                                OF THE WORLD||11

In this Shloka we are given some information on the ATMAN .The Yama is comparing the Atman to the Sun . The Sun provided light and life for the living beings on the Earth. We see things due to the light from the Sun. If there was no light from the Sun then we - in spite of having the EYE could not see . And at the same time the Sun is not affected weather we see things or not - if we have defective eye  and could not see clearly or could not see at all, the Sun light will continue to illuminate the earth. But if there is not Sunlight we could not see the moon and we could not see anything on the earth itself even though we have eyes. The life may not be there if there was no Sun. But here we are told that that the Atman is like the Sun. If the Atman is  not there we could not be alive  and we could not perceive anything. But like the the Sun is not affected by the defects of the external eye , the Atman is  not affected by the sorrows of the human beings. In the modern day we can take an example of the electricity. The electricity is needed to run a computer and ACA unit or a Heater or a light bulb or TV. But the out put from theses different things is not affecting electricity. In fact the out put of AC unit is entirely different than that of a heater -one cools the air the other heats the air in the room. So the electricity is not affected by the the function or effects of the things that it is providing energy. But the electricity is NEEDED for theses different things to function.  Similarly the Atman is needed for the function of living beings but it is not affected by their life - pleasure or sorrow etc.