KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 6 SHLOKA -2

                                                            यदिदं किं च जगत् सर्वं 

                                                            प्राण एजति निःसृतम् । 

                                                              महद्भयं वज्रमुद्यतं 

                                                       य एतद्विदुरमृतास्तेभवन्ति ॥ २

                                         TAD IDAM KIM  CHA JAGAT  SARV

                                                PRAN  EJATI  NIHSRUTAM|

                                    MAHAD  BHAYAM  VAJRAM  UDYATAM 

                               YA ETAD  VIDUR  AMRUTASS TE  BHAVANTI 2

THE WHOLE UNIVERSE EVOLVED FROM THE BRAHMAN, MOVES IN PRANA 

                THE BRAHMAN IS GREAT  FEAR AND LIKE THUNDERBOLT -

                          THOSE WHO KNOW THIS BECOME IMMORTAL.

      This is very interesting Shloka. We all know that Universe originated from the Brahman. So we are told about it ,but we are also told that it VIBRATES in Prana I think there are couple of points here . One is that the Universe VIBRTAES. We know that in this universe everything moves ,The earth and planets move around the Sun  and then the our solar system moves around a bigger star in galaxy and so on . This is at Macro level . But even at Micro level in atom there is nucleus and then electrons move around it. Even if one thinks of string theory, there is VIBRATION. I think vibration indicates something which is not BRAHMAN. The Brahman CANNOT move as there is no place where it is not present . For vibration one must be localized toa place and then moves . So the universe vibrates. The second point is that it moves in PRANA- i would consider Prana as energy and as we know from the modern day physics there is energy with atom where there is movement of subatomic particles. . We are also told that the BRAHAMAN is fearful and is like thunderbolt . There are laws in nature  and one must understand and follow them The fire burns and is hot and if you touch fire you will get burns . The law of gravity is well known. If one jumps from 3 rd. floor balcony you will fall hard  and if you jump from 10th floor balcony you will fall harder and may die. So the Laws of universe are to be feared about . And they will hit you like thunderbolt if you don't follow them . 

    So the universe originates in Brahman, it is in constant motion and there are laws that govern the universe and if one does not follow them you will be hurt.. One who knows this about the BRAHMAN , is free or becomes IMMORTAL. 

    One other explanation is based on Bhagwat Geeta. There is VISHWAROOP Darshan, where Lord Krishna shows the VIRAT or vast and crude ROOP and then Arjuna wants him to go back to the original appearance of KRISHA as his friend  and not as BRAHMAN which was fearful. This is in chapter xi and them the explosion of first atom bomb was comapred to that or 1000 of suns shining at the same time -this will be like thunderbolt.

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 6 SHLOKA 1

                                                          ऊर्ध्वमूलोऽवाक्शाख 

                                                           एषोऽश्वत्थः सनातनः । 

                                                             तदेव शुक्रं तद्ब्रह्म

                                                             तदेवामृतमुच्यते। 

                                                        तस्मिँल्लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे

                                                   तदुनात्येति कश्चन । एतद्वैतत् ॥ १

                                             URDHVA  MULO  VAK  SHAKH

                                      ESHO  ASHVATHYAH  SANATANAH|

                                      TADEV  SHUKRAM  TAD  BRAHMA

                                         TADEV  AMRUTAM  UCHYATE ||

                                       TASMIN  LOKAH  SHRITAH  SARVE |

                              TADU  NATYETI  KASCHAN  ||ETAD  VAI  TAT ||1

WITH THE ROOTS ROOTS ABOVE AND BARNCHES BELLOW IS THE ANCIENT ASHVATH

 TREE THIS IS PURE THAT IS BRAHMAN AND THAT IS CALLED IMMORTAL  AND THE

 ENTIRE WORLD RESTS IN IT AND NONE CAN TRANSDENT IT VERILY THAT IS THAT||1

        This is very interesting and very deep meaning Shloka . The re are 2 different things that are new or mentioned in this one. The Brahaman is Immortal and eternal is now been told many times ,but in this Shloka we are told that this whole 'THING' is like upside down tree whose ROOTS are UP and the branches are bellow . The conventional UP and DOWN is for us to understand  and not in true sense Up and Down. Think about it - since we are standing on the earth we think the sky is ABOVE US  and the Floor or the ground that we are standing is bellow us. But in space where there is no reference point there is no UP or DOWN or Right or Left . There is no direction. But when this Shloka describes the Tree as having roots  UP or above , what we need to understand the ORIGIN which is BEFORE the apparent world. It indicates Time - but if I say time then we have to have BEGINING  and END which does not apply to BRAHMAN as it cannot be BOUND by Time. But for the purpose of understanding the Universe starts or originates in Brahman so it is ABOVE. 

    But then we are told something which was not mentioned before, is that the sequence of events are not like buttermilk comes from yogurt and Yogurt comes from milk type of relationship. But we are told that the Entire Universe is INTHE BRAHMAN! This is difficult to understand. We have understood that the Consciousness or the Brahman  pervades everything and there is nothing which does not have Consciousness or Brahman. But now we are told that everything is RESTING or Inside the CONSCIOUSNESS or BRAHMAN. And  nothing can Transcend  that . If I am inside a room, I can get out of the room - so called transcend the room . But not with BRAHMAN. EVERYTHING IS WITHIN IT BUT THERE IS NOTHING SO CALLED OUTSIDE OF IT. I can think of 2 examples - both are imperfect. One is old one - the movie screen in movie theatre The movie is playing ON THE SCREEN but the screen is not affected by the movie or then things that are happening in the story . But one cannot have movie without the screen. The Movie CANNOT TRASCEND the screen. The second one is expanding Universe The Universe since Big Bang is expanding but WHAT IS IT THAT IT IS EXPANDING IN TO. For us there is nothing beyond the the universe - but then if the universe is expanding ,it must be expanding in to something - But that is how it is . 

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA 15

                                                        न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं 

                                                     नेमा विद्युतोभान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः ।

                                                          तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं 

                                                   तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति ॥ १५

                               NA  TATRA  SURYO  BHATI NA  CHANDRATARKAM

                                  NEMA VIDYUTO BHANTI  KUTO  AYAM AGNIH |

                                           TAMEV BHANTAM  ANUBHATI  SARV

                             TASYA  BHASA  SARVM  IDAM  VIBHATI ||15

               THE SUN DOES NOT SHINE NOR THE MOON NOR THE STARTS NOR 

                        THERE IS LIGHTENING  AND MUCH LESS FIRE.WHEN 

                               HE  SHINES EVERYTHING SHINES AFTER HIM 

                                        .BY HIS LIGHT ALL THESE SHINES 15

   This Shloka is very straight forward. We are told that the Supreme being is the cause of everything and in it's absence nothing works. We have seen that the mind - Intellect-  and the Physical body - all can't work without the consciousness. We also saw that the consciousness which pervades everything, does not do any thing directly.But IT IS the cause of everything.. When we are looking at the small world around us we see the light from light bulb at night and the Sun in the sky during day time we know that the Moon does not have light of it's own but we do have light at no=ight from the Moon . And the stars which includes planets are seen shining at night . So there is a light from these sources . But here we are told that 'THERE' ,no Sun or moon or lightening crats light not the fire creat the light . They have light due to THAT which is the Consciousness. So the moon and the plantes borrows light from the Sun and the light that we see during day time is from the Sun and the one at night is from Moon which is borrowed . But when we talk about the Brahman or Consciousness these things do not shine -until there is consciousness which is the CAUSE OF THE SUN AND THE LIGHETENING AND THE FIRE ETC SHINING. 

     The example of electricity given in past comes close to this. Without the electricity no light bulb will give light, so one has to have electricity to get light from the bulb. The Consciousness has to be there to have any source of light to give light.

KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 5 SHLOKA - 14

                                                                       तदेतदिति मन्यन्ते

                                                                      आनिर्देश्यं परमं सुखम् । 

                                                                         कथं नुतद्विजानीयां

                                                                     किमुभाति विभाति वा ॥ १४

                                                              TAD   ETAD ITI  MANYANTE

                                                       ANIRDESHYAM  PARAM  SUKHAM |

                                                           KATHAM  NU TAD VIJANIYAM

                                                          KIMU  BHATI  VIBHATI  VA ||14

             THEY  PERCEIV  THIS  INDESCIBABLE  HIGHEST BLISS -THIS  IS (THAT)-

                 HOW  SHALL I  KNOW THAT. DOES  IT SHINE BY ITSELF OR DOES 

                                              IT SHINE BY ANOYJER LIGHT||14

     This is interesting Shloka. On surface it may seem to be simple but when one looks at the deeper meaning, he realizes that there is much higher meaning to this one. So the Yama is telling Nachiket the answer to his question on the Brahma. He is telling him that THAT IS THAT AND I CAN NOT EXPLAIN ANY FURTHER. This is one part. and second part is in form of a question. Does it get shine by itself or by some other source?

   The first part describes the difference between the Nature -PRAKRUTI and Spirit -PURUSHA. Any time we PERCEIVE anything it is through our sense organs and mind - intellect etc. . But this BRANHAMN cannot be perceived by any of theses things as they are part of NATURE or PRAKRUTI .and anything that can be perceived is not PURUSHA or CONSCIOUSNESS. The SPIRIT is beyond our sense organ perception and so one who KNOWS it has to sat THAT IS THAT  and cannot give any description. In Hindu scriptures this is described as -'this is not this -this is not that - but never describes as THIS IS THAT(NETI -NETI नेती -नेती )So we are told that even YAMARAJ who is teaching Nachiketa has to sat THAT IS THAT and cannot go beyond that to describe the BRAHMAN PURUSH OR SPIRIT OR CONSCIOUSNESS -all the different words used at different time. In short anything that can be PERCEIVED is not Brahman. Then the question would come then how do you know ? The answer is THAT IS THAT!

   The second part is put as a question but one need not answer the question. Yama is asking does it shine on own or does it shine due to light from some other source ? This is second characteristic of PURUSHA or CONSCIOUSNESS. There are many properties in this world that are borrowed. Er say Moon is 'shinning' But the moon does not have light of it's own. It has BORROWED IT FROM THE SUN .If one is boiling a potato -the potato is hot but the property of heat is being borrowed by potato from the hot water in the pot . But the Pot does not have intrinsic property of being hot -it borrows from the fire. Now the Fire has INTRINSIC PROPERT as being hot . One has seen cold potato or cold water bur cold pot . But one has never seen COLD FIRE . So the being hot is intrinsic property of the fire . Similarly the Consciousness SHINES or is needed to perceive anything and everything. If there was no light we cannot see anything. But light does not SEE eyes-brain-mind -intellect etc. are involved in seeing but they can not function if there is no light and ONE CANNOT SEE LIGHT. The same way it is due to BHAHMAN we perceive but we can not perceive the BRAHMAN with help of or senses or mind etc. The Brahman does not borrow the proerty of light from anyone the light or the shining is it's intrinsic property.