THE KATHA UPANISHAD
Invocation
` sh
navvt¤
, sh
naW
B¤n³
, sh
v£yI|
krvavhW
,
tEj¢ÞvnavD£tmÞt¤
,
ma
¢v¢¹xavhW
`
Sa¢Ót:
Sa¢Ót:
Sa¢Ót:
.
| AD£tm¯
|
what we have studied |
| ¢v¢¹xavhW
|
quarrel with each
other |
| `
Sa¢Ót:
Sa¢Ót:
Sa¢Ót: |
Om Peace Peace Peace |
We pray to
God :
May He protect
us both (teacher
and student)
May He nourish
us with Knowledge
May we acquire
energy and become
enlightened by this
study
May we not
quarrel over anything
and become inimical
Om Peace !
Peace ! Peace
!
CHAPTER 1
-
p#Tma
vÚl£
uSÓh
vW
vaj*vs:
svI vEds|
ddaW.
tÞy
h
n¢ckEta
nam
p¤æO
Aas ,,1,,
| uSn¯ |
wishing for great rewards |
| svIvEds| |
his entire possessions |
Yearning ( superior rewards,)
Vajasravasa gifted all
his
material wealth.
He had a
son named Nachiketa.
tgq|
h
k¤margq|
sÓt| d¢XNas¤
n£ymanas¤
½dqDa{{¢vvES
saE{mÓyt
,, 2 ,,
| n£ymanas¤
|
when they were
fetched |
On the
gifts being fetched for giving , Nachiketas,
though
a young lad,
was overcome with
religious fervour and he
pondered :
p£taEdka
jÂDt¦Na
ѤÂDdaEha
¢n¢r¢Ód#ya: ,
AnÓda
nam
tE
laEkaÞtan¯
s
gÅC¢t
ta
ddt¯ ,,
3 ,,
| p£taEdka: |
which had drunk
all water |
| jÂDt¦Na:
|
which had eaten
all grass |
| ѤÂDdaEha:
|
which had given
all their milk |
| ¢n¢r¢Ód#ya:
|
without organs
functioning |
Joyless,
indeed, are the
worlds to which
he goes who gives
as gifts such
old cows that
cannot calve nor produce
milk any
more. They had also
drank water for the last time and eaten grass terminally.
(Giving away useless
articles as gift
in a sacrifice
is a sin
and cannot bring good
reward.)
s
haEvac
¢ptr|
tt
kÞmW
ma|
daÞys£¢t
,
¢¹t£y|
t¦t£y|
t|
haEvac
m¦ÏyvE
Ïva
ddam£¢t ,, 4 ,,
| daÞy¢s
|
will you give away |
He addressed
his father :
"Father, to whom
will you give me away?"
He repeatedly said
so, twice and thrice.Upon
this the father
replied : "I shall
give you to
Death"
bh\namE¢m
p#TmaE
bh\namE¢m
mÒym: ,
¢k|
¢Þvd
ymÞy
ktIÛy|
yÓmyaï
k¢rÝy¢t
,, 5 ,,
| bh\namE¢m |
Among many I am |
| bh\namE¢m |
Among many I
am |
| ¢k|
¢Þvt¯ |
what perhaps could be |
(Nachiketas thought
within himself) :
Among many of
(my father's disciples),
I am either
at the top or
middle
(but never
at the bottom ). What then
will he achieve
in giving me
to Yama ?
An¤pÜy
yTa
p¥vEI
p#¢tpÜy
tTaprE ,
sÞy¢mv
mÏyI:
pÅytE
sÞy¢mvajaytE
p¤n:
,, 6 ,,
| pÅytE |
ripens (and decays) |
Remember
how your forefathers
behaved . Consider how
men of worth conduct
themselves today. Like
vegetation man ripens
and
decays, and
like vegetation he
is born again
.
vWáanr:
p#¢vSÏy¢t¢Trb#ahmNaE
g¦han¯ ,
tÞyWtag¥|
Sa¢Ót|
k¤vI¢Ót
hr
vWvÞvtaEdkm¯
,, 7 ,,
(Nachiketas
goes to the abode
of Yama, but
the latter was not
at home. Nachiketas
had to wait
for three days
without food. On Yama's
return, he is told
by his people):
A Brahmana guest entering
a house-hold resembles fire. He is offered appeasement. O
! Vaivasvata (Yama), fetch water
(for washing the feet and sipping).
AaSap#t£XE
sÄñtg¤|
s¥n¦ta|
cE¾ap¥tIE
p¤æOpS¥g¤à
svaIn¯
,
etdq
v¦H³E
p¤âxÞyaÚpmEDsaE
yÞya
nÆn¯
vs¢t b#a'NaE
g¦hE
,,8,,
| AaSap#t£XE |
hopes and expectations |
| sÄñt|
|
benefits of good
association |
| s¥n¦ta|
|
merit of good speech |
| i¾ap¥rtE
|
rewards arising from
rituals prescribed in the scriptures |
| p¤æO
pS¥|à
|
progeny
and cattle wealth |
| AÚpmEDs:
|
of dull intellect |
Hopes and expectations,
the benefits of
association with the
good, the merit
arising from sweet and
beneficial speech, the
deeds prescribed in the scriptures and moral codes
, children and cattle,
all these are destroyed
in the
case of
the person of dull intellect in
whose house a holy
guest has remained
unattended.
¢t*aE
raæO£yIdvaÏs£gI¦hE
mE{nÆn¯b#'°¢t¢TnImÞy:
nmÞtE{Þt¤
b#'n¯Þv¢Þt
mE{Þt¤
tÞmat¯
p#¢t æO£n¯
vran¯v¦N£Ýv
,,9,,
| nmÞy: |
is to be worshipped |
Yama said to
Nachiketas :
O holy and
venerable guest, since
you have dwelt
in my house for
three nights without food,
choose three boons
from me. I
bow to you;
may all be well
with me.
SaÓtsÄðÚp:
s¤mna
yTa
Þya¹£tmÓy¤gaItmaE
ma{¢B
m¦ÏyaE ,
Ïvt¯
p#s¦¾|
ma{¢B vdEt¯p#t£t
ett¯
æOyaNa|
p#Tm|
vr|
v¦NE
,,10,,
| SaÓtsÄðÚp:
|
with peaceful disposition |
| s¤mna: |
of happy frame of mind |
| gaWtm: |
Gautama (my father) |
(Nachiketas thereupon
said)
O Death, may
I have the first
of the three
boons in
(my father)
Gautama being in happy
frame of mind and of peaceful
disposition anger; and may
he recognise me and receive
me when
I am released by
you.
yTa
p¤rÞtaì¢vta
p#t£t
AaWddal¢kraâ¢NmIÏp#s¦¾:
,
s¤K|
raæO£:
S¢yta
v£tmÓy¤ÞÏva|
d¢Svan¯
m¦Ïy¤m¤Kat¯
p#m¤³m¯
,,11,,
| AaWddal¢kraâ¢N
: |
Auddalaki, son of Aruna |
| m¦Ïy¤m¤Kat¯
|
from
the jaws of Death |
(Yama said
:)
By my
order, Auddalaki Aruni
(your father) will sleep
peacefully at night. He will recognise
you and treat you
as in the past, having
seen you released from
the jaws of death.
And he will be without
anger . (The mental agony
caused to Nachiketa's
father has been removed
by the first boon)
ÞvgI
laEkE
n
By|
¢k·na¢Þt
n
tæO
Ïv|
n
jrya
¢bBE¢t ,
uBE
t£ÏvaI{Snaya¢ppasE
SaEka¢tgaE
maEdtE
ÞvgIlaEkE
,,12,,
| ASnaya¢ppasE
|
hunger and thirst |
| SaEka¢tg:
|
transcending sorrow |
(Nachiketa said:)
In heaven
there is no
fear at all ; death
and old age are
not there. Having overcome
hunger and thirst
and all sorrow, one
rejoices in the heavenly
world.
s
Ïvm¢g"g¤|
ÞvÂyImÒyE¢x
m¦ÏyaE
p#b#¥¢h
t|
½êDanay
m/m¯
,
ÞvgIlaEka
Am¦tÏv|
BjÓt
etdq
¢¹t£yEn
v¦NE
vrEN ,,13,,
| ÞvgIlaEka: |
Seekers of heaven |
O Death, You know
the Fire (sacrifice)
that leads to
heaven.
Instruct me on that who
am full of
faith . Those in
heaven are deathless. This
I choose as my
second boon.
p#
tE
b#v£¢m
tѤ
mE
¢nbaED
ÞvÂyIm¢g"|
n¢ckEt:
p#jann¯
,
AnÓtlaEka¢çOmTaE
p#¢t¿a|
¢v¢dqD
ÏvmEt|
¢n¢ht|
g¤hayam¯
,,14,,
| ÞvÂyIm¢g"|
|
fire leading to
heaven |
| AnÓtlaEka¢çOm¯
|
means of attaining
eternal heaven |
| g¤hayam¯
|
in the cave (of
the heart) |
O Nachiketa, I
know about the
Fire that leads
to heaven.
This I shall impart
to you . Listen to me carefully.
Know this to be the means
of attaining eternal
heaven and also
the support of the
world. This knowledge is
hidden in the cave
of the heart.
laEka¢dm¢g"|
tm¤vac
tÞmW
ya
i¾ka
yavt£vaI
yTa
va
,
s
ca¢p
tt¯p#ÏyvdïTaE³mTaÞy
m¦Ïy¤:
p¤nrEvah
t¤¾: ,,15,,
| laEka¢dm¯
|
the origin of the world |
| tt¯ |
that (what Yama
taught) |
Yama then explained
that Fire (sacrifice), is
the origin of the world.
He gave details of
what type of bricks
and how many are required
(for the altar) and
how the fire is
to be lit. And Nachiketa
repeated all the instructions
given to him. Then
Yama, being pleased at
this, said again.
tmb#v£t¯
p#£ymaNaE
mhaÏma
vr|
tvEhaï
dda¢m
B¥y: ,
tvWv
naØna
B¢vta{ym¢g":
s¦Äða|
cEmamnEkãpa|
g¦haN ,,16,,
| mhaÏma |
the highsouled
(Yama) |
That high-souled (Yama) happily,
said to Nachiketas
"I shall
here and now give you another boon: may
this fire be named
after you; and may you
also accept this
multi-coloured garland.
¢æONa¢ckEt¢ÞæO¢BrEÏy
s¢ÓD|
¢æOkmIk]äOr¢t
jÓmm¦Ïy¥
,
b#'jåO|
dEvm£fY|
¢v¢dÏva
¢ncaÙyEma|
Sa¢ÓtmÏyÓtmE¢t
,,17,,
| ¢æONa¢ckEt:
|
thriceperformer
of Nachiketa Fire |
| ¢æOkmIk]t¯
|
performer of
the enjoined threefold duties |
| jÓmm¦Ïy¥
|
cycle of births
and deaths |
| b#'jåO| |
knower of what
is manifested from Brahman |
| dEvm£fY| |
the adorable
shining one |
He transcends cyclic existence
who has perfomed the Nachiketa fire-sacrifice
three times and
has received instructions from the three
(mother,father and preceptor),
and
has also discharged
his three-fold duties
(study of Vedas, performance
of Sacrifice and giving
alms), having realised the all pervading shining one worthy
of worship-the fire god born of Brahman. Such a person also
attains supreme peace.
¢æONa¢ckEtÞæOymEt¢¹¢dÏva
y
ev|
¢v¹a|¢àn¤tE
na¢ckEtm¯
,
s
m¦Ïy¤paSa
Óp¤rt:
p#NaEï
SaEka¢tgaE
maEdtE
ÞvgIlaEkE ,,18,,
| ¢æONa¢ckEt:
|
thrice performer
of Nachiketa sacrifice |
| na¢ckEt| |
the Nachiketa
fire |
| m¦Ïy¤paSan¯
|
the chains of
death |
| SaEka¢tgaE |
crossing grief |
| ÞvgIlaEkE |
in the celestialworld |
The man of wisdom, having known the
injunctions performs the Nachiketa sacrifice three
times. Thus annhilating the noose of death even
before the fall of his body, crosses the (ocean of )
grief and enjoys in heaven.
ex
tE{¢g"nI¢ckEt:
ÞvÂyaEI
ymv¦N£Ta
¢¹t£yEn
vrEN ,
etm¢g"|
tvWv
p#vßy¢Ót
jnasÞt¦t£y|
vr|
n¢ckEtaE
v¦N£Ýv
,,19,,
| ÞvÂy:
|
which leads to
heaven |
This is your
fire, O Nachiketa,
which takes one to
heaven and which you
have chosen as your
second boon. People
will designate
this fire after
your name . Now choose
your third
boon, O Nachiketa.
yEy|
p#EtE
¢v¢c¢kÏsa
mn¤ÝyE{Þt£ÏyEkE
naymÞt£¢t
cWkE
,
et ¢¹ïamn¤¢SÝzÞÏvya{h|
vraNamEx
vrÞt¦t£y:
,,20,,
| A¢s i¢t ekE
|
exists, some say |
| n Ay| A¢s i¢t
|
this does not exist |
| An¤¢SÝz:
|
being instructed |
| vrÞt¦t£y:
|
is the third
of my boons |
(Nachiketa
said):
"Upon the death of
a person, there arises this doubt- some declare that
something outlives the body, other say, nothing remains.
I desire to know, upon your instructions, about this issue
and this is my third among the boons"
dEvWræOa¢p
¢v¢c¢k¢Ïst|
p¤ra
n ¢h
s¤åOEymN¤rEx
DmI:
,
AÓy|
vr|
n¢ckEtaE
v¦N£Ýv
ma
maEpraEÏs£r¢t
ma
s¦jWnm¯
,,21,,
| dEvWræOa¢p
|
on this even the
Devas |
| ¢v¢c¢k¢Ïst|
|
have been in doubt |
| s¤åOEym¯
|
easy
to understand |
| maEpraEÏs£
:
|
do not press |
(Yama
said) :
" This subtle matter is not easily understood.
In the days of yore, even
gods had entairtained doubts about
this. Therefore, O! Nachiketa! choose
another boon. Do not press this and
release me from this (Obligation)"
dEvWræOa¢p
¢v¢c¢k¢Ïst|
¢kl
Ïv|
c
m¦ÏyaE
y° s¤¢våOEymaÏT
,
v³a caÞy
Ïvad¦gÓyaE
n
l×yaE
naÓyaE
vrÞt¤Úy
etÞy
k¢àt¯ ,,22,,
| dEvWræOa¢p
|
Even by the gods,
this |
| ¢v¢c¢k¢Ïst|
|
has been doubted |
| n
s¤¢våOEy|
|
not easy to understand |
| ÏvagÓyaE
|
another like
you |
(Nachiketa said) :
" O!
Death! you too say that even the gods had indeed
doubted about this
and is not also easy to comprehend.
There is neither a teacher equal to you nor
a boon equal to this".
Stay¤x:
p¤æOpaWæOaÓ
v¦N£Ýv
bh\Ó pS¥Óh¢Þt¢hrÎymáan¯
,
B¥mEmIhdaytn|
v¦N£Ýv
Þvy|
c
j£v
SrdaE yav¢dÅC¢s
,,23,,
| Stay¤x: |
hundred years
of life |
| p¤æOpaWæOan¯
|
sons
and grandsons |
(Yama said) :
"May
you seek sons and grandsons who will live a hundred
years, cattle,
elephants, horses and gold, as also
an extensive land area to rule and live any
number of autumns as you like.
et
äO¤Úy|
y¢d
mÓysE
vr|
v¦N£Ýv
¢väO|
¢crj£¢vka|
c
,
mhaB¥maW
n¢ckEtÞÏvmE¢D
kamana|
Ïva
kamBaj|
kraE¢m ,,24,,
| n¢ckEtÞÏvmE¢D
|
be thou a king,
O Nachiketa |
If you
think so, seek another boon equal to this for riches,
longivity and an expansive kingdom where O! Nachiketa !
May you rule over. I shall make you
the enjoyer of all your desires.
yE
yE
kama
ѤlIBa
mÏyIlaEkE
svaIÓ
kama|ÜCÓdt:
p#aTIyÞv ,
ima
rama:
srTa:
st¥yaI
nh£Sa
lØBn£ya
mn¥ÝyW:
,
Aa¢BmIt¯p#äOa¢B:
p¢rcaryÞv
n¢ckEtaE
mrN|
ma{n¤p#aX£:
,,25,,
| ѤlIBa:
|
difficult to attain |
| mÏyIlaEkE |
in the mortal
world |
| st¥yaI
: |
with musical instruments |
| mt¯p#äOa¢B:
|
bestowed by
me |
| ma{n¤p#aX£:
|
do not query
again. |
Whatever desires are
there which are not easy to be gained in this world
of mortals, all those may you obtain
as you desire. These beautiful damsels along
with chariots and musical instruments,
which are not attainable by men, I shall
bestow upon you. Entertain yourself
with these. Do not seek to know about
death.
áaE{Bava
mÏyIÞy
ydÓtkWt
ÏsvI¢Ód#yaNa|
jry¢Ót
tEj: ,
A¢p
svI|
j£¢vtmÚpmEv
tvWv
vahaÞtv
n¦Ïyg£tE
,,26,,
| áaEBava: |
not existing
tomorrow |
| svI¢Ód#yaNa|
|
of all the senses |
"O! Death! All these are impermanent.
The sense organs of man is worn out
through indulgence in these enjoyments.
The entire life is but brief. You may
keep these vehicles, music and dance
to yourself.
n
¢väOEn tpIN£yaE
mn¤ÝyaE
lÔÞyamhE
¢väOmd#aßm
cEÏÏva
,
j£¢vÝyamaE
yavd£¢SÝy¢s
Ïv|
vrÞt¤
mE
vrN£y:
s ev
,,27,,
No man is ever satisfied with wealth.
Having seen you, we shall live as long
as you rule. The boon I desire is ,
therefore , the one I have sought.
Aj£yItamm¦tanam¤pEÏy
j£yIÓmÏyI:
ÀvD:ÞT:
p#jann¯ ,
A¢BÒyayn¯
vNIr¢tp#maEdan¢td£GE
j£¢vtE
kaE
rmEt ,,28,,
| Aj£yItam¯
|
the dissolving
one |
| ÀvD:ÞT:
|
on world down
below |
| A¢BÒyayn¯
|
having examined |
| vNIr¢tp#maEdan¯
|
the enjoyment
of dance and song |
Once the immortal and everlasting one
is attained, which man, who is himself
nor permanent, will be elated or be
thought of living long after examining the
worthless enjoyments of song &
dance ?
y¢Þm¢°d|
¢v¢c¢kÏs¢Ót
m¦ÏyaE
yÏsaØprayE
mh¢t
b#¥¢h
nÞtt¯
,
yaE{y|
vraE
g¥Fmn¤p#¢vÝzaEE
naÓy|
tÞma°¢ckEta
v¦N£tE ,,29,,
| ¢v¢c¢kÏs¢Ót
|
hold reservations |
| saØprayE |
life after death |
| naÓy|
tÞmat¯
|
nothing other
than that |
O! Death! Instruct me on the superior
life after death regarding which people
have reservations. Nachiketa chooses
not other boon other than this mysterious
one.
| i¢t p#Tma
vÚl£
|
Thus ends the first chapter
of Part I |
PROCEED TO CHAPTER 2
RETURN TO INTRODUCTION
RETURN TO THE INDEX OF THE UPANISHADS