Important Couplets From Katha Upanishad

Readers are requested to listen to Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami gari pravachanamulu in telugu.

There are totally 26 Volumes and each volume contains 6 Videos.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=KathaUpanishad+Volume26&aq=f

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami supports Swami Vivekananda statement that "Say it is our nature and never say it is our duty what ever we do".

Ignorance is Mithya which means it is like a mirage where though it is not there it seems to be there in us.

Prasanth Comment: It means All great service oriented people who do charities etc do those things because it is their nature but unfortunately they pretend that saying it is their duty.

Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says Repitiion of god name we get anthakarana suddi means mind may get purified but we donot know ourselves.

Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says in whatever branch like medicine,science etc there is no one having 100% knowledge. Also a person who is a doctor may not have any knowledge in I.T etc.

So there is no one in this universe who is having knowledge in everything.

Translated by Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli

1-I-27. Man cannot be satisfied with wealth. If we need wealth, we shall get it if we only see thee. We shall live until such time as thou wilt rule. But the boon to be asked for (by me) is that alone.

1-II-2. The preferable and the pleasurable approach man. The intelligent one examines both and separates them. Yea, the intelligent one prefers the preferable to the pleasurable, (whereas) the ignorant one selects the pleasurable for the sake of yoga (attainment of that which is not already possessed) and kshema (the preservation of that which is already in possession).

1-II-5. Living in the midst of ignorance and deeming themselves intelligent and enlightened, the ignorant go round and round staggering in crooked paths, like the blind led by the blind.

1-II-16. This syllable (Om) indeed is the (lower) Brahman; this syllable indeed is the higher Brahman; whosoever knows this syllable, indeed, attains whatsoever he desires.

1-II-18. The intelligent Self is not born, nor does It die. It did not come from anywhere, nor did anything come from It. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, and is not slain even when the body is slain.

1-II-22. The intelligent one having known the Self to be bodiless in (all) bodies, to be firmly seated in things that are perishable, and to be great and all-pervading, does not grieve.

Note: Sri Sundara chaitanya Swami says buddha is a great mahatma but did not attain gnana.Nachiketudu attained poornam where as buddha attained sunyam unfortunately.

Reason for buddha's failure is he did not have proper Guru.

Charuvaka,jain and buddha are hence can be categorized in Nasitakvam i.e atheism.

Buddha may have attained peacefullness but peacefullness is not equal to gnana.

If sitting under tree will attain gnana then first tree should attain gnanam.

Also as few suggested jumping into fire(agni) also does not bring jnana.

Note : Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says world is mithya and body is temporary.

Note all are favour to us always. Example: We may not like to eat Gulab Jamun when our close relative is undergoing some operation as our mind is disturbed.

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says buddha's teachings are equal to tank-bund philosphy as they say everything is sunyam.

Atma is never born or died. Only jnana is born for few blessed people.


1-II-23. The Self cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, not by intelligence nor by much hearing. Only by him who seeks to know the Self can It be attained. To him the Self reveals Its own nature.

1-II-24. None who has not refrained from bad conduct, whose senses are not under restraint, whose mind is not collected or who does not preserve a tranquil mind, can attain this Self through knowledge.

1-III-3. Know the Self to be the master of the chariot, and the body to be the chariot. Know the intellect to be the charioteer, and the mind to be the reins.

1-III-4. The senses they speak of as the horses; the objects within their view, the way. When the Self is yoked with the mind and the senses, the wise call It the enjoyer.

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swamy says there is no need to kill desires and more over no one can achieve it as well. So desires turned towards god and for the purpose of god are fine.

1-III-9. But the man who has a discriminating intellect as his driver, and a controlled-mind as the reins, reaches the end of the path – that supreme state of Vishnu.

Note: "In Volume 10 Part 2" Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says few devotees of Ramana Maharshi are misinterpreting ramana maharshi teachings as ideally there is no need to ask ourselves "Who Am i" always as only if we forget who we are then we ask the question which is ideally not required.

Also he denied the statement if some people who says "Atma is Guru".

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says even in dead bodies also there is atma.In that sense there is no place/time where there is no atma.

He again says There is no need to kill the mind.


1-III-10. The sensory objects are subtler than the senses, and subtler than the sensory objects is mind. But intellect is subtler than mind and subtler than intellect is Mahat (the Hiranyagarbha).

1-III-11. The unmanifested (avyakta) is subtler than Mahat (Hiranyagarbha) and subtler than the unmanifested is Purusha. There is nothing subtler than Purusha. That is the end, that is the supreme goal.

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says for peacefullness there is nothing to be done as our nature is peace.

Only when thoughts arise and we attach to those thoughts then trouble arises.


1-III-16. Narrating and hearing this eternal story of Nachiketas told by Death, the intelligent man attains glory in the world of Brahman.

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says even though we are intelligent,hear pravachanams,do charities,nama japa etc still we may not attain jnana till we have that right desire to attain moksha.

So the reason or cause is important why we are doing all the above activities.

2-I-4. Knowing that great and all-pervading Self by which one sees (the objects) both in the sleep and the waking states, the intelligent man grieves no more.

2-I-12. The Purusha, of the size of a thumb, dwells in the body. (Realizing Him as) the Lord of the past and the future, one does not (henceforward) want to protect oneself. This verily is that (thou seekest).

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says even though likes and deslikes varies between person and person but we need to make sure that every jiva likes him/herself always.

Even people who do suicide also likes them as they believe that current state of living is not good and hence they do suicide believing in better way of life.

2-III-7. The mind is subtler than the senses; subtler than the mind is the intellect; Mahat (Hiranyagarbha) is subtler than the intellect; subtler than Mahat is Avyakta (Unmanifested).

2-III-8. But subtler than Avyakta is Purusha, all-pervading and without a linga (distinguishing mark) indeed, knowing whom a mortal becomes freed and attains immortality.

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says it is wrong to see atma in external form in the form of jyothi,deepam etc.

He also said that it is veda mata is important and permanent and there can be 100 ramana maharshi,adi sankara born every time but veda mata is permanent.

Note: Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami says Acharya Rajeneesh only gives his personal experiences but not according to scriptures.

Source: http://www.celextel.org/108upanishads/katha.html