Katha Upanishad: The Chariot Allegory
"Know thou the soul (ātman, self) as riding in a chariot. The body as the chariot. Know thou the intellect (buddhi) as the chariot-driver, And the mind (manas) as the…
From: 400 B.C.E. To: 100 B.C.E.
Location: India
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From The Thirteen Principal Upanishads Translated from the Sanskrit by Robert Ernest Hume.
The universal and the individual soul
1. There are two that drink of righteousness (rta) in the world of good deeds;
Both are entered into the secret place [of the heart], and in the highest upper sphere.
Brahma-knowers speak of them as ‘light’ and ‘shade,’ And so do householders who maintain the five sacrificial fires, and those too who perform the triple Naciketas-fire.
The Naciketas sacrificial fire as an aid
2. This which is the bridge for those who sacrifice, And which is the highest imperishable Brahma
For those who seek to cross over to the fearless farther shore— The Naciketas-fire may we master!
Parable of the individual soul in a chariot
3. Know thou the soul (ātman, self) as riding in a chariot. The body as the chariot. Know thou the intellect (buddhi) as the chariot-driver, And the mind (manas) as the reins.
4.The senses (indriya), they say, are the horses; The objects of sense, what they range over. The self combined with senses and mind Wise men call ‘the enjoyer’ (bhoktr).
5. He who has not understanding (a-vijñāna), Whose mind is not constantly held firm— His senses are uncontrolled, Like the vicious horses of a chariot-driver.
6. He, however, who has understanding, Whose mind is constantly held firm— His senses are under control, Like the good horses of a chariot-driver. Intelligent control of the soul’s chariot needed to arrive beyond transmigration
Intelligent control of the soul’s chariot needed to arrive beyond transmigration.
7. He, however, who has not understanding, Who is unmindful and ever impure,
Reaches not the goal. But goes on to transmigration (saṁsāra).
8. He, however, who has understanding, Who is mindful and ever pure, Reaches the goal From which he is born no more.
9. He, however, who has the understanding of a chariot-driver, A man who reins in his mind— He reaches the end of his journey, That highest place of Vishnu. The order of progression to the supreme Person
The order of progression to the supreme Person
10. Higher than the senses are the objects of sense. Higher than the objects of sense is the mind (manas); And higher than the mind is the intellect (buddhi). Higher than the intellect is the Great Self (Atman).
11. Higher than the Great is the Unmanifest (avyakta). Higher than the Unmanifest is the Person. Higher than the Person there is nothing at all. That is the goal. That is the highest course. The subtle perception of the all-pervading Soul
The subtle perception of the all-pervading Soul
12. Though He is hidden in all things, That Soul (Atman, Self) sfynes not forth. But he is seen by subtle seers With superior, subtle intellect.
The Yoga method—of suppression
13. An intelligent man should suppress his speech and his mind. The latter he should suppress in the Understanding-Self (jñāna ātman).
The understanding he should suppress in the Great Self [=buddhi, intellect].
That he should suppress in the Tranquil Self (śānta ātman). Exhortation to the way of liberation from death
14. Arise ye! Awake ye! Obtain your boons and understand them!
A sharpened edge of a razor, hard to traverse, A difficult path is this—poets (kavi) declare!
15.What is soundless, touchless, formless, imperishable, Likewise tasteless, constant, odorless, Without beginning, without end, higher than the great, stable— By discerning That, one is liberated from the mouth of death.
The immortal value of this teaching
16. The Naciketas tale, Death’s immemorial teaching— By declaring and hearing this, a wise man Is magnified in the Brahma-world.
17. If one recites this supreme secret In an assembly of Brahmans,
Or at a time of the ceremony for the dead, devoutly—
That makes for immortality! —That makes for immortality!
Hume, Robert Ernest. The Thirteen Principal Upanishads Translated from the Sanskrit. Oxford University Press, 1921.
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