Kathopanishad

Everything in this world is temporary. ‘Bad’ times pass and ‘good’ times pass. The only thing that is constant is you. The real, eternal you; brahman.We are absolutely pure and perfect as we are, however, this innate, perfect divinity is wrapped in a mind complex that has varied characteristics, thus we have diverse experiences based on the qualities of our mind. Difficult times reveal what kind of mind we currently have as our reactions to these difficulties are very revealing.Everything tha...

Only the one who has lost the fear of death can be considered truly spiritual, for they have realised what they really are, which is neither the body nor the mind. Such a person may continue to live in the world and perform various actions, yet they do not act out of their own will, driven by fear or desires. Instead, they act purely as per the will of the divine.Because of this clear understanding and the lack of personal involvement in the actions they perform, they have no attachment or em...

Particular forms of God appeal to different people, just like some people are fans of particular films or film actors.Having a name and form to focus on in pursuit of the truth is fine and often even necessary, but it should not be mistaken for the truth itself. It is merely a mechanism by which we can focus the mind on God.In the end, only sanathana dharma contains the raw, unfiltered truth, whereas religions, though they ultimately teach the same knowledge, decorate the truth in all kinds o...

Once we understand what needs to be known, we must then approach a guru with great humility in order to learn that very thing. The guru is important because without their guidance it is very difficult to learn that ultimate truth on our own. A guru knows both the ultimate knowledge that we are trying to learn and also knows us better than we know ourselves and therefore knows what we need and when.Furthermore, once we have found our guru, we should ask the right questions and not get distract...

The mind is comprised of four major elements and by a combination of these elements, we make decisions and navigate the world. In order to always make good decisions, it is necessary to verify our thinking with either a direct guru or against some universal standards set by the exemplary behavior of noble people.The next level is always thinking selflessly and sacrificing one’s desires or preferences for the good of the many.Beyond this is one more level still, where one does not even think, ...

Just as juice cannot be seen in the fruit, fragrance cannot be seen in the flower or butter cannot be seen in milk, so too, brahman may not immediately be seen in the world around us. However, by certain processes, we can extract the juice from the fruit, the butter from the milk, or the fragrance from the flower, and in the same way God can be extracted from the world.All spiritual practices are nothing but variations of this process of extracting or perceiving the latent divinity in everyth...

It is said that brahman will only reveal itself to the one who believes in it despite not being able to perceive it with the senses or even imagine it in the mind.In a manner of expression, brahman is pleased with the one who believes in it.One may ask then, why brahman made creation with so many things that apparently distract us from itself. The antidote to this toxin of distraction is to see brahman in everything, including the things we may have considered distracting. Not only does this ...

One of the most basic and yet most important goals on our spiritual path, is to control the indriyas. Not giving in to their every whim and fulfilling every desire that may arise will form the requisite foundation for the rest of our spiritual growth. If this foundation is not laid correctly, then all other yogic practice is vulnerable and can be undone in an instant with the arrival of a particularly potent desire.Once we have realised the truth, it is our duty to help others discover it als...

In this episode of Kathopanishad, we are emphatically urged to seek the truth right now as one never knows how long is left of their life. Learning this supreme truth is practically impossible on any other plane of existence, so we are warned not to wait for later or our next birth, but to make use of this one whilst we have it.The future is uncertain and the past is already gone. The present moment is all that exists, so we should make the most of this precious opportunity and free ourselves...

The root of our bondage to this world of suffering is our desires. We must sever these bonds with the blade of detachment. The moment desires are removed, the whole illusionary world (maya) disappears.Furthermore, if we carefully and stringently examine the nature of this world around us, we will realise the source of all this illusion is actually brahman alone. The whole perceivable and imperceivable existence conducts itself in perfect accordance with the will of this divine, ultimate consc...