Quick Summary of the chariot analogy from Katopanishad
Ram Chandran
Quick Summary of the chariot analogy from Katopanishad
(Ram Chandran)
Vedantic texts abundantly use analogies – for the sake of poetic charm and even more to effectively explain the complex concepts. The analogies help us to visualize the concepts making abstract ideas easy to comprehend. The most important purpose of this analogy is to understand the approach to decision making where the body is compared to a chariot with the buddhi (intellect being the charioteer). Yama, while explaining to young Nachiketa about how people make choices in life, gives this analogy. The idea of Death being a teacher is most fascinating and explains the relevance of understanding Katopanishad. The unknown DEATH explains the unknown secrets of the necessary decision tools with an illustrated manual to apply precisely!
The Key verses describing the technicalities of decision are the following:
आत्मानँ रथितं विद्धि शरीरँ रथमेव तु ।
बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः प्रग्रहमेव च ॥१.३.३ ॥
ātmānam̐ rathitaṃ
viddhi śarīram̐ rathameva tu |
buddhiṃ tu sārathiṃ viddhi manaḥ pragrahameva ca || 1.3.3 ||
Know the Self as the rider in the chariot, body as the chariot know also discriminating intelligence as the driver; know the minds as the reins
इन्द्रियाणि हयानाहुर्विषयाँ स्तेषु गोचरान् ।
आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं भोक्तेत्याहुर्मनीषिणः ॥ १.३.४ ॥
indriyāṇi
hayānāhurviṣayām̐ steṣu gocarān ।
ātmendriyamanoyuktaṃ bhoktetyāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ ॥ 1.3.4 ॥
The wise say – The senses are the horses; the objects which they perceive in association with body, mind and senses is the experiencer of pleasure and pain.
The charioteer must ensure the horses stay on the right path, make the right turns, halts when needed and speed when needed. For that, the charioteer needs to have the reins in control fully and allow them sometimes to let it lose and sometimes hold it tight. Reins left alone would give full leeway to the horses to run around wherever they feel like. Without any control the horses will take the chariot where they want and not to the destination that the charioteer wants to go! Yama further says the one who has the right discriminating faculty (Yukta buddhi/Vivek buddhi) and knows how to control the reins will also be able to steer his senses effectively, like the good horses.
यस्त्वविज्ञानवान्भवत्ययुक्तेन मनसा सदा ।
तस्येन्द्रियाण्यवश्यानि दुष्टाश्वा इव सारथेः ॥१.३.५ ॥
yastvavijñānavānbhavatyayuktena
manasā sadā |
tasyendriyāṇyavaśyāni duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ || 1.3.5 ||
Of those who have not possessed of discrimination and always allow their mind not in control their senses are not in control like the vicious horses of the charioteer.
यस्तु
विज्ञानवान्भवति युक्तेन मनसा सदा ।
तस्येन्द्रियाणि वश्यानि सदश्वा इव सारथेः ॥ १.३.६ ॥
yastu
vijñānavānbhavati yuktena manasā sadā |
tasyendriyāṇi vaśyāni sadaśvā iva sāratheḥ ||1.3 6 ||
But of him who is possessed of discrimination enabling the mind to control the senses are always controllable as the docile horses of the driver.
We face many times to test the power of our discriminating intelligence and here is an example. After having a heavy meal in a marriage party, we will be provided the choice of a table full of desserts in front of us. Our buddhi knows that the Laddu and Halva will make us fat and we don’t need to eat it at that time. However the tempting tasty sweets in front of us along with a long que of our friends triggers our memory to remind how lovely they tasted our tongue on previous occasions. Now our tongue’s sensory nerves are fully triggered and it starts craving to have a Laddu. The cravings loosen the reins of our mind by becoming so overpowering that we forget how we will struggle with the calories later on. The buddhi makes feeble objections but the mind is already giving instructions to the hands to pick up the Laddu. If the Buddhi, the charioteer was more in control, it would not let the reins lose and let the objections be known loud and clear enough to stop the sense horses from running towards the Laddu.
As Krishna says in Gita Chapter2, Verse6:
vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā.
Of a person who has all the sense organs and mind under control (not running after sensual pleasures), wisdom/intelligence gets stabilized. (Buddhi works properly and takes charge)
Now if we recollect the most well known description of the beginning of the war of Mahabharat where Arjun sits on the Chariot and Krishna his Charioteer! Is it not true that we all want our Buddhi to be a saarathi like Krishna!
Note: As we can notice that the Chariot analogy also appeared in Bhagavad Gita but with more direct application with further simplification. In Gita Arjun, the Jiva was in a confused state (as described in the entire chapter 1 and in the beginning of Chapter 2. He wisely seek the guidance of Lord Krishna (Atman the Self) who agreed to be the Charioter to direct him. In Katopanishad, the Charioter is also the Self while reflected through the Inner Mind (Anthakarna) or Buddhi controls the reins (mind) and consequently control the senses (horses of the chariot). The entire Bhagavad Gita has been stated to be simplified versions of the messages of all the Upanishads in summary form.
Ram Chandran
Namaste:
Correction Verse 61 of Chapter 2 (typo)
As Krishna says in Gita Chapter 2, Verse 61:
तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्परः ।
वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ ६१ ॥
tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ
vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
Of a person who has all the sense organs and mind under control (not running after sensual pleasures), wisdom/intelligence gets stabilized. (Buddhi works properly and takes charge)
sunil bhattacharjya
When Bhimasena hit Duryodhana on his thigh Lord Balaram was furious. Then Lord Krishna pacified him saying “Think Kali has appeared”. Many scholars had problem in understanding this.
Regards
SKB
Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 15, 2021, at 6:20 AM, Ram Chandran <ramvch...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> for