Katha Upanishad 1.6
beginner
अनुपश्य यथा पूर्वे प्रतिपश्य तथापरे। सस्यमिव मर्त्यः पच्यते सस्यमिवाजायते पुनः॥
anupaśya yathā pūrve pratipaśya tathāpare | sasyamiva martyaḥ pacyate sasyamivājāyate punaḥ ||
""Look back at those who came before, look forward to those who will come. Like grain, mortals ripen and fall; like grain, they spring up again.""
What This Means:
Nachiketa contemplates the cycle of life and death - people come and go like crops that grow, ripen, and are harvested, only to grow again.
Going Deeper:
This is one of the earliest expressions of the cycle of rebirth (samsara). Death is not an end but part of a continuous cycle.
How To Apply This:
Reflect on impermanence not with despair but with perspective. You are part of an eternal cycle.
#cycle#rebirth#impermanence