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Kaushitaki Upanishad

The Path After Death • Verse 1

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Curated Selection (39 of 80 verses)

A curated selection of key philosophical passages. The complete Kaushitaki Upanishad contains additional sections on meditation techniques and sacred practices.

Verse 1.1
beginner
चित्रो ह वै गार्ग्यायणिर्यक्ष्यमाणो हारुणिं वव्रे।

citro ha vai gārgyāyaṇiryakṣyamāṇo hāruṇiṃ vavre |

"Chitra Gargyayani, when about to perform a sacrifice, chose Aruni as his priest."

What This Means:

A king named Chitra was preparing for a sacred ritual and selected the renowned sage Aruni (Uddalaka) to be his officiating priest.

Going Deeper:

This sets up one of the great reversals in Upanishadic literature - where a king teaches a brahmin priest, showing that spiritual knowledge transcends social hierarchy.

How To Apply This:

Remain open to receiving wisdom from unexpected sources - truth does not respect human categories.

#setting#sacrifice#introduction

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The 39 verses in this selection

The Path After Death

  1. 1.1Chitra Gargyayani, when about to perform a sacrifice, chose Aruni as his priest.
  2. 1.2Aruni sent his son Shvetaketu, saying: "Go, you conduct the sacrifice."
  3. 1.3When Shvetaketu arrived, the king asked him: "O son of Gautama, is there a sheltered place to which you...
  4. 1.4He replied: "No." The king said: "Then you must offer sacrifice for me again."
  5. 1.5He returned to his father and said: "Without having taught me, you told me I was learned!"
  6. 1.6His father said: "I did not know this either. Come, let us both go and live as students with the king."
  7. 1.7All those who depart from this world go to the moon.
  8. 1.8By their life-breaths, the moon waxes in the bright fortnight; in the dark fortnight, it projects them for...
  9. 1.9The moon is the door of the heavenly world. One who answers its questions is released to go further.
  10. 1.10But one who cannot answer becomes rain. Falling to earth, he is born again among living creatures.

Prana as Brahman

  1. 2.1Prana is Brahman, declared Kaushitaki.
  2. 2.2For this Prana which is Brahman, the mind is the messenger.
  3. 2.3The eye is the receiver, the ear is the reporter, speech is the attendant.
  4. 2.4In this Prana, all these are established.
  5. 2.5Prana indeed is all these beings, as many as there are.
  6. 2.6This Prana is the intelligent Self, bliss, ageless, immortal.
  7. 2.7It does not become greater by good deeds, nor less by bad deeds.
  8. 2.8This is the lord of worlds, the protector of worlds, the lord of all.
  9. 2.9One should know "This is my Self" and meditate "This is the Self."
  10. 2.10For one who knows thus, there is fame in the world that never diminishes.

Indra's Teaching

  1. 3.1Pratardana, son of Divodasa, through battle reached the beloved abode of Indra.
  2. 3.2Indra said to him: "Pratardana, I shall give you a boon."
  3. 3.3Pratardana replied: "You choose for me what you consider most beneficial for a human being."
  4. 3.4Indra said: "One who is choosing a boon should indeed choose. But you yourself become the boon to me!"
  5. 3.5Indra said: "Know Me alone. This I consider most beneficial for a human being."
  6. 3.6I am Prana, the intelligent Self. Worship Me as life, as immortality.
  7. 3.7Life is Prana, and Prana is life. As long as Prana dwells in this body, so long there is life.
  8. 3.8Through Prana alone one shines in this world. As long as Prana exists, one exists in this world.
  9. 3.9This indeed is the Self - this mass of pure consciousness, this Prana.
  10. 3.10One should not try to know speech, but the speaker. One should not try to know smell, but the smeller.

The True Self

  1. 4.1It is He who leads one to the world of good deeds if He so leads. It is He who leads one to the world of...
  2. 4.2He is the world's guardian, the world's lord, the lord of all. Know that He is my Self.
  3. 4.3Now, the setting (of the person) is when he sees dreams at night.
  4. 4.4Then he becomes one in this Prana. Speech with all names enters into Prana.
  5. 4.5The eye with all forms enters Prana. The ear with all sounds enters Prana.
  6. 4.6The mind with all thoughts enters Prana. When he awakens...
  7. 4.7Just as sparks fly forth in all directions from a blazing fire...
  8. 4.8Thus from this Self, all vital forces proceed to their respective places. From vital forces come the gods...
  9. 4.9This is the Self made of consciousness, which is this Prana, which is the intelligent Self.
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