We do all wrong things for comfort and pleasure | Katho Upanishad

🌷 Katho Upanishad 🌷

       Chapter 2

       Beyond death

      🌻 Day 9⃣ 🌻

स्वर्गे लोके न भयं किञ्चनास्ति

न तत्र त्वं न जरया बिभेति ।

उभे तीर्त्वाऽशनायापिपासे

शोकातिगो मोदते स्वर्गलोके ॥

स त्वमग्निँ स्वर्ग्यमध्येषि मृत्यो 

प्रब्रूहि त्वँ श्रद्धधानाय मह्यम् ।

स्वर्गलोका अमृतत्वं भजन्त 

एतद् द्वितीयेन वृणे वरेण ॥

The natural desire of every life is to have comfort, to get into a place where there is no misery, no sorrow. The goal of human life is to move towards heaven. Heaven means a place where there is no death, no destruction, no old age, where there is no

suffering. Where is this place? Is it somewhere up in the heaven? How to get there? What you should do to get to a state where there is only bliss? This was the second boon. The Lord of Death taught Nachiketa how to attain heaven, where there is no misery.

Life is heavy when you recognize that there is misery. Whenever you recognize misery, you want to get rid of it; otherwise it is not called misery. Happiness is something which you cannot reject. What is the definition of happiness? That which you cannot renounce is happiness. That which you cannot hold on to, or desire to be in. The place where you never want to go to is hell. The place where you always want to be in is heaven. It is but natural for every human being to want to be in heaven. How? Death teaches you. Death is not cruel, death is very compassionate. The Lord of Death teaches Nachiketa what death is all about. It doesn’t take away life, it enhances life. Knowledge of death makes life very rich.

In California, in the early 90’s when we were teaching course in the bay area, with the group of people, who were HIV positive and had cancer, one of them shared, “From the moment I realised that I have AIDS, I lived every moment. My life has become much more precious. All those years, I was not living at all. I just existed. I never cared about my life. Now that I know I am going to die, I have suddenly become so alive. This disease has brought life into my life. I feel s grateful. He looked so uplifted.” There was such glow on their faces; nobody could say that they were sick. The knowledge that “I am going to die” had somehow kindled the light.

I felt that was interesting. How I wish people were aware that we are going to die, even without disease! My job would be done. If everyone understood that they are going to die, why would they be angry or greedy? Why would they be worried? All this negativity that they are reeling in day and night would simply disappear. Life would become much simpler. People should understand it is so simple. It is a matter of time, only a few years. What differences does it make how many years or months? You all are going to be finished one day. This walking, talking body will become silent. This awareness of death can make you much more alive. It can take the slumber out of you and it brings heaven right here.

All that you are worried about from morning till evening is pleasure and comfort. For that you do everything possible, destroying your own self, your own mind. Neither that pleasure nor comfort is going to be with you forever, and definitely not in the last moment. It is not so pleasurable. 

We do all wrong things for comfort and pleasure. You get pleasure in many ways – physical pleasure, pleasure that you can gain from people’s attention and recognition. All this comes under the category of pleasure.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

Katho Upanishad