Potenciano Clarito C.

Chavez September 23, 2019

3POL
Katha Upanishad

The richness of knowledge that the present generation has roots from the ideas written in
the history of different cultures. Amazingly, these ideas as prescribed in texts have power to
communicate and affect present beliefs that we have in today’s world. Upanishad is the opening
chapter of Indian philosophy. It has important influences on the succeeding philosophies of India
thereafter. Katha Upanishad describes a journey of a young boy in search for nature of ultimate
reality. In this note, it discusses the path of wisdom to the self, to Atman—the inner being of all
things. Atman is the individual Self as Brahman is the universal Self.

Focusing on Upanishad, it relies primarily on the idea of Atman. The Atman refers to the
individual and eternal self, soul, or spirit. It is the spiritual essence that is imparted in every
creature, the innermost essential being. It forms part of the Brahman as we end our journey in this
world. Thus, we may say that Atman fully contemplates in one’s Brahman. Atman is considerably
the aspect of one’s individuality while Brahman constitutes the universality and consistency of
one’s spirit. Atman is an immortal facet of our mortal existence. Yet, Atman is Brahman itself. It
is in the realization of acquiring knowledge that Atman is identical with the ultimate self, Brahman.

What is purposefully beautiful may seem intangible to naked eye of beings. Delightfully,
this text made it realistically possible to perceive the world fully without losing awareness of our
self. As we ponder around the details of this world, we come to realize the individual experiences
and learnings that have come and pass in our existence. The text narrates the endless existence of
our self as we end in unifying with the Brahman. As a sincere person of different religion, this
Hindu text unfold the sublime chronicles of living the world as it should be.

The old authors of Katha Upanishad create a wide concept of interpreting philosophical
and religious tradition of India. In such a thing, it affects the daily living of people who are part of
that specific community as well as people who are part of another but have read and understood
the ideas discussed in the book. Grasping the wholeness of its lesson, it leaves a question to the
minds of the readers. In every single interaction to other beings and with the nature, the concept
of Atman dwells primarily on what may be considered as most perfect examples of the mystic,
philosophic and poetic document of Ancient India—the Upanishads.