Katha Upanishad with Shankara’s Commentary
by S. Sitarama Sastri | 1928 | 23,822 words
The Katha Upanishad is a collection of philosophical poems representing a conversation between the sage Naciketas and Yama (god of death). They discuss the nature of Atman, Brahman and Moksha (liberation). The book is made up of six sections (Valli). This commentary by Shankara focuses on ‘Advaita Vedanta’, or non-dualism: one of the classical ort...
Verse 1.2.7
श्रवणायापि बहुभिर्यो न लभ्यः शृण्वन्तोऽपि बहवो यं न विद्युः ।
आश्चर्यो वक्ता कुशलोऽस्य लब्धाश्चर्यो ज्ञाता कुशलानुशिष्टः ॥ ७ ॥śravaṇāyāpi bahubhiryo na labhyaḥ śṛṇvanto'pi bahavo yaṃ na vidyuḥ |
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo'sya labdhāścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ || 7 ||7. Who cannot be attained even for hearing by many; whom, many though hearing, do not know; the expounder of him is a wonder; and able, the attainer of him; a wonder, the knower of him instructed by the able.
Shankara’s Commentary:
Com.—Of thousands who seek good, it is some one like you who becomes the knower of the atman; for, even for hearing, the atman is not attainable by many; many others, though they hear of him, do not know the atman, not being entitled, because their minds are not purified; again, the expounder of the itman is, like a wonder, some one among many, Similarly, even among many who have so heard, some one alone of many, that is able, attains the atman; the knower of the atman is a wonder—some me who is instructed by an able preceptor.