4. The Concept of Mind in the Kaṭhopaniṣad

The Kaṭha-upaniṣad the branch of Kṛṣṇayajurveda contains an account of the Brahmavidya as narrated by Yama to Naciketas in a poetic style. According to Śrī Śankara it is divided into two chapters and each chapter is again divided into three vallis. This Upaniṣad has a unique characteristic of its own that it gives a complete outline of the whole of the spiritual life. It holds a special fascination for all students of the Upaniṣads for its happy blend of charming poetry, deep mysticism, and profound philosophy. It contains a more unified exposition of Vedanta than any other single Upaniṣad.

Kaṭha-upaniṣad has its own unique characteristic features. In the third section of the first chapter of it, the analogy of the chariot is used to show the inter-relationship between the self (Atman), the intellect (buddhi), the mind (manas) and the senses (indriyas). It is in the form of a dialogue between Naciketas and Yama. The concepts of jīvātma and paramātma are described as two separate entities. It describes that the jīvātma is like a passenger and its eternity is the salvation or brahmaprāpti. This is the relation between light and dark. The intention of the Atman is the brahmaprāpti and karma and jñāna are the ways of these. The body is like a charioteer, the mind is the reins, the sense organs are the horses yoked to the chariot, and the objects of the senses are the roads by which the horses are to be run. It means that the Atman is spoken of as the individual soul (jīva) when it is limited by the body. The self is associated with the body, the senses, and the mind; it is the bhokta, the enjoyer.

Mind, senses, and intellect, are bound to experience the fruits of his actions:

ātmānaṃ rathinaṃ viddhi śarīraṃ rathameva tu buddhiṃ tu sārathiṃ viddhi manaḥ pragrahameva ca || ^[1]

Thus these verses clearly set down the various aspects of mind. The integrated self is the goal so that the mind and the ten organs have firm control as the horses and the chariot are under the control of the charioteer. It makes the mind the bridle, for senses as horses are yoked to the carriage of the body.

The sense objects are higher than the senses themselves, mind or manas is higher than the senses, and the self is higher than the buddhi. Śrī Śankara in his bhāṣya says that:

tatra yaḥ upādhikṛtaḥ saṃsārī vidyāvidyayoradhikṛto mokṣagamanāya saṃsāragamanāya ca tasya tadubhayagamane sādhano rathaḥ kalpyate tatra ātmānaṃ ṛtapaṃ saṃsāriṇaṃ rathinaṃ rathasvāminaṃ viddhi vijānīhi, śarīraṃ rathameva tu rathabaddhahayasthanīyairākṛṣyamāṇatvāccharīrasya buddhiṃ tu adhyavasāyalakṣaṇāṃ sārathiṃ viddhi buddhinetṛpradhānatvāccharīrasya sārathinetṛpradhāna iva rathaḥ | sarvaṃ hi dehagataṃ kāryaṃ buddhi kartavyameva prāyeṇa | manaḥ saṃkalpavikalpādilakṣaṇaṃ pragṛhītāni śrotrādīni karaṇāni pravartante raśanayevāśvāḥ || ^[2]

The mind in the Kaṭha-upaniṣad again points out that the self is compared to a charioteer, the body to a chariot, the intellect to the driver, the mind to the reins and the indriyas to the horses. These famous concepts reveal the importance of the mental concentration.

These restrict to man from doing any harmful activities and self control is the aim:

indriyāṇi hayānyāhurviṣayāṃsteṣu gocarān ātmendriya manoyuktaṃ bhoktetyahurmanīṣiṇaḥ || ^[3]

The understanding of a man is vitiated by the loss of control over the mind. Then his sense organs run just like the horses let loose from the reins of the charioteer to go anywhere. The senses are the horses and the objects of the senses and the paths are associated with the body, the enjoyer is the senses and the mind. His mind is ever impure; it reaches not that goal but comes back into mundane life. Therefore, he should be alert in order to control the mind and sense organs and so to purify them to attain the highest state. A person who has no understanding [avij ñānavān] and whose mind is unrestrained [ayuktamanasā] will have his senses out of control. He who has no understanding, and whose mind is always unrestrained, will have no control of his senses (unsubdued) as the wicked horses do before a charioteer. His mind is ever pure and reaches that goal from which he is not born again.

The person with understanding, [vij ñānavān] and whose manas is restrained [yuktamnasā] will have all the cognitive and executive senses under control; and reaches the end of his journey, i. e., the goal of development of humanity, serenity, and peace. It says:

yastu avijñānavān bhavatyayuktena manasā sadā tasyendriyāṇyavaśyāni duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ || ^[4]
yastu vijñānavān bhavati yuktena manasā sadā tasyendriyāṇi vaśyāni sadaśvā iva sāratheḥ || ^[5]

Beyond the objects of the senses is the mind, beyond the mind; is the understanding and beyond the understanding is the great self. The great soul of the universe is said to be the first born of avykta, the unmanifest. Beyond the great self is the unmanifest, beyond the unmanifest is the spirit. Beyond the spirit there is nothing. That is the end of our journey, the final goal. A hierarchical structure is noticeable here. The mind is superior to the senses. The buddhi is superior to mind. The Atman is superior to buddhi.

Thus the self, here, is equated with the individual consciousness, and ultimately with the pure consciousness, the individual and the absolute:

indriyebhyaḥ parāhyarthā arthebhyaśca paraṃ manaḥ
manasastu parā buddhiḥ buddherātmā mahān paraḥ || ^[6]

mahataḥ paramavyaktamavyaktāt puruṣaḥ paraḥ puruṣānna paraṃ kiñcit sā kāṣṭhā sā parāgatiḥ || ^[7]
yacched vāṅmanasī prājñastadyacchejjñāna ātmani jñānamātmani mahati niyacchettadyacchecchānta ātmani^[8]

One should restrain speech in mind, he should restrain of understanding self and he should restrain in the great calm self. The mind is superior to sense organs. It is restricted to sense organs in the external objects and these sense organs are manomayakośas. This mind is transcended to buddhi or vijñānamayakośa. Jīvātma paramātma unity is declared. The importance of mind is described in this Upaniṣad. The in mind sees oneness in unity and diversity; and the individual has to be free from feelings like pleasure, pain etc.

Śrī Śankara, on these, remarks:

sthūlāni tāvadindriyāṇi, tāni yaiḥ parairarthairātmaprakāśanārabdhāni tebhyaḥ indriyebhyaḥ svakārebhyaḥ te parāhi arthāḥ sūkṣmā mahāntaśca pratyagātmabhūtāśca | tebhyo'pi arthebhyeśca paraṃ sūkṣmataraṃ mahatpratyagātmabhūtaṃ ca manaḥ, manaśabdāvācyaṃ manasa ārambhakaṃ bhūtasūkṣmaṃ, saṅkalpavikalpādyārambhakatvāt | manaso'pi parāsūkṣmatarā mahattarā pratyagātmabhūtā ca buddhiḥ, buddhiśabdavācyamadhyavasāyāddhyārambhakaṃ bhūtasūkṣmam | buddherātmā sarvaprāṇibuddhināṃ pratyagātmabhūtatvādātmā mahān sarvamahatvāt avyaktādyatprathamaṃ jātaṃ hairaṇyagarbhaṃ tattaṃ bodhābodhātmakaṃ mahānātmā buddheḥ para ityucyate || ^[9]

Another important point of view of this Upaniṣadic philosophy is the concept of duality. It is stated that mind plays an important role. It is:

manasaivedamāptavyam ne ha nānāstikiñcana |
mṛtyoḥ sa mṛtyuṃgacchati ya iha nāneva paśyati || ^[10]

Śrī Śankara clearly explains the all Upaniṣads expound that the Atman is alone. The knowing of Atman is possible only by using his own mind. There is no another possibility for that.

After attaining immortality there is no scope for duality or the state of dvaita, i.e.,—

manaseva idaṃ brahmaikarasaṃ āptavyaṃ ātmaiva nānyadastīti | āpte ca nānātvapratyupasthapikāyā avidyāya nivṛttitvādiha brahmaṇi nānā nāsti kiṃ canāṇumātramapi | yastu punaḥ avidyātimiradṛṣṭiṃ na muñcati iha brahmaṇi nāneva paśyati sa mṛtyormṛtyuṃ gacchatyeva svalpamapi bhedamadhyāropayannityarthaḥ || ^[11]

Again it is stated that the mind is greater than other sense organs. It is that;

indrīyebhyaḥ paraṃ mano manasaḥ santvamuttamam santvādadhimahānātmā mahato'vyaktamuttamam || ^[12]

indrīyebhyaḥ paraṃ mana ityadi | arthānamihedriyasamānajātiyatvādidriyagrahaṇenaiva grahaṇam | pūrvavadatyat | santvāśadvād buddhirihocyate |^[13]

The importance of controlling the mind is stated that in this Upaniṣad also. Man becomes immortal by that control.

Mind is the main factor of all internal actions. It is….

yadā pañcāvatiṣṭhante jñānāni manasā saha buddhiścana viceṣṭati tamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim || ^[14]

Śrī Śankara remarks:

yadā yasminkāle svaviṣayebhyo nivartitāni ātmanyeva pañcajñānānijñānārthatvāt śrotrādīndriyāṇijñānānyucyante-avatiṣṭhante saha manasā yadanugatāni tena saṅkalpādivyāvṛtte nāntaḥkaraṇena; buddhiśca adyavasāyalakṣaṇā na viceṣṭati svavyāpāreṣu na viceṣṭate na vyāpriyate tāmāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim || ^[15]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kaṭha-upaniṣad-1.3.3

[2]:

Kaṭhopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya -I.3.3

[3]:

Kaṭha-upaniṣad -1.3.4

[4]:

Ibid -1.3.5

[5]:

Ibid -1.3.6

[6]:

Ibid-1.3.10

[7]:

Ibid -1.3.11

[8]:

Ibid-1.3.13

[9]:

Kaṭhopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya-1.3.10

[10]:

Kaṭha-upaniṣad -2.1.11

[11]:

Kaṭhopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya-2.1.11

[12]:

Kaṭha-upaniṣad -2.6.7

[13]:

Kaṭhopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya -2.6.7

[14]:

Kaṭha-upaniṣad -2.3.10

[15]:

Kaṭhopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya-2.3.10