Vedas 46 - Kathopanishad - Part 5 A - The City Of The Soul Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon
Vedas 46 - Kathopanishad - Part 5 A - The City Of The Soul
Yama declares: "O Gautama!
Nachiketaa! My dear boy! Listen!
The body of a human being is like a city,
It has eleven gates.
Two eyes, two ears, two nostrils,
The mouth, the navel,
The two lower abdominal openings,
And, the most important is
An invisible, imperceptible door
At the top of the head."
"The unborn Soul or
The eternal Spirit dwells
In this ‘Pura' or city of each body.
It is the Spirit dwelling in the sun,
It is the Spirit burning in the fire,
It is the Spirit cooling in the water,
It is the spirit moving in the air,
It is the Spirit present in the ether.
It is, verily, everywhere,
It is within all and all around too! "
"The Soul or the Spirit, is like a King -
The Ruler of this city. The Soul is above
All imperfections and all modifications.
A human being with an intellect to discriminate
Between the right and the wrong,
Between the pure and the impure,
Through continuous meditation,
Through constant contemplation,
Realises and comprehends the Truth,
Realises and enjoys the splendour of the Soul."
The dialogue between Nachiketaa and Yama, though long, is very interesting and absorbing. The dialogue spreads over six chapters or sections containing 119 verses. Chapter 1 - 29 verses, Chapter 2 - 25 verses, Chapter 3 - 17 Verses, Chapter 4 - 15 verses, Chapter 5- 15 verses and Chapter 6 - 18 verses.
With this poem, I enter the fifth chapter or section, also known as ‘Vallee'.
Each Upanishad should be read from the beginning and in order of the Series, specially Kathopanishad, which is illustrated through a story.Otherwise, neither the story or the essence of the Upanishad will be understood. It would be difficult to grasp the philosophy of the Upanishad.
(2) Thank you so much for this amazing series which i have enjoyed reading. Thanks, Geeta ji. I quote: The body of a human being is like a city (with 11 gates) The Soul or the Spirit, is like a King - The Ruler of this city
A big 'thank you' for the continued support to these Vedic poems. Every verse in the Upanishads has a strong and significant message. We cannot miss them. Stay blessed always, Rajnish ji.
(1) I am Sorry. I don't know how it escaped my attention. This is such a wonderful piece of poetry as well as philosophy which underlines the fact that an intellectual person to discriminate between good and bad, pure and impure, right and wrong can get at the ultimate truth through constant meditation leading to divine splendors of the soul. Though, not easy to comprehend, regular practice can take one to that state of bliss.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
4/26/2024 1:13:49 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Insightful and great philosophy of life, I remember having read this conversation long back during my school days, thanks to you for refreshing my memories on Nachiketa. Great series.10++++
Thank you so much for reading this poem. I am happy that it refreshed your schooldays memory.