Kathopanishad
Kathopanishad is one of the 10 principal upanishads which present the essence and culmination of all knowledge found within India’s most ancient and sacred texts; the vedas. It is a dialogue between a little boy named Nachiketa and the Lord of Death, Yama, which covers the nature of life after death, the true meaning of sacrifice, and how one can transcend death.
It is believed that listening to the upanishads is the first step towards discovering our unique spiritual path to liberation. In 2020, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai gave a series of talks over the course of a month, which methodically and thoroughly explained the significance of the Kathopanishad and its relevance to us in our lives. This podcast series is compiled from those talks.
Episodes
62 episodes
60. You Are DIVINE
Everything in this world is temporary. ‘Bad’ times pass and ‘good’ times pass. The only thing that is constant is you. The real, eternal you; brahman.We are absolutely pure and perfect as we are, however, this innate, perfect divinity is...
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Episode 60
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18:49
59. How Does A Realised Being Act In The World?
Only the one who has lost the fear of death can be considered truly spiritual, for they have realised what they really are, which is neither the body nor the mind. Such a person may continue to live in the world and perform various actions, yet...
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Episode 59
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28:09
58. The Truth Behind All Religions
Particular forms of God appeal to different people, just like some people are fans of particular films or film actors.Having a name and form to focus on in pursuit of the truth is fine and often even necessary, but it should not be mista...
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Episode 58
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24:26
57. The Importance Of Having A Guru
Once we understand what needs to be known, we must then approach a guru with great humility in order to learn that very thing. The guru is important because without their guidance it is very difficult to learn that ultimate truth on our own. A ...
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Episode 57
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35:17
56. The Correct Way To Think
The mind is comprised of four major elements and by a combination of these elements, we make decisions and navigate the world. In order to always make good decisions, it is necessary to verify our thinking with either a direct guru or against s...
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Episode 56
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50:23
55. The Purpose Of All Spiritual Practices
Just as juice cannot be seen in the fruit, fragrance cannot be seen in the flower or butter cannot be seen in milk, so too, brahman may not immediately be seen in the world around us. However, by certain processes, we can extract the juice from...
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Episode 55
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24:14
54. When Will Brahman Reveal Itself?
It is said that brahman will only reveal itself to the one who believes in it despite not being able to perceive it with the senses or even imagine it in the mind.In a manner of expression, brahman is pleased with the one who believes in...
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Episode 54
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52:37
53. The Strongest Foundation For Spiritual Growth
One of the most basic and yet most important goals on our spiritual path, is to control the indriyas. Not giving in to their every whim and fulfilling every desire that may arise will form the requisite foundation for the rest of our spiritual ...
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Episode 53
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49:04
52. Realise The Truth NOW
In this episode of Kathopanishad, we are emphatically urged to seek the truth right now as one never knows how long is left of their life. Learning this supreme truth is practically impossible on any other plane of existence, so we are warned n...
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Episode 52
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40:44
51. Dispel Illusion By Removing Your Desires
The root of our bondage to this world of suffering is our desires. We must sever these bonds with the blade of detachment. The moment desires are removed, the whole illusionary world (maya) disappears.Furthermore, if we carefully and str...
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Episode 51
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52:27
50. The Secrets Of Permanent Happiness
Just as electricity can manifest as light when conducted into a light bulb, as sound via speakers or as wind in the form of a fan, so too this one, singular ātman is manifesting as everything.The only one who can achieve the per...
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Episode 50
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49:04
49. Stop Blaming Or Praising Others (Including God)
The ātman is the screen on which everything is playing. Our experiences of happiness, sorrow, anger, frustration, excitement and dejection play on this screen through the function of our mind.Sadguru reminds us to be very carefu...
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Episode 49
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51:57
48. Karma And Rebirth
The human birth is the most valuable of all possible incarnations as it is only through a human birth that one can realise their own divinity and free themselves from the cycle of suffering. However, a human birth is by no means guaranteed, and...
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Episode 48
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31:13
47. The Body Lives And Dies By The Will Of Brahman Alone
The most important measure of our spiritual progress is how much we are able to reduce our identification with and attachment to the body. This can be achieved by regular contemplation on our true nature.In this episode, Sadguru teaches ...
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Episode 47
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45:21
46. The Role Of Prana (Life Force) In Liberation
brahman is all expansive and all pervading. In, above, below, beside, in front, behind, all around and within all. Being the very source of the pañcaprāṇa, brahman ordains and governs all functions of the body, mind a...
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Episode 46
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36:57
45. Rise From Body Consciousness To Divine Consciousness
Symbolically, everything that we consume through our senses is offered into a yajña (ritual) that continually goes on within us. The priest conducting the yajña represents our mind and the yajña puruṣa is verily b...
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Episode 45
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45:34
44. Where Does Brahman Reside In One’s Body?
God is sometimes referred to as puruṣa. Why? puru means place and ṣa: means the one residing in. Since brahman is everywhere, It is referred to as puruṣa. However, although brahman is everyw...
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Episode 44
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43:14
43. The Infinite Potential Of A Mind Merged In Divinity
The ultimate indicator of spiritual progress is that, whatever happens, our lives should be lived effortlessly. Bad or good, we take all that life offers us in our stride and remain unaffected by it all. In this episode, Sadguru reminds us of t...
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Episode 43
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49:11
42. See The Hand Of God In Every Experience Of Life
Everything exists in brahman. In whichever way one looks at life – it is brahman and brahman alone. One who comes to know this truth never comes to any worry nor needs to bother with the idea of preservation.In...
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Episode 42
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35:34
41. Spirituality Is Fearlessness
Fears arise from our desires and attachments. Either the fear of not getting what we want or the fear of losing it once we have it. To combat these attachments and the resulting fear, we should acknowledge and remember that everything belongs t...
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Episode 41
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36:40
40. The Power Behind All The Senses
One who walks on the spiritual path and who wants to attain the highest Truth should not depend on any external motivation to act. Most people are distracted by the temporary temptations of life and forget the very purpose of their lives.
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Episode 40
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22:15
39. Turn The Senses Inwards To Experience Divinity
God created the senses to function in an outgoing manner, but it is our task to withdraw our attention from the outgoing sense and focus inwards. Those who run after outward distractions finally meet their death and get lost in the repeated cyc...
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Episode 39
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29:31
38. Hierarchy of Consciousness
It is said that the spiritual path is like a sharpened razor’s edge, difficult for those who have never had concentration of mind. Yama describes to Nachiketa in detail the process of attaining the highest level of consciousness. The proc...
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Episode 38
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24:57
37. Assimilate the Truth in the three boons
In the Kathopanishad, it is not a mere coincidence that Nachiketa is granted three boons. Each of the three boons has a deep inner significance which aligns to the stages of progress in any spiritual seeker’s journey. In this episode, Sadguru l...
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Episode 37
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28:40