Katha Upanishad
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
The dialogue between the boy Nachiketa and Yama, the god of death, on what happens after death and how to know the eternal self.
| Tradition | Hindu (Vedic) |
|---|---|
| Type | Upanishad |
| Language | Sanskrit |
| Period | c. 1st millennium BCE (scholarly estimate) |
What it contains
- Belongs to the Krishna Yajurveda.
- Nachiketa refuses wealth and pleasures offered by Yama and asks only for the truth about the self.
- The choice between shreyas (the good) and preyas (the pleasant).
- The image of the body as a chariot, the senses as horses, the mind as reins and the intellect as the charioteer.
- The call "Uttishthata jagrata": arise, awake, and learn from the wise.
Significance
The Katha Upanishad is among the most widely read Upanishads; Swami Vivekananda popularised its call to "arise, awake".