kathopanishad-1-1-26-śvobhāvā

Commentary by Swami Krishnananda of the great Divine Life Society

“What is this, my dear Lord? Are you tempting me in this way?” replies Nachiketas. Śvo-bhāvā martyasya yad antakaitat sarvendriyāṇām jarayanti tejaḥ, api sarvaṁ jīvitam alpam eva tavaiva vāhās tava nṛtya-gīte (1.1.26): “You have told so many things. I have heard it. You want me to enjoy all these things. How will I enjoy them except through the sense organs, which will one day wear out? Tomorrow may be the last day. Bubble-like is this world which can burst at any moment, and worn-out sense organs cannot enjoy anything. What is the good of living a long life with worn-out sense organs? The energy, the vitality and the capacity to enjoy gradually diminish day by day as age progresses. Do you want me to live for the longest number of years and become old and decrepit? Even the longest life is very short in the life of eternity that is ahead of us. What is the good of telling me I can have a long life? Take all your chariots, take all your music, take all your dances. I do not want them. Take them back.”