The Katha Upanishad for Sleep — A Light Without Smoke

Part two of the Katha Upanishad, read slowly for sleep. Last time, a boy named Nachiketa waited three nights at the door of Death, turned down every treasure in the world, and heard that the one who is really you was never born and never dies. Tonight Death keeps teaching him, quietly, by the lamp. You'll hear the famous picture of the chariot. The body is the chariot, the senses are the horses, the mind holds the reins, and you are the one riding in the back, being carried home. Then a long staircase down, from the senses to the mind to the deepest Self, where there's nothing further to go. It only goes down. Then the old call, arise, awake. And near the end, a small, warm image. A person no bigger than your thumb, living in your heart like a light without smoke. This sleep meditation covers chapters three and four, all thirty-two verses, in Robert Ernest Hume's 1921 translation, now in the public domain, with original reflection between the verses. It starts with a short welcome and a recap, so you don't need the first part. Use it as a bedtime meditation, or just lie in the dark and let the story carry you. You don't have to follow every word. If you drift off on the staircase, that's the whole point. New readings from the Upanishads come out every week. Subscribe so the last part of the story finds you, and if someone you know has trouble sleeping, send them this one. Part one, The Boy Who Waited Three Nights: ССЫЛКА_ЭП9 0:00:00 Welcome, and the story so far 0:04:41 Light and shadow in the heart 0:18:22 The parable of the chariot 0:31:52 Unruly horses and good horses 0:44:50 The end of the journey 0:57:51 From the senses to the Person 1:13:06 The hidden light and the Tranquil Self 1:26:54 Arise! Awake! The razor's edge 1:40:27 Soundless, touchless, formless 1:54:32 The wise one who turned inward 2:08:49 This, verily, is That 2:22:18 Four images of That 2:35:54 What is here, that is there 2:49:39 A light without smoke #SleepMeditation #KathaUpanishad #BedtimeStory