MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 331
15th September 2025
#ChariotMetaphor
#Kathopanishad
आत्मानँ रथितं विद्धि शरीरँ रथमेव तु । बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः प्रग्रहमेव च ॥ Kathopanishad 1.3.3॥
इन्द्रियाणि हयानाहुर्विषयाँ स्तेषु गोचरान् । आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं भोक्तेत्याहुर्मनीषिणः ॥ Kathopanishad 1.3.4॥
ātmānam̐ rathitaṃ viddhi śarīram̐ rathameva tu . buddhiṃ tu sārathiṃ viddhi manaḥ pragrahameva ca ..
indriyāṇi hayānāhurviṣayām̐ steṣu gocarān . ātmendriyamanoyuktaṃ bhoktetyāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ
Let us understand this metaphor by explaining the comparisons
Atmaanam rathitam – Atma (Self) is the master of the chariot
Shariram ratham eva – Body to be the chariot
Buddhim saarathim - Intellect to be the charioter
Manaha pragraham eva – Mind to be the bridle
Indriyaani hayaan - Senses (10) are the horses
vishayaan teshu gocharaan – and the sense objects are the roads
aatmaa-indriya-manah yuktam bhokta – The Self associated with the senses & mind is the enjoyer
#Kathopanishad is a series of conversations between Yama, the God of Dharma, and a young and determined boy, Nachiketa. Yama is the teacher, and Nachiketa is his faithful and sincere disciple.
Yama said “This body, O Nachiketas, is the chariot, the senses are the horses, the mind is the reins, the intellect is the charioteer, and the soul is the rider in the chariot. When the soul joins himself with the charioteer, Buddhi or intellect, and then through it with the mind, the reins, and through it again with the organs, the horses, he is said to be on the right path”.
#JourneyOnTheRightPath
This interesting analogy, given by Yama, helps us understand many principles of life.
Understandably, the master needs the help of a chariot for travel. Even more important is that the chariot must be in good condition to bear the brunt of the journey. Even more critical is that the horses must be fit enough to go through the journey, as otherwise the journey would be incomplete. But even more critical is that reins must be strong enough to connect the horses to the charioteer, as otherwise the horses might run on their own, resulting in not reaching the intended destination. The Charioteer should be knowledgeable and competent to steer the horses as per the conditions of the road. The charioteer cannot relax, leaving the horses to make their own choices. The master must keep the charioteer on his/her side so that the charioteer acts in the master’s interest all the time as a loyal employee. The master is likely to reach the intended destination only if all the above happen.
Taking the analogy further, the body must be fit and healthy in our life journey, but the body is inactive and useless without the senses. It is the senses that give the action and power to the body, but it is the mind that makes inferences from the senses. Thoughts from the mind should be pure and positive for the intellect to steer the senses in the right direction.
That is why Lord Krishna mentioned in #BhagavadGita that the senses are superior to the body, the mind is even superior to the senses, the intellect is superior to the mind, and the Self is more important than the intellect.
#SelfAwareness
Thus, Self-awareness is essential for making everything from your body, senses, mind, and intellect work in your best interest, helping you reach your destination.
Understand and love yourself so that the intellect, mind, senses, and the body can work in your interest in reaching the intended destination, for the Self is the ultimate in superiority order - Author Jaganathan
The owner is the atma who must reach the intended destination. He employs intellect, mind, sense organs and body in accordance with his Prarabdha karma (account at the beginning). He is responsible for training his ‘employees’ to work effectively as a team.
The master (Self) has a destination (goal) to reach and seeks the cooperation of the support system to enable him to achieve the goal. All the support systems employed by the Jiva must cooperate with him so that the Jiva can reach the ultimate destination. They are all employed by him/her and thus must obey him. Do they follow the atma all the time? If so, everyone would reach the destination, but apparently, it is not happening. That is the difference between the knowledgeable self and the ignorant self. Only knowledgeable atmas reach the right destination.
The master must have a knowledgeable and competent charioteer to take the chariot and the master to the destination. The charioteer must steer the horses (senses) through the reins in the right path, else the horses tend to move in the path they like the most (sense objects). If the charioteer leaves the horses to go as per their wish, the chariot might reach a destination, but not the desired destination.
The charioteer (intellect) should choose the right path against the easy path, and it is the choice of the charioteer and not the horses (senses), the roads (sense objects), or the reins (mind). The master (Self) must have the charioteer (intellect) on his side and train the charioteer for this to happen. Author Jaganathan
Further analysis of the ‘Chariot Metaphor’ will continue in the next episode of #MondayMusings.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
#PositiveNewsPage
#Super30AnandKumar
Meet Anand Kumar, best known for his #Super30, which he started in Patna in 2002. He is known for coaching underprivileged students for IIT entrance exams. Kumar was named in Time magazine's list of Best of Asia 2010. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award, for his contributions in the fields of literature and education.
Anand Kumar, the man behind the pioneering Super 30 initiative, has been designated as the honorary ambassador of Korean Tourism for 2024.
Interest in Mathematics
Anand’s father was a clerk in the postal department of India. His father could not afford private schooling for his children, and Anand attended a Hindi medium government school, where he developed a deep interest in mathematics. During his graduation, Kumar submitted papers on number theory, which were published in the Mathematical Spectrum. Kumar secured admission to the University of Cambridge but could not join because of his father's death and his financial condition.
Interest developed into teaching
Missing the Univesity of Cambridge did not deter Kumar. He began teaching mathematics in 1992. He rented a classroom for Rs. 300 per month and began his own institute, the #RamanujanSchoolOfMathematics. Within the span of a year, his class grew from two students to thirty-six, and after three years, almost 500 students had enrolled. Then, in early 2000, when a poor student came to him seeking coaching for IIT-JEE, who could not afford the annual admission fee due to poverty, Kumar was motivated to start the ‘Super 30’ programme in 2002, for which he is now well-known. He saw an opportunity to mentor aspiring poor students to the coveted IIT seat, which he could not afford himself.
Since 2002, the Ramanujan School of Mathematics has conducted competitive tests every May to select 30 students for the Super 30 program. Many students take the test, and eventually, thirty intelligent students from economically disadvantaged sections are selected. He tutors them and provides study materials and lodging for a period of one year free of cost. He prepares them for the Joint Entrance Examination for the IITs. His mother, Jayanti Devi, cooks for the students, and his brother Pranav Kumar takes care of the management.
From 2003 to 2017, 391 students out of 450 from Super 30 joined IITs. From 2006 to 2010, all the students of Super 30 cleared the IIT JEE entrance. Anand Kumar takes no financial support for Super 30 from any government or private agencies and manages all the expenses from the tuition fee he earns from the Ramanujan Institute. Following the success of Super 30 and its growing popularity, he received offers from both national and international private sector companies, as well as the government for financial assistance, but he refused them; Kumar wanted to sustain Super 30 through his own efforts.
Kumar received many recognitions for his SUPER efforts.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly motivational newsletter #MondayMusings every Monday by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com)
_____________________________________________________________________________________