The Universal Soul in The Parable of the Chariot, Katha Upanishad 3.3-3

The ecumenic Soul in The Parable of the Chariot, Katha Upanishad 3.3-3.12The word Atman is translated into English as intellect or self. til now Atman in Hinduism has a much richer meaning than our standard western nonion of soul. For example, Atman is understood as divine and equivalent to Brahman, the ultimate reality. Each individuals Atman is the same, and each is identical with Brahman. Therefore Atman could also be translated, Universal Soul, Eternal Soul, or All-Soul. The Katha Upanishad speaks at length about the nature of Atman, how bingle might attain to it and thereby attain to Brahman. Attainment to Atman is dependent on the control of those aspects of the person that are transitory and not eternal desire Atman these include the frame, the mind, the intellect and the senses. The parable of the chariot in the Katha Upanishad illustrates the nature of Atman by means of an allegory. According to this parable, the way to Brahman is through and through Atman the way t o Atman is through control of the body, the senses, the mind, and the intellect. Each of these aspects of the person, including Atman itself, is likened to some part of the chariot. It is thus shown that Atman or the soul is what gives the body purpose and life, and that control of the mind and the senses results in a association of the universal soul and, likewise, ultimate reality.The parable of the chariot begins simply with a basic comparison between two opposite aspects of a person, body and soul (Katha Upanishad, 3.3)Know thou the soul (atman, self) as riding in a chariot, The body as the chariot.In this passage the soul is not only shown in control of the body but also saved by it and dependent on it for its interaction with the world... ...hings, That Soul (Atman, Self) shines not forth, exactly He is realizen by subtle recognisers With superior, subtle intellect.The parable of the chariot s hows that Atman is the lordly entity among the some parts that make up the person, yet it also shows that the various parts have relationships with and dependencies on one another. Through the subordination of the many parts to Atman, we may come to spang Atman, the royal passenger in the chariot. All the aspects of the person which are not Atman (body, mind, etc.) give us the photo that we are unique individuals. Only by subordinating these things to Atman do we see otherwise. We all suffer from the illusion that we are distinct, yet when we begin to see that we all are in fact the same, then we begin to know Atman and therefore Brahman as well.