KathaUpanishad

he had two sons - Shvetaketu and Naciketas. Chandogya Upanishad deals with
Uddalaka and his son Shvetakertu; Katha deals with Uddalaka an his son Nachiketa
H.C. Raychaudhuri (1972), Political History of Ancient India, Calcutta: University of
Calcutta, pp.41–52 and Ben-Ami Scharfstein (1998), A comparative history of world
philosophy: from the Upanishads to Kant, Albany: State University of New York Press,
pp.56-62. estimates Aruni's date as approximately the 7th or 8th century BC. However
the Classical Sanskrit in which these upanishads are currently available could not have
been possible earlier than 150 AD. If the teaching existed orally in the 7th century BC it
would have to be in a different language probably in Vedic Sanskrit viz .Persian
Avestan.
It would be safe to assume the first writing down of the Upansihad to sometime after the
second century. During the course of history it has undergone several redactions as
any discerning student could understand from a casual look at the contents in the series
of Valli in the progress of the book. In that process most of the major portions were
either deleted or lost. What we have today is just the outline of the teaching, yet
profoundly indicates the significance of the subject area.
When I took the study of the Upanishad, I had no idea of what to expect until I saw the
intense parallel of the treatment with the recent Christian presentation of the subject as
"The Four Spiritual Laws" which are widely in circulation. This then is my reconstruction
of the Upanishadic teaching based on that assumption. It again consolidates the
historical fact of the presence of Christianity all over India, both North and South by that
time and to the Ministry of St.Thomas the Apostle.
Yagna or Quorban
Yagna means sacrifice, which in the South Indian and Eastern Churches is known as
Quorban. In the Chrisitain thought of the early period, the Quorban was the means of
creation. God gave himself or sacrificed himself to create the Cosmos. If God was all
that was, there is nothing outside of Him and so if he has to create anything he has to
create a space where He relinquishes his total power and give freedom. This was the
greatest sacrifice of God: He gave ups his body and He gave up his authorithy and
power to create beings with freedom of will. That is how God created Sons of God in
His own image. "In the beginning God created." Creation is the physical manifestation
of yajna (quorban). Even today creation of a family implies sacrifice on the part of the
husband and wife. Yet there is joy in the creation. The whole universal principle of
sowing reaping are implied in the yajna.
Principal elements of yajna
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this
he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap
corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Yajna contains three significant elements:
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