Know Thyself
“Know the Ātman (the Self) as the lord of the chariot; the body as only the chariot; know also the intellect as the driver; know the mind as the reins.” — Katha Upanishad, 1.3.3–4 I have always loved this teaching. It is one of the oldest metaphors for the human experience, yet it still feels startlingly accurate. Long before psychology, neuroscience or self-help, the sages understood that the human being is a layered being: a soul, a body, a mind, an intellect, each with its own role, each needing to be understood if life is to move in the right direction. The Upanishads teach that if the reins are loose, the horses run wild. If the driver is confused, the chariot veers off the road. If the chariot is mistaken for the rider, we forget who we truly are. That’s the real warning of the verse: you are not the vehicle, not the mind’s chatter, not even the intellect’s judgments. You are the one seated inside ,the witness, the awareness, the eternal Self. And that is where...