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One who chooses the Self gets Realized

नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन ।
यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यस्तस्यैष आत्मा विवृणुते तनूँस्वाम् ॥
– कठोपनिषद् १.२.२३

nāyam-ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena ।
yam-evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhya: tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūm-svām ॥
– Kaṭhopaniṣad 1.2.23

Translation:

This Self can be attained neither by scholarly study, nor by great intellect, nor by extensive listening. One who chooses the Self wholesomely, to him the Self reveals its own truth.

Points for Introspection:

The purpose of this human life is to realize one’s Self. Simply reading about the Self may give knowledge about the Self but not realization. One may have very good intelligence to understand what this Self or Soul is; one may have heard many discourses on the Self, one may even be able to explain about the Self very well; but none of these qualities enable one to realize the Self.

Then who realizes it? One who yearns to have the knowledge of the Self whole-heartedly, one who is not interested in any other thing! To one who wants the Self to the exclusion of everything else, the Self reveals itself.

For every seeker, this śloka is a watchword. No amount of intelligence, learning, lecturing, hearing or scholarship can help in the realization of the Self. The seeker has to judge whether every moment the love for realizing the Self is becoming more and more one-pointed. Only when this love for the Self becomes wholesome, when nothing else attracts the seeker, when he wants to be always in the embrace of his own Self, then alone real Self-knowledge dawns.

Chanting of this śloka reminds us again and again that we must have pure zealous yearning for Self-knowledge, and should never be complacent with scholarliness.

Word Meaning:

न (na) = not; अयं (ayaṃ) = this; आत्मा (ātmā) = Self; प्रवचनेन (pravacanena) = by scholarly study; लभ्यः (labhyaḥ) = is attained; न मेधया (na medhayā) = not by great intellect; न बहुना श्रुतेन (na bahunā śrutena) = not by extensive listening; यं (yaṃ) = which; एव (eva) = alone; एषः (eṣaḥ) = this; वृणुते (vṛṇute) = chooses; तेन (tena) = by him; लभ्यः (labhyaḥ) = is attained; तस्य (tasya) = his; एषः (eṣaḥ) = this; आत्मा (ātmā) = Self; विवृणुते (vivṛṇute) = reveals; तनूं ( tanūṃ) = body (true identify); स्वाम् ( svām) = its own;

अन्वयः
अयं आत्मा प्रवचनेन न लभ्यः; न मेधया, न बहुना श्रुतेन (लभ्यः); एषः यं एव वृणुते तेन लभ्यः ; तस्य एषः आत्मा स्वां तनूं विवृणुते ।
ayaṃ ātmā pravacanena na labhyaḥ; na medhayā, na bahunā śrutena (labhyaḥ), eṣaḥ yaṃ eva vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ; tasya eṣaḥ ātmā svāṃ tanūṃ vivṛṇute.