Who is 'self' ? (Upanishads...)

In the previous post we said that only 'Self realization' can give eternal peace. Who is this 'self'? How do Upanishads view an individual? As I said earlier, Upanishads employ nice allegories to explain subtle concepts. In this post we will see one such well known allegory. 

One of the Upanishads namely, Kathopanishad, explains how an individual is constituted. It says that our body is like a chariot used by the soul. Or in other words, The  'self' is the rider who rides on this chariot namely the body.

Our sense organs are the horses that pull this chariot. Normally, these horses move on the path of sense inputs. Or in other words, they go after sense pleasures.

Our mind is the one that holds these sense horses together. It is like the reins. 

Our intellect uses these reins, (i.e. mind), to control the horses. It plays the role of a charioteer, who moves the chariot in whichever direction the rider of the chariot wishes.

If the rider chooses to, the charioteer (i.e. intellect) would move the horses on the path of sense pleasures, i.e. in worldly pursuits. Or else, it can rein in them so that they don’t go after worldly things.

It is the rider who makes a decision – worldly pursuits or something else. 

What happens when the rider chooses to stop the horses from running after sense pleasures by restraining the mind through the intellect? We will see that in the next post.

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