Kathopanishad – 2

Valli 1,Ch.1

Kathopanishad starts with a story through which guru, Lord Yama and sishya, Nachiketas, meet and hold their dialogue.   Vajasravas was leading a Vedic life-style with faith in Sastras and yajnas. He once performed the Viswajit yajna for gaining Swarga.  In this yajna one has to give away everyone of his possessions by way of daksina. He had a son aged around eight, by name Nachiketas who had also good knowledge of Vedic rituals.  Nachiketas saw his father giving away old cows that have passed milk-yielding stage and gone weak with age, as dakshina.  He was concerned that as the yajna is being performed sakama, it will not benefit his father if dakshina is not proper.  He did not wait to verify whether all the good cows had been given off and whether these are only the last batch of cows, but wanted to draw the attention of his father to the old and weak cows being not proper dakshina.  He considered himself as the property of his father and so he thought, if he is given away as gift, he will be of more use to the receiver than the old weak cows and this will save his father from any adverse effects of improper performance of the yajna,. For, a sakama ritual will result in papa instead of punya, as desired, if not done strictly as per the letter of the scripture.  So he approached his father and asked ‘O father! To whom are you going to give me as dakshina?” The father ignored him but Nachiketas persisted with the question.  When Nachiketas asked for a third time, the father lost his patience and said “I will give you to Yama” as we say today to an annoying person “Go to hell”.  Nachiketas wondered why his father is annoyed with him.  But when Vajasravas regretted saying these words, Nachiketas insisted that his father should keep his word as he had uttered it while performing the yajna.  Consoling the troubled father who did not mean what he said in a moment of annoyance and deeply regretted his saying it, Nachiketas went to the palace of Yama. 

As Yama was not at home he waited for him at the entrance, refusing to take food or water without reporting to Yama. When Yama returned and learnt that a young brahmin boy was waiting for him at the gate without taking food and water, he rushed to him with water, washed his feet, as befitting an honoured guest and profusely apologized for the inconvenience caused to him by his absence.  As  pratyavaya papa, the sin of omission, will accrue if an athithi is not properly treated,  Yama wanted to make amends for the lapse and so  he offered  Nachiketas three boons to compensate for the three nights of  fasting at his gate, waiting  for his return.   This shows Yama’s greatness.  He treated Nachiketas with all respect due to an athithi and not as a mere boy who had come there out of turn incurring his father’s displeasure. 

Through the first boon Nachiketas prayed for the peace of mind of his father who was very much agitated when Nachiketas left for Yama Loka.  He also wanted his father to welcome him back warmly without mistaking him for a ghost when he returns from the land of Yama, be reconciled to him and love him as before.  Yama readily granted the boon and said his father will be happy to see him back, free of inner agitations and feelings of guilt for offering him to Yama. The story so far highlights the qualities of shraddha, faith, tithiksha, forbearance, and sagacity of Nachiketas. He wanted the yajna to be properly performed, which shows his shraddha. He waited patiently at Yama’s gate refusing food and water, which shows his tithiksha.  This has put Yama under obligation to him through a feeling of guilt for neglecting an athithi.  Further through the first boon he ensured his father’s peace of mind and also his return to earth to his father’s house.  This shows his sagacity.

Through the second boon he demonstrated his concern for the welfare of the society by asking to be instructed on the details of the fire ritual, through which one can go to Swarga loka after death.   Yama instructed him in detail and when Nachiketas repeated the details verbatim, to show he has understood it, Yama was very pleased and he named the ritual after Nachiketas, calling it Nachiketagni.  Yama also offered him a necklace of multi-hued gems as an additional gift, which Nachiketas did not accept as his mind was set on acquiring Brahma Vidya from Yama.  This he asked as the third boon, when Yama asked him to choose the third boon in Mantra 19. With this Mantra the introductory portion comes to an end.  

From Mantra 20, where Nachiketas spells out the third boon, Brahma Vidya portion starts.  The Mantra 20 runs as:

Yaa iyam prete vichikitsaa manushye asti iti eke ayam na asti iti cha eke I

etat vidyaam anushishtah tvayaa aham varaanaam eshah varah triteeyah II

This doubt that arises, consequent on the death of a man – some saying, ‘he exists (after death) ’, and others saying ‘he does not exist (after death)’ – I wish to be clarified and I seek your instructions (being the Lord of death). Of all the boons, this one is the third boon.

For the third boon Nachiketas wanted to know the answer to the question ‘Is there life after death and what is it about a person that transcends death of the body?’  The question concerns Athma and Yama did not want to impart the knowledge to Nachiketas without testing his readiness to absorb the knowledge and his keenness to acquire the knowledge.  No doubt he has demonstrated through the earlier boons his chiththa suddhi and chiththa ekagratha.  His ability to absorb the knowledge about NachiketaYajna revealed his chiththa ekagratha and the selfless nature of the two boons he asked earlier and the transcendental nature of the present boon revealed his chiththa suddhi, but still Yama wanted to be absolutely sure of his viveka, vairagya, and mumukshuthvam. So he tried to discourage him through Mantra 21, saying this matter is so subtle that even devas cannot understand it and so he asked him to ask for some other thing as third boon. But in Mantra 22 Nachiketas uses Yama’s argument itself to press for the answer.  If this matter is so subtle that even devas cannot understand it, then there can be no master more qualified than Yama, who is the controller of death, to impart this knowledge. Therefore no other boon can be equal to this, counter argues Nachiketas and stands firm in his request for this knowledge as third boon, which reveals his viveka.

Now Yama tries another track in Mantras 23, 24 and 25.  He tempts Nachiketas with wealth and longevity, as much as he desires, including overlordship over earth and even celestial pleasures as in verse 25.

 Ye ye kaamaah durlabhaah martya loke sarvaan kaamaan chhandatah praarthayasva I

imaah raamaah sarathaah satooryaah na hi eedrishaah lambhaneeyaah manushyaih I

aabhih matprattaabhih parichaarayasva nachiketah maranam maa anupraaksheeh II

Whatever heavenly desires are there which are too difficult to obtain in this world of mortals, all those desires, according to your fancy, you may ask for.  Here are these fair damsels with chariots and musical instruments –of such (beauty) that are not indeed obtainable or enjoyable by mortals, I shall give them to you to be attended upon by them.  Only, O Nachiketas, do not inquire about death.

But Nachiketas is not tempted. He declines the offer in Mantra 26 by saying they are only ephemeral.  In Mantra 27 he points out ‘Na vittena tarpaneeyah manushyah (wealth alone does not satisfy man)’.  Money alone cannot give one peace, happiness or immortality.  Happiness does not depend on what one has, but on what one is.  He firmly declares as follows in Mantra 29 that Nachiketas wants only this knowledge as third boon.

Yasmin idam vichikit-santi mrityo yat saam-paraaye mahati broohi nah tat I

yah ayam varah goodham anu-pravishtah na anyam tasmaat nachiketaa vrineete II

O Lord of Death, tell me of that Great Beyond into which we pass (after death) about which people entertain doubt and which knowledge is inaccessible.  Apart from this boon, which relates to the mysterious thing, Nachiketas does not pray for any other.

Through this declaration in the face of extra-ordinary temptations he has firmly demonstrated  his viveka, vairagya , intense mumukshuthvam and  also a single-pointed determination, that Lord Krishna calls as “Vyavasaayaathmika buddhi” in Gita (2-41). Now Yama is only too pleased to offer Nachiketas this knowledge as we see in the next valli, for the first valli closes with Nachiketas’ firm rejection of anything other than this knowledge.  

Rare indeed is a soul of the Nachiketas temperament. He stood firm and beat Yama at his own game.  Yama also would indeed be proud of such a ripe disciple as Nachiketas for only a guru knows the joy of meeting a perfect disciple and Nachiketas is such a perfect disciple.

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