Guest guest Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 The Story of Nachiketas: Conquest of “kaama” through ------------------- redirecting Desire -- “gnyAna yOga” - There is a famous story in the Katopanishad where a young lad, Nachiketas engages the god of Death, Yama, in a rather grim but profound dialogue that takes place under rather unusual circumstances. It is recounted below very briefly. The story is a vivid and dramatic illustration of how Vedantic conquest of human Desire through “gnyAna-mArga” may be achieved i.e. it shows us how human Will, when fortified and enlightened by “gnyAna”, can easily "redirect" or deflect our desires away from what is dross to what is sublime. ************** Nachiketa’s father was performing a “yagnya”, a ritual sacrifice. In keeping with the ritual-tradition of those Vedic times, the father was gifting away some cattle to indigent Brahmins (“daana”). Unfortunately, as young Nachiketas was quick to observe, the cows being given away were all from his father’s old stable –- old, lean, unwanted and quite useless. So Nachiketas, with the moral naiveté and directness typical of one his age, wanted to ask the father, “Of what worth is it performing ritual, my father, when sacrificial offerings are as worthless as these old cows of ours?” But out of filial respect, Nachiketas preferred to couch his question in words that were suitably deferential and yet subtle enough to merely prick, not shame, the father’s conscience. So the boy asked softly, “Father, after you have given away all these old cows, to whom might you choose to offer me as sacrificial offering?” His son’s pointed query stung the father to the quick. Not only was his guilt and shame aroused but his anger boiled over too. Instantly he flashed back, rather thoughtlessly, at poor Nachiketas, “To Yama, the God of Death, shall I offer you as sacrifice-offering!” Those harsh and hasty words were spoken at a solemn ritual even as it was under way, and when so spoken they immediately assumed a ring of fatal reality. Poor Nachiketas found himself journeying forthwith to the Kingdom of Yama, the God of Death. **************** The story further is best told in the words of the Katopanishad itself (translation of original Sanskrit text): (QUOTE): “Nachiketa went to Yama’s abode, but the king Of Death was not there. He waited three days and long nights. When Yama returned, he heard an ethereal voice say: “When a spiritual guest enters the house Like a bright flame, he must be received well With water to wash his feet. For from wise Are those who are not hospitable To such a guest. They will lose all their hopes, The religious merit they have acquired and Their sons and cattle too.” Yama hence hastened to appease Nachiketas and spoke: “O spiritual guest, I grant you three boons To atone for the three inhospitable nights You have spent in my abode! Ask for three boons, one for each night”. (UNQUOTE) *************** We must pause a while and dwell on the story at this interesting point. Yama wanted to sincerely atone for his guilt and misdemeanor at having made the young lad wait outside the House of Death for 3 long, inhospitable nights. And hence Nachiketa was offered 3 valuable boons that were simply his for the asking! “What luck!” the young Nachiketas must have thought to himself. As first boon from Yama, Nachiketas asked that his father’s anger towards him be assuaged and that he would regain his place in his affections. Yama said “Granted! Ask for the second boon.” As second boon, Nachiketas asked Yama to impart to him the rightful way to conduct the holiest of holy “yagnya”, i.e. Vedic fire-sacrifices, and which paves the way for wisdom and well-being in life on earth. Yama was so impressed by this wish of the lad. It spoke volumes about the lad’s spiritual ardor and effulgence (“tEjas”) and the Lord of Death was pleased to reward him with the second boon. After duly initiating Nachiketa into the esotericism and practice of the said “yagnya”, Yama made it known that the fire-ritual so taught to Nachiketa would henceforth become eponymous i.e. it would be known to all the world as “nachiketa-yagnya”. In thus granting the first and second boons to Nachiketa, Yama virtually handed the young hero back into the living arms of the human world, restoring to Nachiketa all the happiness of past circumstances. Next, it was the moment for Nachiketa to ask Yama the third and last boon. ************** Up to this point in the Katopanishad, the story is told with a dry, matter-of-fact terseness that conceals, however, several important moral lessons for Man ("dharma-sookshma"). The first is this: It is always perilous to go about conducting sacred rituals without requisite “shraddha” --- earnestness, diligence and conscientiousness. An attitude of laxity, inadvertence or a cavalier approach to performance of Vedic “samskArAs” or “karma” can have extremely unfortunate consequences, as Nachiketa’s father, in the grip of momentary anger, found out at very great personal cost. Secondly, Charity ("daana") must always involve an element of real, not token, sacrifice. Gifting away old clothes and unwanted stuff that, over time, have probably piled up in the basement or attic in your house is really more home spring-cleaning, not genuine charity. It is no different than Nachiketa’s father giving away old, wobbly cattle from his stable as holy sacrificial offering (“daana”), even while the poor animals were on their last legs. Thirdly, never should one be inhospitable, callous or unkind to a house-guest. (“atithi dEvO bhava” says the TaittirIya Upanishad). Do not keep people waiting endlessly, unattended or feeling cold and unwelcome at your doorsteps (as Nachiketas must have surely felt waiting outside Yama’s doorsteps for 3 long nights). The consequences of showing such blatant discourtesy are something which let alone human beings, no less a person (or god) than Yama himself fears terribly. Death himself abhors lack of graciousness in a host towards a house guest. "Limbo" --- that state of suspended or indeterminate existence in which a human soul finds itself while waiting at the doorsteps of Death, prior to it being decided whether it is to Heaven that the soul shall ascend or to Hell that it must be consigned --- that state called "limbo" is a purely Christian belief. There is no place for it in the Vedic system of faith where even the God of Death is obliged to deal business with utmost courtesy and efficiency. Besides all the above, the story of Nachiketas contains one other great moral lesson --- on the subject of “kaama”. But to know that one we must continue with the rest of the story. ************* (QUOTE): Yama said, “Ask now, Nachiketa, for the third boon Nachiketa said: When a person dies, there arises this doubt: “He still exists”, say some, “he does not”, say others. I want you to teach me the truth. This is my third boon. At this Yama replied with a sigh: “This doubt haunted even the gods of old; For the secret of death is hard to know. Nachiketa, ask for some other boon And please release me from my promise made to you.” But Nachiketa insisted: “This doubt haunted even the gods of old; For it is indeed hard to know, O Death, as you say. But I can have no greater teacher than you to teach me this, And there is no boon too equal to this”. Then Yama spoke: “Ask for sons and grandsons who live A hundred years. Ask for herds of cattle, Elephants and horses, gold and vast land, And ask to live as long as you desire. Or, if you think of anything more Desirable, ask for that too with wealth and Long life as well! Nachiketa, be the ruler Of a great kingdom, and I will give you The utmost capacity to enjoy The Pleasures of life. Ask for beautiful Women of loveliness rarely seen on earth, Riding in chariots, skilled in music and dance To attend to you. But Nachiketa, please, Don’t ever ask me about the one thing that is Forbidden to Men and that is the Secret of Death”. The young Nachiketa, undaunted and unconvinced, spoke again unto Yama, the Lord of Death: “These pleasures last but until tomorrow, And they wear out the vital powers of life too; How fleeting is all life on earth! Therefore Keep your horses and chariots, dancing women and Music for yourself. Never can mortals Be made happy with these. How can we be Desirous of wealth when we see your face, And know we cannot live while you O Death, are here? “This is the boon I choose and ask you for: Dispel this doubt of mine, O King of Death. Does a person live after death, or does he not? Nachiketa asks for no other boon Than the secret of this great mystery.” (UNQUOTE) **************** Anyone who has seriously studied the above passage in the Katopanishad will relish this classic dialogue between Yama and Nachiketa as one of the most profoundly moving masterpieces of Vedantic thought. Seated upon the very doorsteps of the Abode of Death, a little boy asks Yama to reveal to him the ultimate knowledge that Man aspires for: the Secret of Life after Death, the Way to everlasting liberation of the soul after it has shed its mortal coils. Yama is unwilling to offer that Knowledge so easily to a mere boy, fearing that he is unripe and unready for it and that it may simply overwhelm and overawe a spirit as young as Nachiketa's. So Yama prevaricates by offering Nachiketas the greatest of life's sop as an alternative --- "kaama". He offers Nachiketas the rich temptations and sensuous pleasures of the world that any youthful heart, inflamed by passions of “kaama”, would naturally yearn. Death taunts and teases Nachiketas, “Forget this desire for knowledge about life after death. Re-direct it instead to the enjoyment of the pleasures of life which I shall grant you in more than full measure!” The alternatives posed by Death are alluring no doubt. But at a deeper level, if you contemplate deeply upon them, they are frighteningly mind-boggling, aren't they? While reading and re-reading this passage in the Upanishad several times in my life, I have imagined myself to be Nachiketa and often wondered what exactly I would myself do in the situation. If in my last moments on earth, Death Himself were to appear before me and tell me, “Choose now between the two: “gnyAna” or “kaama”. I promise you another fresh and long lease of life. No death for you now. You can go back now to the world and lead a life full of enjoyment and pleasure, where all your deepest desires of the heart shall come true. However, if you want instead, you can give up all the pleasures of “kaama” that is on offer now, and become my student and I shall teach you all about true “gnyAna”, the secret Knowledge of Life and Death. You can have one but not the other. Choose. You have one minute to make up your mind. And the clock ticks.... Now!” “What would I do in the situation?”, I ask myself, again and yet again. And after all these years of studying the Katopanishad and trying to understand it, I must honestly admit, I have never been able to get anywhere even remotely close to making up my mind. **************** Not so, however, is the case with young Nachiketas of the Katopanishad. The Upanishad tells us that the lad weighed the pros and cons of Yama’s choice, and firmly and quickly made up his mind through an act of deliberate Will: “How can I live and seek Pleasure and Desire while you, O Death, are here?” Between the strong pulls of “kaama” and the soft calls of “gnyAna” stood the great and looming dilemma of Nachiketa, threatening his very soul, as it stood teetering on the very edge of a moral precipice, with claims and counter-claims on behalf of life and on behalf of death. By what must have been a superhuman effort of Will-power, Nachiketas simply "re-directed" his youthful desire --- away from "kaama" towards "gnyAna"... away from fleeting Pleasure towards everlasting Truth. **************** In the end “GnyAna” won. “Kaama” lost... It is the end that has made the legend of Nachiketa one of the priceless gems of Upanishadic parables held to be a treasure-house of Truth by generations of truth-seekers ("gnyAnis") in the ancient land of India. In the cry of the TiruppavAi, in the 29th Stanza, in that unforgettable expression: “maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu”, a generation indeed of young “aaypAdi” maidens --- perhaps as young as Nachiketas of the Katopanishad --- the young girls prayed to the Almighty that in the battle between "gnyAna” and “kaama”, between Truth and Desire, they too should emerge as victorious as the Upanishadic hero. (to be continued) Regards, dAsan, Sudarshan ________ India Matrimony: Find your partner now. Go to http://.shaadi.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 SrI: sudarshan swamin: namaskaram: Adiyen read your posting about Nachiketas story. Thanks. Persons like adiyen has no opportunity to read Upanishads. However through swamin's mail, HE gives me an opportunity to read the valuable Truth which is explained in Katopanishad. Adiyen interested to read more postings like this. Once again adiyen extends thanks....to Swamin Sudarshan. adiyen, senthil.b Oppiliappan, sudarshan madabushi <mksudarshan2002> wrote: > > > The Story of Nachiketas: Conquest of "kaama" > through > > ------------------- > redirecting Desire -- "gnyAna yOga" > - > > There is a famous story in the Katopanishad where a > young lad, Nachiketas engages the god of Death, Yama, > in a rather grim but profound dialogue that takes > place under rather unusual circumstances. It is > recounted below very briefly. The story is a vivid and > dramatic illustration of how Vedantic conquest of > human Desire through "gnyAna-mArga" may be achieved > i.e. it shows us how human Will, when fortified and > enlightened by "gnyAna", can easily "redirect" or > deflect our desires away from what is dross to what is > sublime. > > ************** > > Nachiketa's father was performing a "yagnya", a ritual > sacrifice. In keeping with the ritual-tradition of > those Vedic times, the father was gifting away some > cattle to indigent Brahmins ("daana"). Unfortunately, > as young Nachiketas was quick to observe, the cows > being given away were all from his father's old stable > –- old, lean, unwanted and quite useless. So > Nachiketas, with the moral naiveté and directness > typical of one his age, wanted to ask the father, "Of > what worth is it performing ritual, my father, when > sacrificial offerings are as worthless as these old > cows of ours?" But out of filial respect, Nachiketas > preferred to couch his question in words that were > suitably deferential and yet subtle enough to merely > prick, not shame, the father's conscience. So the boy > asked softly, "Father, after you have given away all > these old cows, to whom might you choose to offer me > as sacrificial offering?" > > His son's pointed query stung the father to the quick. > Not only was his guilt and shame aroused but his anger > boiled over too. Instantly he flashed back, rather > thoughtlessly, at poor Nachiketas, "To Yama, the God > of Death, shall I offer you as sacrifice-offering!" > > Those harsh and hasty words were spoken at a solemn > ritual even as it was under way, and when so spoken > they immediately assumed a ring of fatal reality. Poor > Nachiketas found himself journeying forthwith to the > Kingdom of Yama, the God of Death. > > **************** > > The story further is best told in the words of the > Katopanishad itself (translation of original Sanskrit > text): > > (QUOTE): > "Nachiketa went to Yama's abode, but the king > Of Death was not there. He waited three days and long > nights. > When Yama returned, he heard an ethereal voice say: > > "When a spiritual guest enters the house > Like a bright flame, he must be received well > With water to wash his feet. For from wise > Are those who are not hospitable > To such a guest. They will lose all their hopes, > The religious merit they have acquired and > Their sons and cattle too." > > Yama hence hastened to appease Nachiketas and spoke: > > "O spiritual guest, I grant you three boons > To atone for the three inhospitable nights > You have spent in my abode! > Ask for three boons, one for each night". > > (UNQUOTE) > *************** > > We must pause a while and dwell on the story at this > interesting point. > > Yama wanted to sincerely atone for his guilt and > misdemeanor at having made the young lad wait outside > the House of Death for 3 long, inhospitable nights. > And hence Nachiketa was offered 3 valuable boons that > were simply his for the asking! "What luck!" the young > Nachiketas must have thought to himself. > > As first boon from Yama, Nachiketas asked that his > father's anger towards him be assuaged and that he > would regain his place in his affections. Yama said > "Granted! Ask for the second boon." > > As second boon, Nachiketas asked Yama to impart to him > the rightful way to conduct the holiest of holy > "yagnya", i.e. Vedic fire-sacrifices, and which paves > the way for wisdom and well-being in life on earth. > Yama was so impressed by this wish of the lad. It > spoke volumes about the lad's spiritual ardor and > effulgence ("tEjas") and the Lord of Death was pleased > to reward him with the second boon. After duly > initiating Nachiketa into the esotericism and practice > of the said "yagnya", Yama made it known that the > fire-ritual so taught to Nachiketa would henceforth > become eponymous i.e. it would be known to all the > world as "nachiketa-yagnya". > > In thus granting the first and second boons to > Nachiketa, Yama virtually handed the young hero back > into the living arms of the human world, restoring to > Nachiketa all the happiness of past circumstances. > > Next, it was the moment for Nachiketa to ask Yama the > third and last boon. > > ************** > > Up to this point in the Katopanishad, the story is > told with a dry, matter-of-fact terseness that > conceals, however, several important moral lessons for > Man ("dharma-sookshma"). > > The first is this: It is always perilous to go about > conducting sacred rituals without requisite "shraddha" > --- earnestness, diligence and conscientiousness. An > attitude of laxity, inadvertence or a cavalier > approach to performance of Vedic "samskArAs" or > "karma" can have extremely unfortunate consequences, > as Nachiketa's father, in the grip of momentary anger, > found out at very great personal cost. > > Secondly, Charity ("daana") must always involve an > element of real, not token, sacrifice. Gifting away > old clothes and unwanted stuff that, over time, have > probably piled up in the basement or attic in your > house is really more home spring-cleaning, not genuine > charity. It is no different than Nachiketa's father > giving away old, wobbly cattle from his stable as holy > sacrificial offering ("daana"), even while the poor > animals were on their last legs. > > Thirdly, never should one be inhospitable, callous or > unkind to a house-guest. ("atithi dEvO bhava" says the > TaittirIya Upanishad). Do not keep people waiting > endlessly, unattended or feeling cold and unwelcome at > your doorsteps (as Nachiketas must have surely felt > waiting outside Yama's doorsteps for 3 long nights). > The consequences of showing such blatant discourtesy > are something which let alone human beings, no less a > person (or god) than Yama himself fears terribly. > Death himself abhors lack of graciousness in a host > towards a house guest. > > "Limbo" --- that state of suspended or indeterminate > existence in which a human soul finds itself while > waiting at the doorsteps of Death, prior to it being > decided whether it is to Heaven that the soul shall > ascend or to Hell that it must be consigned --- that > state called "limbo" is a purely Christian belief. > There is no place for it in the Vedic system of faith > where even the God of Death is obliged to deal > business with utmost courtesy and efficiency. > > Besides all the above, the story of Nachiketas > contains one other great moral lesson --- on the > subject of "kaama". But to know that one we must > continue with the rest of the story. > > ************* > > (QUOTE): > Yama said, "Ask now, Nachiketa, for the third boon > > Nachiketa said: When a person dies, there arises this > doubt: > "He still exists", say some, "he does not", say > others. > I want you to teach me the truth. > This is my third boon. > > At this Yama replied with a sigh: > "This doubt haunted even the gods of old; > For the secret of death is hard to know. > Nachiketa, ask for some other boon > And please release me from my promise made to you." > > But Nachiketa insisted: > "This doubt haunted even the gods of old; > For it is indeed hard to know, O Death, as you say. > But I can have no greater teacher than you to teach me > this, > And there is no boon too equal to this". > > Then Yama spoke: > "Ask for sons and grandsons who live > A hundred years. Ask for herds of cattle, > Elephants and horses, gold and vast land, > And ask to live as long as you desire. > Or, if you think of anything more > Desirable, ask for that too with wealth and > Long life as well! Nachiketa, be the ruler > Of a great kingdom, and I will give you > The utmost capacity to enjoy > The Pleasures of life. Ask for beautiful > Women of loveliness rarely seen on earth, > Riding in chariots, skilled in music and dance > To attend to you. But Nachiketa, please, > Don't ever ask me about the one thing that is > Forbidden to Men and that is the Secret of Death". > > The young Nachiketa, undaunted and unconvinced, spoke > again unto Yama, the Lord of Death: > > "These pleasures last but until tomorrow, > And they wear out the vital powers of life too; > How fleeting is all life on earth! Therefore > Keep your horses and chariots, dancing women and > Music for yourself. Never can mortals > Be made happy with these. How can we be > Desirous of wealth when we see your face, > And know we cannot live while you > O Death, are here? > > "This is the boon I choose and ask you for: > Dispel this doubt of mine, O King of Death. > Does a person live after death, or does he not? > Nachiketa asks for no other boon > Than the secret of this great mystery." > > (UNQUOTE) > **************** > > Anyone who has seriously studied the above passage in > the Katopanishad will relish this classic dialogue > between Yama and Nachiketa as one of the most > profoundly moving masterpieces of Vedantic thought. > Seated upon the very doorsteps of the Abode of Death, > a little boy asks Yama to reveal to him the ultimate > knowledge that Man aspires for: the Secret of Life > after Death, the Way to everlasting liberation of the > soul after it has shed its mortal coils. > > Yama is unwilling to offer that Knowledge so easily to > a mere boy, fearing that he is unripe and unready for > it and that it may simply overwhelm and overawe a > spirit as young as Nachiketa's. So Yama prevaricates > by offering Nachiketas the greatest of life's sop as > an alternative --- "kaama". He offers Nachiketas the > rich temptations and sensuous pleasures of the world > that any youthful heart, inflamed by passions of > "kaama", would naturally yearn. Death taunts and > teases Nachiketas, "Forget this desire for knowledge > about life after death. Re-direct it instead to the > enjoyment of the pleasures of life which I shall grant > you in more than full measure!" > > The alternatives posed by Death are alluring no doubt. > But at a deeper level, if you contemplate deeply upon > them, they are frighteningly mind-boggling, aren't > they? > > While reading and re-reading this passage in the > Upanishad several times in my life, I have imagined > myself to be Nachiketa and often wondered what exactly > I would myself do in the situation. If in my last > moments on earth, Death Himself were to appear before > me and tell me, "Choose now between the two: "gnyAna" > or "kaama". I promise you another fresh and long lease > of life. No death for you now. You can go back now to > the world and lead a life full of enjoyment and > pleasure, where all your deepest desires of the heart > shall come true. However, if you want instead, you can > give up all the pleasures of "kaama" that is on offer > now, and become my student and I shall teach you all > about true "gnyAna", the secret Knowledge of Life and > Death. You can have one but not the other. Choose. You > have one minute to make up your mind. And the clock > ticks.... Now!" > > "What would I do in the situation?", I ask myself, > again and yet again. And after all these years of > studying the Katopanishad and trying to understand it, > I must honestly admit, I have never been able to get > anywhere even remotely close to making up my mind. > > **************** > > Not so, however, is the case with young Nachiketas of > the Katopanishad. > > The Upanishad tells us that the lad weighed the pros > and cons of Yama's choice, and firmly and quickly made > up his mind through an act of deliberate Will: "How > can I live and seek Pleasure and Desire while you, O > Death, are here?" Between the strong pulls of "kaama" > and the soft calls of "gnyAna" stood the great and > looming dilemma of Nachiketa, threatening his very > soul, as it stood teetering on the very edge of a > moral precipice, with claims and counter-claims on > behalf of life and on behalf of death. By what must > have been a superhuman effort of Will-power, > Nachiketas simply "re-directed" his youthful desire > --- away from "kaama" towards "gnyAna"... away from > fleeting Pleasure towards everlasting Truth. > > **************** > > In the end "GnyAna" won. "Kaama" lost... It is the end > that has made the legend of Nachiketa one of the > priceless gems of Upanishadic parables held to be a > treasure-house of Truth by generations of > truth-seekers ("gnyAnis") in the ancient land of > India. In the cry of the TiruppavAi, in the 29th > Stanza, in that unforgettable expression: "maRRai nam > kaamangaL maaRRu", a generation indeed of young > "aaypAdi" maidens --- perhaps as young as Nachiketas > of the Katopanishad --- the young girls prayed to the > Almighty that in the battle between "gnyAna" and > "kaama", between Truth and Desire, they too should > emerge as victorious as the Upanishadic hero. > > (to be continued) > > Regards, > dAsan, > > Sudarshan > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.