Words from the Master

When we want to bring in conviction about something, we can do it in two ways: One, we can experiment and see for ourselves, what the truth is. Second, we can take reference from someone who has already undergone the experience of it. I will now give you a reference from the Upanishads.

There is an Upanishad called Katopanishad, which is the wonderful release of a personal interview, a direct dialogue that a child had with Lord Yama – the Lord of Death. In Hindu mythology, the presiding deity for death is Lord Yama. He stands for death.

There was a famous King by name Uchaishravas. He was suddenly possessed by a desire to control the entire world and so he performed a VaajaPeya yaga – a fire offering that is done when one wants to rule the whole world.

According to the rules of this offering, one has to give away as offering, all the things of great attachment and of great value. Only then, one can get the position of the Lord of the world.

Kings are always good businessmen; they have to be, otherwise they cannot be kings and have control over such vast property. They will see what minimum they can give and what maximum they can get out of it.

This King, started giving offerings - cows that were at the fag end of their lives; that had given all the possible milk they could give for a lifetime; that had given birth to as many calves as possible in their lifetime; that were ready to die.
He was offering all such worthless things.

His son Nachiketa, about 7 years of age, was watching what was happening.
Nachiketa is the hero of this story.

He knew that his father was not doing the right things but he did not know how to tell him.

You see: Children are very sharp and intelligent. You can’t cheat them. Society has not yet corrupted and conditioned them.

He was watching his father all the time and finally went up to him and said, “Father, you have to give away all your highly priced possessions. I am one of your highly priced possessions. To whom are you going to give me as an offering?”

The king understood that his son was digging at him for what he is doing; but his ego didn’t allow him to give way.

He continued with his worthless offerings.

Once more, the boy asked him the same question and the king kept quiet.

The third time, the boy shook him and asked him to whom he was planning to offer him.
The king got very angry and just blurted out, “I will give you to Lord Yama. You go to Yama.”

An ordinary boy would have said, “Why should I go? You have lived a full life; you go!”

But Nachiketa was a very sincere and committed boy.
Commitment and honesty possessed him like a ghost.
To respect his father’s words, he decided to go and meet Lord Yama.

Remember: The first and the last person on planet Earth to go and meet Yama was Nachiketa. Normally only Yama comes to meet people. For the first time, Nachiketa goes to meet Yama.

He reached the abode of Yama, but Yama was not there!
He had gone out.
For three days Nachiketa waited.

Understand one thing here: A great truth is established at this point of the story. When we go in search of death, or we have the courage to face death, death will not be there as we know it!

Anyhow, Yama returned after three days.
His servants told him about the young boy who was waiting for him.

Yama rushed to see Nachiketa.
He apologized for not being there to receive him.
He further told him, “For having made you wait for three days, I grant you three boons. You may ask for any three boons, and I will grant them to you.”
For Nachiketa, death turned out to be a God that granted him boons!
He asked for three boons.

The first boon was: “My father’s sins should all be washed away.”
Yama granted him the boon.
The second boon was: “My father should accept me when I go back to him after visiting you.”
This boon was also granted.

The third boon was: “Tell me, what happens after death? Some say that man lives after death; some say that man is not alive after death. What is the Truth?”
Yama was shocked at Nachiketa’s question.
He told him, “Please do not ask me this question. You are asking the very secret of death which I cannot deliver to you; If I deliver it to you, you will become enlightened. I will give you immeasurable wealth if you wish, but please don’t ask me this question.”

But Nachiketa was insistent.
He said, “Even if I take all this wealth from you, I will be a mere trustee to your wealth for about 100 years to 1000 years, that’s all. I have to come only to your abode once that period is over! It is not going to be of any use to me. So please tell me the secret of death instead.”

Yama saw the maturity and commitment of the boy to know the truth.
He decided to offer the boy, the conscious experience of death itself.
The experience he took the boy through, became the experience of the soul for the boy and Nachiketa flowered and became enlightened.

This is a beautiful story from the Upanishad. Don’t analyze whether this story is a fact or not. Don’t start looking for dates and history. It conveys the truth – that is enough. Use it as a ladder to reach the truth, instead of clinging onto the ladder and missing the truth.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.