Beautiful eternal conversation
- Saurabh D
- Aug 22, 2020
- 3 min read
There is a beautiful story in one of the Upanishads, which I am going to describe today. It's a story of Nachiketa ( a teen) and Yama ( Lord of death).
Nachiketa was the son of a sage who was performing a sacrifice in which he had to donate this wealth. So Nachiketa's father donates cows. But what Nachiketa observed that his father was only donating cows that were weak and were not able to give milk. Nachiketa asked his father why he is doing so, but his father ignored it. Next time when again Nachiketa asked, his father got angry and told Nachiketa that he would donate him to Lord of death, Yama. Nachiketa followed his father's wish and ordered and went to the kingdom of death, but Yama was not present there. So Nachiketa waited for three days and nights without eating or drinking anything. After three days, Lord Yama returned and found Nachiketa on the doorstep waiting for him. Yama felt sad for keeping a Brahmin boy waiting and ordered his attendants to provide the best hospitality to Nachiketa. Lord Yama asked Nachiketa that what he was doing there, and then Nachiketa narrated him the entire story. Nachiketa said that now as per his father's wish, he would like to stay with Lord Yama and serve him. Lord Yama told him that he still has his life remaining, and no one can live with him. When Nachiketa insisted then to divert the matter, Lord Yama said that he could ask for three boons instead.
With a heavy heart, Nachiketa agreed. He asked the first boon that his father would not be anxious about him, angered about him. When he is back on earth, his father should recognize him and receive him gladly. Lord Yama granted this boon. In the second boon, he asked Lord Yama to teach him about fire rituals. In the third boon, Nachiketa asked about life beyond death. Yama asked him not to ask about life and death, and he wouldn't be able to explain. Lord Yama told him that even this topic is beyond God's. Lord Yama told Nachiketa to ask for something else. But Nachiketa persisted and said that he would only like to know about life and death. Nachiketa said that worldly pleasures are short-lived and would not render long-lasting happiness. Nachiketa explained that he has already renounced all desires of worldly pleasures and has come there for eternal knowledge and thoughts. Finally, lord Yama agreed to tell him about the mysteries of life and death.
Lord Yama told him the pearl of wisdom, which is very similar to what Lord Krishna told Arjuna in Geeta:
1. The Self is immortal. It was not born, nor does it die. It did not come out of anything, nor did anything out of it. Even if this body is destroyed, the soul is not. Smaller than the smallest and larger than the largest, the Self, is living in all beings.
2. This body is the chariot, intelligence the driver, the senses are the horses, conscience is rein, and the Atma is the Lord of the chariot. The Self is superior to the body, mind, and senses.
3. The universal super-consciousness is far more superior than individual consciousness. The ultimate goal of our life is to get submerged into this universal consciousness. One who achieves that losses all terrors of life and death and becomes immortal.
4. The path to realization is long and a difficult one. The inability to realize this path results in the cycle of rebirths. Understanding the Self leads to Moksha.
In my next blogs, based on this story, I will talk about how Astrology works for different Lagna people.
(Pic Credit: Image by Karin Henseler from Pixabay)
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