Uddalaka was a great sage from the hoary past. Once he performed Vishwajit sacrifice. Charity to the last pie is the hallmark of this sacrifice. The master is expected to donate valuables and choicest gifts during the sacrifice to the Brahmins. In those days cows were considered as riches. Hence it was customary to donate cows primarily.
It so happened that Uddalaka went on donating old and emaciated cows to the Brahmins. Nachiketa who was the son of Uddalaka and a small child at that time was watching the ceremony very exquisitely. Being a child he had a very clean mind. Besides, Nachiketa was inquisitive by nature.
Nachiketa noticed that cows reduced almost to skeleton, were being donated to Brahmins. Nachiketa also knew for certain that charity of worthless things attracts sin. Being a dear child of his father Nachiketa did not want his father to become a sinner and thrown to hell. So he said, ?Dear father, do not donate useless cows. It is a sin to do so.?
Uddalaka ignored the child'sutterance. But the inquisitive child persisted in requesting his father to refrain from the sinful act. Uddalaka got irritated. He scolded the child and asked him to stop nonsense.
Nachiketa remained dissatisfied. He knew that he himself was the dearest thing to his father. Nachiketa further knew that the choicest gift invites the pleasure from the God. With this plain logic he parried the question to his father, ?When are you donating me to anybody??
Uddalaka did not like this question from Nachiketa. Uddalaka kept quiet. But Nachiketa did not retreat. At long last Uddalaka got irritated. Lost in anger, he said, ?Go get lost. I donate you to Yamaraj, the God of Death.?
Being a worshipper of ?Truth?, Nachiketa straightway proceeded to the abode of Yamaraj. Uddalaka repented over his utterance. But Nachiketa considered that once uttered, the words are irrevocable.
When Nachiketa reached Yamlok, Yamaraj was not there. So this Brahmin boy kept on waiting outside Yamaraj'sresidence for three days and three nights. After his return Yamaraj felt extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused to the Brahmin boy. To make amends over the insult to the pious Brahmin boy, Yamaraj first washed the feet of the boy, paid respects to him and offered him three boons.
Nachiketa said by virtue of first boon let my father regain the lost peace of mind as a result whereof I will be entitled to obtain his immense love as before.
Yamaraj said, ?Alright, granted.?
Nachiketa further said, ? I have heard that in a place called ?Heaven? there is no senility, no hunger , no thirst. Gods have attained this fortune through holy fire worship. Let me have the full knowledge of such fire worship.?
Yamaraj granted this demand of Nachiketa as a result of the second boon.
Nachiketa said, ?Now my third boon. I want to know what happens to a man after death. Some say there is an immortal element called soul. Some say soul migrates from. one body to another body. I want full-scale knowledge of such soul called atmadyana.?
Yamaraja was hesitant. He said, ?Ask for anything other than atmadyana. I will present you here and now all the riches from the earth, cows, gold, pelf, power, the kingdom of the entire earth just say what you want and it will be there. But please don'tdemand atmadyana from me at any cost.?
Nachiketa was very firm in resolve. He did not budge an inch from his demand. Further Yamaraj noticed that the little boy had renounced the worldly comforts and he was ready for any kind of ordeal to attain the atmadyana. So Yamaraj finally narrated to Nachiketa the secret of the secrets an element called atma, the way it migrates.
Said Yamaraj, ?Soul is minutest than minutest. The knowledge of soul surpasses logic. Soul can'tbe burnt, decimated, moistened, dried. Just like a man changes dresses, soul goes on changing bodily form?.?
The atmadyana explained by Yamaraj is enshrined in Kathopanishad. This unique Upanishad which forms the basis of Indian philosophy is translated into all the languages of the world.
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