Nachiketa : Part 4 : The key question

This is the last of the four part series on Katopanishad, summarizing the conversation between Lord Yama and Nachiketa.

Nachiketa : Part 1 : The donation

Nachiketa : Part 2 : The journey

Nachiketa : Part 3 : First two varas

If you get to choose between all the riches in the world, and a chance to get the question burning through your mind answered, what would you pick? Choices are never as straightforward as they seem, or they would not be true choices in the first place.

Should I just take all the riches offered by Yama and lead a life of comfort (a very long one at that, per his offer), or should I press ahead with my questioning? The choice was a difficult one, but the path was clear to me. I hope it will be clear to you too, once you read about what happened.

I was keenly aware of the effect my questions were having on Yama. I sensed a growing apprehension in him, even as he patiently agreed to my first two requests. I did my best to steady my mind, as I scripted my last request.

“Lord Yama, pray tell me about the state I can reach when there are no more cycles of life and death, how do I get there? And what happens to the relationship between God and self after moksha (salvation)?” I asked him.

I reminded myself that self is jeeva, or the indestructible life force that is within each of us, which takes on and discards bodies across its many births. Much like how we wear and discard many of our clothes. Arjuna had a similar question for Krishna during the great war at Kurukshetra.

“Experts have confused me till now. Some say Narayana, the supreme, has nothing to do with jeeva once moksha is attained. Others say the opposite, arguing that Narayana is still the supreme administrator and controls the jeeva,” I continued.

There was a long silence. I saw Yama choosing his words carefully. “This is a topic of great debate even in the deva loka (world of gods). The devates (gods/deities with specific functions) are unable to grasp this fully, since most have not reached their own moksha yet. Only the supreme, Narayana, knows this fully.”

“Please ask me for something else, Nachiketa,” said Yama.

This was unacceptable. “So, why would I take the trouble of coming all the way to meet such a learned sage like yourself, and settle for anything less than this knowledge? This is what I want, and nothing else,” I said with as much courage as I could muster.

You must be thinking, so this Nachiketa fellow is stubborn, and probably does not see the value in what Yama is offering. That was nothing short of a blank check. I was even offered children and grandchildren with long lives, a desired number of cattle, horses and elephants, and as much gold as I wanted.

“No matter how long you give me to live, or how much wealth you will shower on me, one day all of this has to end. And there will never be enough to satisfy human greed, for I will always end up wanting more,” I said. “Imagine for a minute that I give in to the temptations you are offering me. Say I enjoy a very long life, and material wealth. After all that, I will find myself in front of you again, exactly here, perhaps with a lot of baggage of my karma. Please do not ask me to undertake the most futile journey of all.”

A smile broke through Yama’s stern face like a silver lining in the clouds. You are probably thinking, as a power that is supposed to know the mind of all mortals, did Yama not know that I would not be swayed by his offers? It is quite simple, actually. Yama is doing this for future generations to see that knowledge is the most precious gift that you can give, and you should only give it to the deserving. So, did I pass the test, I wondered.

Yama was in the mood to share his observations and perhaps his frustrations. “These questions are rarely asked by people who are in the rush of their daily lives,” he remarked. “When they want to know, they rarely find someone with the clarity of thought and the desire to guide them. If this all comes together — the inquisitiveness, a guide with the knowledge and ability to teach, and people actually listening and understanding the messages of Upanishads — it will be a miraculous event by itself.”

Perhaps I can use the fine scalpel of logic to slice the layers of this dense knowledge, and consume it, I thought. I didn’t realize I was so easy to read. “You cannot just use logic to understand the supreme power. You learn from the learned, and most importantly, from your own experience,” Yama continued. “I see you possess the fine qualities of inquisitiveness and an open mind that whatever you do not understand fully can actually exist, and you are willing to put in the effort to know more about it.”

I felt it is important to set the record straight. “I am not looking for praise, my Lord, just knowledge of the supreme, and nothing more.”

“That entire body of knowledge can be simply summarized as ॐ (Om),” said Yama with authority. “ॐ (Om) is the key to the Vedic treasure chest, it is the conclusion of all logic, and is all pervasive. Chanting of ॐ (Om) should be accompanied by an intent and the effort toward pure mind and focus. Pursue the path that ॐ (Om) opens up for you, and you will reach Brahman,” he continued.

This seemed like something I could pursue and achieve, and not out of my reach, I figured.

The journey is described beautifully by Yama. Simply put:

• Brahman or Vishnu or the supreme, is the destination
• Jeeva or the self is the traveler
• Our body, composed of the five elements, is the chariot or the vehicle
• Our mind is the steering wheel
• Viveka or intellect, the ability to analyze and decide what is right or wrong, is the driver. Think of viveka as the layer of consciousness that decides and tells the mind to go left or right, or straight ahead
• The chariot has five horses — metaphorically speaking. The driving force behind this journey are these horses, or the five primary sensory organs connected to acquiring knowledge about Brahman — two eyes, two ears and the mouth. We are not really ignoring touch and smell, but considering them as secondary when it comes to understanding Brahman. Yama says use your eyes and ears to acquire knowledge about Brahman, and use the power of the spoken word to debate, teach and discuss the supreme.

Missing even a single component above would mean the journey would either not start, or if it does, will not reach the intended destination.

I was led to answers to the questions I had asked Yama, rather than being told the answers by him. In summary, the supreme retains primacy over the jeeva even in moksha (salvation), with the two maintaining the relationship as in the original (the supreme) and the reflection (the jeeva).

After Yama’s teachings on ways and means to reach Brahman, I realized that I have much work to do. If there is one thing I will take back home with me, it is the realization that there is a vast ocean of knowledge and experience out there that I know nothing about. Acknowledging that “I don’t know” is perhaps the first step in my personal journey, and I am ever grateful to my guru Yama for being my guiding light.

As I made my preparations to head back home to my family, I was happy and sure that I will be welcomed back with open arms. I was happier with the realization that I am going back with the greatest of all wealth.