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Instruction of truth

CHENNAI: All the Upanishads have the common objective of describing the Absolute Self (Brahman), the knowledge of which will enable a person to realise his spiritual nature. One may wonder then why there are so many Upanishads when they all set out to teach the same subject. It is the way each text teaches the truth – the stories, examples, preceptor who imparts and the disciple who learns — that makes each Upanishad a unique testament to the veracity of its application in one’s life and to its timeless appeal and relevance.

In his discourse, Sri Mani Dravid Sastrigal said the Katha Upanishad taught the spiritual truth through a dialogue between Yama (the god of Death) and Nachiketa, who sought this knowledge from him. The Upanishad begins with the story of how this young boy happened to go to the abode of Yama, much dreaded by even those who had lived a full life. His father Vajasravasa once performed a sacrifice to obtain merit in which he gave away his possessions. Nachiketa, who was watching the proceedings, became alarmed seeing the decrepit cows that were being given as his father would instead incur sin. The very purpose of charity is that whatever is given should benefit the recipient and he should be happy with the gift, and so one should not give away useless things. That he was a precocious child is obvious from the way he dealt with the situation to prevent his father from coming to harm. Obviously, he could not embarrass him by pointing out that what he was doing was wrong, and so he presented himself as a gift to be given away by asking Vajasravasa, “Father, to whom will you offer me?”

Maybe Vajasravasa ignored him and so Nachiketa persisted until the father in a fit of rage exclaimed, “To Death I offer you!” The gravity of the situation matched its pathos for this was uttered during the sacrifice. Consoling his father who was at once remorseful, Nachiketa told him that it was better to advocate the truth than seek immediate gain in this ephemeral world, and requested him to allow him to go to Yama’s abode. The father relented and Nachiketa thus qualified for learning spiritual knowledge from Yama as he had the dispassion and zeal for upholding truth.

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