<p>Kathopanishad is one of the most revered spiritual and religious texts in Hinduism. It describes the spiritual journey of a young boy called Nachiketa, son of sage Vajashravasa. During his childhood, his father performed a yagna to give away his material possessions as a step towards spiritual bliss.</p>.<p>Nachiketa observed that his father was donating only a few cows that were old and barren. Although young, he thought that a son is also his father’s property and hence must be given away, so he approached his father and persistently asked “Since I belong to you, tell me, to whom are you going to give me”. His father got irritated and in retort said, “I am going to give you to Yamaraj, the Lord of death”. </p>.<p>Nachiketa decided to seek Yamaraj on his own in order to make his Father’s Yagna successful. He reached Death’s realm and had to wait for three days without food or water as Yamaraj was away. When he came back he was moved by the boy’s determination and said, “You have been waiting in my place since three nights without food. Please ask me for three boons for each of those nights waited”.</p>.<p>Nachiketa’s first wish was to restore peace with his father when he returned. The second wish was to learn Agnividya, the ritual for the fire sacrifice which would lead to immortality. His third wish was to know about what happens after death. “Some say the spirit exists, some say it does not exist. I desire to know the truth from you clearly”. While his first two wishes were granted with ease, Nachiketa had to prove his worthiness to receive his third gift, the esoteric knowledge, from Yamaraj. </p>.<p>By rejecting all the ephemerals offered to him and with his single-minded pursuit of the pathway to self-realisation Nachiketa finally convinced Yamaraj that he is a true seeker and succeeded in eliciting the knowledge of the supreme-self. Yamaraj imparts to his disciple the awareness about the immortality of the soul, the meditative vibrations of the syllable ‘Oum’ and the way inward that leads to permanent liberation from the cycle of life and death. Nachiketa’s is a timeless story of a journey of inner-self in the quest for spiritual reality.</p>
<p>Kathopanishad is one of the most revered spiritual and religious texts in Hinduism. It describes the spiritual journey of a young boy called Nachiketa, son of sage Vajashravasa. During his childhood, his father performed a yagna to give away his material possessions as a step towards spiritual bliss.</p>.<p>Nachiketa observed that his father was donating only a few cows that were old and barren. Although young, he thought that a son is also his father’s property and hence must be given away, so he approached his father and persistently asked “Since I belong to you, tell me, to whom are you going to give me”. His father got irritated and in retort said, “I am going to give you to Yamaraj, the Lord of death”. </p>.<p>Nachiketa decided to seek Yamaraj on his own in order to make his Father’s Yagna successful. He reached Death’s realm and had to wait for three days without food or water as Yamaraj was away. When he came back he was moved by the boy’s determination and said, “You have been waiting in my place since three nights without food. Please ask me for three boons for each of those nights waited”.</p>.<p>Nachiketa’s first wish was to restore peace with his father when he returned. The second wish was to learn Agnividya, the ritual for the fire sacrifice which would lead to immortality. His third wish was to know about what happens after death. “Some say the spirit exists, some say it does not exist. I desire to know the truth from you clearly”. While his first two wishes were granted with ease, Nachiketa had to prove his worthiness to receive his third gift, the esoteric knowledge, from Yamaraj. </p>.<p>By rejecting all the ephemerals offered to him and with his single-minded pursuit of the pathway to self-realisation Nachiketa finally convinced Yamaraj that he is a true seeker and succeeded in eliciting the knowledge of the supreme-self. Yamaraj imparts to his disciple the awareness about the immortality of the soul, the meditative vibrations of the syllable ‘Oum’ and the way inward that leads to permanent liberation from the cycle of life and death. Nachiketa’s is a timeless story of a journey of inner-self in the quest for spiritual reality.</p>