auṁ sa ha nᾱv avatu, saha nau bhunaktu, saha vīryam karavᾱvahai,
tejasvi nav adhītam astu: mᾱ vidviṣᾱvahai; auṁ śāntih,
śāntih, śāntih.
OM! May He protect us both (teacher and pupil). May He cause us both to enjoy the bliss of Mukti. May we both exert to find out the true meaning of the scriptures. May our studies be fruitful. May we never quarrel with each other.
Nachiketas and His Father
1.1.1
uśan ha vai vᾱjaśravasaḥ sarva-vedasaṁ dadau:
tasya ha naciketᾱ nᾱma putra ᾱsa.
Once, desirous of heaven, the son of Vajasravasa (Gautama) gave (in a sacrifice) all that he possessed. He had a son Nachiketas by name.
1.1.2
taṁ ha kumᾱraṁ santaṁ dakṣiṇᾱsu nīyamᾱnᾱsu śraddhᾱ-viveśa, so’manyata.
When the presents were being distributed, filial anxiety (about the welfare of his father) entered into the heart of Nachiketas, who was still a boy, and he thought.
1.1.3
pītodakᾱ jagdha-tṛṇᾱ dugdha-dohᾱ nirindriyᾱḥ anandᾱ nᾱma te lokᾱs tᾱn sa gacchata tᾱ dadat.
Joyless verily are those worlds to which a man goes by giving (presents in a sacrifice) cows which have drunk water, eaten grass, given their milk and are barren.
Nachiketas said to his father: O father, to whom wilt thou give me? He said this again and for the third time, the (enraged) father said: To Death I will give thee.
Nachiketas: Remember how our forefathers acted; consider also how others now act. Like corn, the mortal decays and like corn he is born again. (Nachiketas entered into the abode of Yama Vaivasvata. There was no one to receive him. Yama had gone out.)
A Brahmin guest enters a house like fire. For him men give this peace-offering (to quench the fire or quiet him). Bring water, O Vaivasvata (O son of Vivasvan, the Sun).
Hope, expectation, company with good men, friendly discourse, sacrifices, pious gifts, sons and cattle—all these are destroyed in the case of the ignorant man, in whose house a Brahmin guest stays without taking food.
Yama: O Brahmin, as thou a venerable guest, hast dwelt in my house three nights without eating, therefore choose now three boons in return. O Brahmin, my prostrations unto thee. May good befall me.
Nachiketas: O Death! As the first of the three boons, I choose that Gautama, my father, be pacified, kind and free from anger towards me, and that he may know me and greet me, when I shall be sent away by thee.
Yama: Through my favour, Auddalaki, the son of Aruni, will recognise you as before. He will sleep peacefully at night and when he sees you released from the mouth of death, will lose his anger.
Nachiketas’s Second Wish
1.1.12
svarge loke na bhayaṁ kiṁ ca nᾱsti na tatra tvaṁ na jarayᾱ bibheti. ubhe tīrtvᾱ aśanᾱyᾱ pipᾱse śokᾱtigo modate svarga-loke.
Nachiketas: In the heaven there is no fear; thou art not there, O Death, and no one is afraid on account of old age. Having conquered both hunger and thirst, one rejoices in heaven, being above sorrow.
Nachiketas: O Death! Thou knowest the fire-sacrifice which leads us to heaven; explain it to me, for I am full of faith. Those who live in the world attain immortality—this I ask as my second boon.
1.1.14
pra te bravīmi tad u me nibodha svargyam agniṁ naciketaḥ prajᾱnan anantalokᾱptim atho pratiṣṭhᾱṁ viddhi, tvam etaṁ nihitaṁ guhᾱyᾱm.
Yama: I will tell thee well, learn it from me, O Nachiketas. I know the fire that leads to heaven; know the fire which leads to heaven (which is the cause of acquiring infinite worlds), and which again is the support of the universe and which is seated in the cavity (of the heart).
1.1.15
lokᾱdim agniṃ tam uvᾱca tasmai, yᾱ iṣṭakᾱ, yᾱvatīr vᾱ, yathᾱ vᾱ, sa cᾱpi tat pratsvadat yathoktam; athᾱsya mṛtyuḥ punar evᾱha tuṣṭaḥ.
Yama then explained to him that fire-sacrifice, the source of the worlds, what bricks are required for the altar, how many and how they are to be placed, and Nachiketas repeated all as explained. Then Yama, being pleased with him, said again.
Satisfied, magnanimous Death spoke to him: I give thee here this other boon, this fire-sacrifice shall be named after thee, and take thou this many-coloured chain.
Whoever performs three times this sacrifice of Nachiketas fire and has been united with the three (father, mother and teacher) and has performed the three duties (study, sacrifice and alms-giving) overcomes birth and death. When he has understood this adorable bright, the omniscient fire born of Brahman and realised him, then he obtains everlasting peace.
He who knows the three Nachiketa fires, and propitiates the Nachiketa fire with this knowledge, throws off the chains of death, goes beyond sorrow and rejoices in heaven.
This, O Nachiketas, is thy fire which leads to heaven and which thou hast chosen as thy second boon; people will call this fire thine alone. Choose now, O Nachiketas, thy third boon.
Nachiketas: There is that doubt when a man is dead, some say he is and some he is not this I should like to know, taught by thee. This is the third of my boons.
1.1.21
devair atrᾱpi vicikitsitam purᾱ, na hi suvijñeyam, aṇur eṣa dharmaḥ, anyaṁ varaṁ naciketo vṛṇīṣva, mᾱ moparotsīr ati mᾱ sṛjainam.
Yama: On this point even the gods of olden times had doubt. Verily it is not easy to understand it—subtle is its nature. O Nachiketas, choose another boon; do not press me on this; give this up for me.
1.1.22
devair atrᾱpi vicikitsitaṁ kila, tvaṁ ca mṛtyo yan na suvijñeyam ᾱttha, vaktᾱ cᾱsya tvᾱdṛg-anyo na labhyaḥ; nᾱnyo varas tulya etasya kaścit.
Nachiketas: Thou sayest, O Death, that even the gods had doubts here and that this is not easy to know. Another teacher like thee is not to be found; surely, there is no other boon like this.
Yama: Choose sons and grandsons who may live a hundred years, herds of cattle, elephants, gold and horses. Choose the wide abode of the earth and live yourself as many years as you like.
Yama: If you can think of any boon equal to that, choose wealth and long life. Be a king, O Nachiketas, of the wide earth, I shall make thee the enjoyer of all desires.
1.1.25
ye ye kᾱmᾱ durlabhᾱ martya-loke sarvᾱn kᾱmᾱṁś chandataḥ prᾱrthayasva. imᾱ rᾱmᾱḥ, sarathᾱḥ satῡryᾱḥ, na hīdṛśᾱ lambhanīyᾱ manuṣyaiḥ. ᾱbhir mat-prattᾱbhiḥ paricᾱrayasva, naciketo, maraṇam mᾱnuprᾱkṣīḥ.
Yama: Whatever desires are difficult to attain in the world of mortals, ask for them according to thy wish. These fair maidens with their chariots and musical instruments—such are indeed not enjoyable by mortals; be attended by them, I will give them to thee; but, O Nachiketas! Do not ask the question of the state of the Soul after death.
1.1.26
śvo-bhᾱvᾱ martyasya yad antakaitat sarvendriyᾱṇᾱm jarayanti tejaḥ api sarvaṁ jīvitam alpam eva tavaiva vᾱhᾱs tava nṛtya-gīte.
Nachiketas: These things last till tomorrow (ephemeral). O Death, they wear out the vigour of all the senses. Even the longest life is verily short. Keep thou thy chariots, the dance and music.
1.1.27
na vittena tarpaṇīyo manuśyaḥ, lapsyᾱmahe vittam adrᾱkṣma cet tvᾱ, jīviṣyᾱmo yᾱvad īśiṣyasi tvaṁ varastu me varaṇīyaḥ sa eva.
Nachiketas: No man can be made happy by wealth. If we should obtain wealth and behold thee, we would only live as long as thou shalt sway. Only that boon which I have chosen is fit to be longed by me.
Nachiketas: What decaying mortal living in the world below and possessed of knowledge, after having approached the company of the undecaying and the immortal, will rejoice in long life, after he has pondered over the nature of the pleasures produced by song and sport (beauty and love)?
1.1.29
yasminn idam vicikitsanti mṛtyo yat sᾱmparᾱye mahati brῡhi nas tat, yo’yaṁ varo gῡḍham anupraviṣṭo nᾱnyaṁ tasmᾱn naciketᾱ vṛṇīte.
Nachiketas: O Death! Tell us that in which men have this doubt, and which is about the great hereafter. Nachiketas does not choose any other boon but that (concerning the Soul) of which the knowledge is hidden.
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