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Kathopanisad

Chapter 1 Valli 1 Mantra 26

Lecture

Mantra

Response 2: Hero Over the Senses

švobhāvā martyasya yad-antakaita-
sarva indriyānām jarayanti tejah;
api sarvam jīvitam-alpam-eva
tavaiva vāhāstava nrtya-gīte.

Naciketa replies to Lord Yama:

švobhāvāh martyasya yat antaka etat       
Ephemeral of mortal stuff is whatever there is, O Lord of Death!
sarva indriyānām jarayanti tejah; 
From all the sense organs of a man they wear out the vigour and vitality.
api sarvam jīvitam alpam eva            
Besides, all creatures that have life in them, have a short life span indeed.
tava eva vāhāstava nrtya-gīte.  
Let the horses and chariots remain yours alone; let the dancing and singing (girls) remain with you.

In Nachiketa, Yama was face to face with Dispassion itself in human form. Here was fertile soil that was well prepared for the seeds of Atma Jnana to be sown. Inwardly, Yama must have been thrilled to the core to note the intensity of the boy’s Mumukshutwa. Nothing pleases a Guru more than to see a disciple of such caliber. An ironsmith can work best with a pliable red-hot iron, not cold, stiff, unresponsive steel!

švobhāvā: This keyword means “ephemeral”. One to whom the world appears ephemeral, mortal and fluctuating, is ripe for the path of Para Vidya in Vedanta.

Sensual pleasures merely drain away one’s They steal our wealth of vigor, memory, and aspiration for God. They cause us to age rapidly; years are converted to weeks!

Yama has offered long life as bait, but such is Nachiketa’s discrimination that he considers even the longest life span to be a waste of time if not utilized in the correct pursuit of the higher knowledge of God.

“No,” is Nachiketa’s final response to Yama’s offers. “You can keep your damsels and all the other pleasures you are offering with you. I have no need for them; they will only wear out my vigor. I beg you to stick to my original request.”

In the final three verses, we see Nachiketa’s wisdom far beyond his years.

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