Happiness depends on what I am

In the following verses, yamaraja will attempt to verify whether naciketa has the

four qualifications.

śatāyuṣaḥ putrapautrān vṛṇīṣvā

bahūn paśūn hastihiraṇyamaśvān |

bhūmermahadāyatanam vṛṇīṣva

svayam ca jīva śarado yāvadicchasi ||1.1.23||

Choose sons and grandsons with hundred years of life, many animals, elephants,

gold and horses. Choose a vast kingdom on earth. May you yourself live for as

many years as you want.

Now yamaraja gives the second test in this mantra. He is testing whether naciketa

has vairagya - dispassion for material wealth and comfort. The intensity of the desire is

indicated by how much one is willing to sacrifice to fulfil the desire. Thus Yamaraja is tempting naciketa by offering various worldly gifts in place of ātmajñāna.

śatāyuṣaḥ putrapautrān vṛṇīṣvā - he offered naciketa to have children and grandchildren who have longevities of a hundred years. Since progeny is an indirect desire for continuity of life, thus it becomes desirable by most people. Moreover bahūn paśūn hastihiraṇyamaśvān - he offered wealth in the form of cattle, elephants, horses, and gold. Not just that, bhūmermahadāyatanam vṛṇīṣva - naciketa can also ask for the vast kingdom which can be habituated, since there is no use for in-habituated land. These all which are offered are useless if one has a sort life, therefore, svayam ca jīva śarado yāvadicchasi - yamaraja offered naciketa himself to have a life as long as he wished for.

Yamaraja continued.

etattulyam yadi manyase varam

vṛṇīṣva vittam cirajīvikām ca |

mahābhūmau naciketastvamedhi

karomi ||1.1.24||

If you think of (any other) boon equal to this, choose (that along with) wealth and

long life. May you become (an emperor) on this great earth. Oh Naciketas! I shall

make you the enjoyer of all the pleasures.

Yamaraja might think that what he had offered might not be desired by naciketa, or people’s needs can be differed by changing of time. Therefore etattulyam yadi manyase varam vṛṇīṣva vittam cirajīvikām ca - he offered naciketa to choose any other boon which is equal to what he had offered, along with abundance of wealth and long life. Moreover, yamaraja offered to make naciketa the king of the vast land - mahābhūmau naciketastvamedhi and kāmānām tvā kāmabhājam - the enjoyer at his will.

ye ye kāmā durlabhā martyaloke

sarvān kāmāmśchandataḥ prārthayasva |

imā rāmāḥ sarathāḥ satūryā

na hīdṛśā lambhanīyā manuṣyaiḥ ||

ābhirmatprattābhiḥ paricārayasva

naciketo maraṇam mā’nuprākṣīḥ ||1.1.25||

Freely choose all (those) pleasures whichever are the pleasures not attainable in the

world of mortals. Here are the (celestial) women with (their) vehicles and musical

instruments. Such (women) cannot be attained at all by human beings. May you

get (yourself) served by them who are offered by me. Oh Nacikatas! Do not ask

(about) death.

ye ye kāmā durlabhā martyaloke sarvān kāmāmśchandataḥ prārthayasva - yamaraja even offered any desired objects at naciketa’s wills, which are sought after and difficult to get in the world of mortal. Moreover, he offered imā rāmāḥ sarathāḥ satūryā - celestial dancers along with chariots and musical instruments. na hīdṛśā lambhanīyā manuṣyaiḥ - indeed celestial dancers of this type is not attainable by mortal without grace. Yamaraja suggests naciketa accepts and be served by these dancers (like washing feet) which are given by him - ābhirmatprattābhiḥ paricārayasva, and maraṇam mā’nuprākṣīḥ - but not to ask about the question related to death. In summary, yamaraja temp naciketa to choose sense pleasure over self-knowledge.

After yamaraja finished his offers, naciketa replied.

śvobhāvā martyasya yadantakaitat

sarvendriyāṇām jarayanti tejaḥ |

api sarvam jīvitamalpameva

tavaiva vāhāstava nṛtyagīte ||1.1.26||

Oh yamaraja! All these fleeting (things) weaken the power of all sense organs of

the mortal (human being). Moreover, every form of life is short only. Let all your

vehicles, dance and music be yours only.

Naciketa expresses disinterest in all the sense pleasures offered by yamaraja and

declines them. So far, he has demonstrated that he has two qualities required to pursue

ātmajñāna namely mumukṣutva - desire for liberation and vairagyam - dispassion.

Since he is a boy around 10 years old, we may think that he rejects the offers because he is not mature enough to appreciate these sense pleasures. Naciketa rejects them because he is mature enough to understand the limitations of sense organs and their inability to enjoy pleasures forever. Therefore he is doubtful whether their existence will be there or will not be there tomorrow, fleeting - śvobhāvā. The longevity of temporary things is unpredictable. If one’s happiness depends on the unpredictability, it will only cause anxiety and not a complete enjoyment. Thus, they weaken the vigour of organs of human beings - sarvendriyāṇām jarayanti tejaḥ, especially the mind.

Even if the sense objects are permanent, the sense organs weaken over time and lose the capacity to enjoy. Every form of life is limited. The time principle puts an end to everything. api sarvam jīvitamalpameva - all lifespans are short, even brahmaji’s lifespan is limited. One may have a longer life in brahmaloka, but it is still not permanent. Then what to talk about long life of mortal people like us, it is insignificant. Therefore naciketa asked yamaraja to keep his vehicles, music and dance with him - tavaiva vāhāstava nṛtyagīte.

It is evident in this verse that naciketa is rejecting these out of discrimination (nitya-

anitya-vastu viveka) and not out of immaturity. He demonstrated that he

has the third required qualification, viveka - discrimination.

na vittena tarpaṇīyo manuṣyo

lapsyāmahe vittamadrākṣma cettvā |

jīviṣyāmo yāvadīśiṣyasi tvaṃ

varastu me varaṇīyaḥ sa eva ||1.1.27||

Human beings cannot be satisfied with wealth. Since I have seen you, I shall get wealth. As long as you rule, I shall live. That boon alone is to be chosen by me indeed.

na vittena tarpaṇīyo manuṣyo - human beings can’t be satisfied with the abundance of wealth, since the attainment of wealth doesn’t seem to be satisfying for anyone in the world. Otherwise all the rich will be uniformly happy, and the poor will be uniformly unhappy. Happiness doesn’t depend upon what I have, but on what I am. Naciketa said lapsyāmahe vittamadrākṣma cettvā - if in case, the desire for wealth is there for him, he will attain it because he has seen yamaraja. In the same case for longevity, jīviṣyāmo yāvadīśiṣyasi tvaṃ - he will live as long as the yamaraja is ruling over the position of death. Because having met yamaraja, a mortal shouldn’t have a little wealth and longevity. Thus for wealth and longevity, naciketa doesn’t need to use the boon. Therefore, varastu me varaṇīyaḥ sa eva - that boon which is in the form of self-knowledge alone is chosen by naciketa.

Naciketa continued with the reason why he rejected other boons given by yamaraja because of his viveka - discrimination between limited and unlimited.

He expressed that no one will settle for anything less after one knows there is a chance to get the limitless self.

ajīryatāmamṛtānāmupetya

jīryan martyaḥ kvadhaḥsthaḥ prajānan |

abhidhyāyan varṇaratipramodān

atidīrghe jīvite ko rameta ||1.1.28||

Closely examining the pleasures born of music and sport (and) being aware of

(their limitations), which decaying mortal, living down on the earth, will he delight in

a long life, after approaching the undecaying immortal ones?

ko - how jīryan - an aging martyaḥ - mortal, kvadhaḥsthaḥ - who is living in the lower world of earth, prajānan - who knows very well, abhidhyāyan varṇaratipramodān - having closely examined the limitation of pleasure born of music, sport, and delight (worldly pleasure), atidīrghe jīvite rameta - would he revel in very long life, after ajīryatāmamṛtānāmupetya - having approached the proximity of immortals non-aging (like yamaraja)? He should attain superior benefits for oneself from yamaraja, since every one only wants to get the highest.

Therefore after giving up temptations offered with the temporary objects, naciketa asked yamaraja to tell him what had been requested by him.

yasminnidaṃ vicikitsanti mṛtyo

yat sāmparāye mahati brūhi nastat |

yo’yam varo gūḍhamanupraviṣṭo

nānyam tasmānnaciketā vṛṇīte ||1.1.29||

Oh, yamaraja! Please tell me that (self-knowledge) regarding which (people) entertain doubt in this manner, which is associated with other world, and which is the great purpose (moksa). Naciketas does not choose (any boon) other than that. This boon has become inaccessible.

Naciketa asked yamaraja to tell him that self-knowledge yasminnidaṃ vicikitsanti - which people have doubt regarding the departing self. There are six schools of thought in India which accept the authority of the Veda, and each of them has its own concept of ātmā. That self-knowledge which is yat sāmparāye mahati - for the purpose of great benefit yat sāmparāye - in the context of other world. Thus naciketa concludes in this verse that he doesn’t choose any boon other than that (self-knowledge) - nānyam tasmānnaciketā vṛṇīte, which is a hidden gem - yo’yam varo gūḍhamanupraviṣṭo.

Yamaraja is very satisfied with naciketa’s viveka, vairāgya, mumuksutva, and samādisadkasampatti - six-fold values which are śama - equanimity, dama - mastery over organs, uparama - observance of one’s duty, titiksa - endurance, śraddhā - trust towards teacher and veda, and samādhana - one-pointed mind, which all can be seen throughout the whole interaction with him.