Shri Babaji narrates the famous Katha Upanishad which describes beautifully the importance of honesty, sincerity, discrimination of the truth, and attention to the Master.
Nachiketa was an eight-year-old boy. His father was a great scholar and knower of the truth through the scriptures. Birth and death; he taught to his students, spoke of that every day. “The Self is beyond the existence, birth and death of this body. There is nothing to be feared.”
One time came, he was performing a fire sacrifice. As was the protocol, he was going to invite all eligible friends and people of that field. And when they were going, the tradition was that he would give some gifts, so he was making a big list of “I have to give this him, this to this person, this to this priest.”
Nachiketa at the age of eight was a bit naughty. He was restless, jumping and running here and there. When he saw his father making up a list, he said, “What is this, my father?” He (father) said, “I am making a list of the gifts to be given to people. The invitees who are going to come.” In a childish innocence he asked, “To whom are you going to give me as a gift, my father?”
Father was a bit irritated and annoyed. “Nonsense, don’t trouble me. I am preparing a list. If you trouble me, I will give you to the Death God as a gift.” But the child, though naughty, was very innocent, honest.
When there is innocence in the mind, there is always an honesty in there, a sincerity.
When there is innocence in the mind, there is always an honesty in there, a sincerity. One word uttered was enough. There was no need to make a big promise; “I promise in the name of God,” like that there was no need. Like Jesus also said, if you are sincere, simply you utter one word, that is enough and you will fulfill, you will do it. You will be sincere.
And the fire sacrifice was over. All gifts were given. Everybody went away. But he, father forgot that he had uttered these words that “I will gift you to Death God.” So, Nachiketa came to father. “Father, you had told that you would give me to the Death God.” Then father got panicked. He said, “How can I do that in this world? I have only one son, that is you. I cannot give you to death. I cannot put you to death. I cannot lose you. And Nachiketa said, “Why are you so much panicked? Every day you are discoursing about birth, death, that the soul is immortal, nothing is going to happen. But why is that you are panicked?” “I don’t know. I read in scriptures. And simply I used to discourse; that is all for a livelihood. I had not experienced. There is no need for you to die.”
Disgusted… in fact, he went into the backyard of his father’s home into the forests and sat in deep contemplation and prayed to the Divine. “My father had told and that is a promise when he had uttered that he would gift me to Death God. I am supposed to go and reach, surrender to the God of death because my father has donated me there. I don’t no more belong to this world or the father.”
He went into a deep meditation like that. Because of his resolutions, he had the experience of such visions that he had jumped into the fire. That is the actual legendary story which says. And then he went to the abode of Lord Yama, the Death God. The sequences all tell the sincerity of the child, innocence and honesty. And also, once he understood that his father had gifted him to the Death God, he belonged to Death God. So he was under the Death God, surrendered.
So, the story is when he went to the abode, Lord Yama had gone on a tour, somewhere traveling for some other business purpose. For three days, the boy was standing there at the gates. “Let the Master come and permit me to enter until then I am going to stand here.” That was the reverence, the respect that he had developed to Death God when he belonged to him. That is what a disciple, a student always thinks, that “I belong to the master”, and surrenders. “May the master command me. May the master instruct me what to do.” Then such a student is innocent, honest and sincere. And when the master commands, the student does it, then it becomes easy to achieve.
Thus Nachiketa stood. After the third day when Death God came, Yama, he was so pleased at the sincerity and honesty of the boy. He said, “You are very sincere. Your father simply told once, but then he took away as there is no need to give because nobody was watching.” He had not promised, he had not written any note. It was no legal agreement, but this boy stood by the word of his father. So, Yama said, “Now, you go back to the world. You don’t have to die. You are here. I will send you back. Because you are so honest, I am very much pleased. I will give you three boons. Ask for that.”
“What is the truth actually? Is there a substance called Atma, are we that immortal soul?”
Then the first question he asked was, “Some say that even after death we live. Some say we don’t know, nobody has come back to tell. Nobody knows the truth. What is the truth actually? Is there a substance called Atma, are we that immortal soul? Are we going to become extinct when this body dies or are we going to exist? What is the truth? You tell me.” Then Yama said, “You are very young and a very small child. You don’t have to bother about this highest truth. You go back to the world. I will give you all power and status. You can become a great emperor of the entire world for 5000 years. Go and enjoy.”
“When that 5000 years is over, do I have to come back to you or is there anything that will make me not to come back to you, not to die?”
See the determination and the discrimination through the wisdom of that boy. He said, “Okay, I will go. 5000 years is a time limit. It is going to pass by. It will be over after some time. When that 5000 years is over, do I have to come back to you or is there anything that will make me not to come back to you, not to die?” Yama said, “No. After 5000 years your body will have to die. It has to come back.” “Then what is the use of that 5000 years of membership for me? I am going to lose that one day. There is no purpose that will serve for me. So please tell me here and now. I don’t want that emperorship. I want this knowledge and wisdom. Tell me about myself. Tell me about the immortality of the soul.”
“Tell me that truth which can take me out of this birth and death.”
The argument goes on and on. Yama goes on increasing; 10,000 years, 20,000 years, 50,000 years. Temptations are given more and more. But the boy is determined and sticks to one thing. After all the 10,000 and ten hundred thousand years, it will pass by. This is a fundamental truth. All of us know. He also knew. That’s why he was never tempted. “Is there anything to stop me coming back to you?” Yama had no answer. “No, you will have to come back.” “Then I don’t need that one. That is a very small thing that you are going to give me, of 50,000 years. I don’t need that one. Which will make you come back. Which will make me die again. Tell me that truth which can take me out of this birth and death.”
A Master does not demand your money , power or status, only your attention.
Then finally, Yama had no answer. He had to tell. Then he tells Yama… This is what a Master demands. He does not demand your money, your gold, your silver, your power or status. But he demands an attention. If you want to learn from me, if I have to teach and give you the clue and point and instructions, you pay attention. That’s what Yama said. “I am going to tell this truth only once, go on telling. You must pay attention and absorb. That is the challenge. At that time, Yama wouldn’t allow him to ask any further questions. “No more questions, no interruptions. I am going to tell and you are going to pay attention and absorb.”
Simply because of wild imaginations in the mind you have forgotten yourself. If you can lose these imaginations, automatically you will become aware.
Well, as the third boon, the story says, “Give me that grace so that I can surrender and pay the attention.” So, he went on paying the attention and that became the Katha Upanishad, known as one of the greatest philosophies, scriptures of India, in which Yama talks about the Self, consciousness. They all have spoken; simply because of wild imaginations in the mind you have forgotten yourself. If you can lose these imaginations, automatically you will become aware, because that consciousness of yours has the power to become aware of anywhere you apply. When you practice this, of losing imaginations, that is the meditation and then your awareness, attention will automatically go on to yourself and you become aware of yourself. So work for this one. That’s what Yama said to him. That’s how the Master always taught us, asking to pay attention.
Recorded on 9th June 2012 in Austin, USA.
