Having blessed the young
Nachiketas with an additional boon that the particular sacrifice would be known
henceforth as ‘Naachiketas sacrifice’, Yama, the lord of death, proceeded to
extol the greatness of this sacrifice. He said:
17. Trinaachiketas tribhiretya sandhim
trikarmakrit tarati janmamrityoo |
Brahmajajnam devam eedyam viditvaa nicaaya
imam shaantim atyantam eti ||
“He who has performed this Naachiketas
sacrifice three times, who has been properly united (for instruction) with the
three (mother, father and the guru), and has performed three duties
(study of the scriptures, viz. Vedas; performance of sacrifices; and
giving alms), overcomes birth and death. And having learnt and realised the
respectable and all-knowing resplendent one (Agni), who is born of Brahman, he
attains the supreme peace.”
In the above passage Yama glorifies this
sacrifice which he has named after Nachiketas. Here, the term ‘trinachiketas’
means ‘one who has performed this sacrifice three times’ and also ‘one who has
heard of this, learnt this and also performed this’. This is true in the case
of spiritual practice also. One hears about a particular system of spiritual
practice, then reads or learns about it, but this is not enough. Revered Babuji
Maharaj rightly says, “Read and enjoy, do and feel.” Here the lord of death
also says that one should perform this. In spirituality, practice, or abhyasa,
is important. Only then one can experience the states described in the
sacred texts. Revered Babuji Maharaj says that one should not merely read or
learn about realisation, but should experience the same.
By the term ‘tribhiretya sandhim’ it
is said that one should learn the truth from one’s mother, father and guru.In
the Vedas, it is said that the mother comes first and then the father, who
after training his son for some years, takes him to a proper guru. The Taittiriya
Upanishad says, “maatru-devo bhava, pitru-devo bhava, aachaarya-devo
bhava...” which means “Respect your mother as God, father as God and your
master as God....” Our Master, Chariji Maharaj has also talked about this many
times. In fact revered Babuji has said that one should consider the master as
the mother, and this relationship would be ideal.
In the above passage, the term ‘trikarmakrit’
means ‘after performing the three actions, i.e. study of the Vedas (or sacred
scriptures), performance of sacrifices and giving alms’. In spirituality also,
this holds good. One first comes to know of the practice from books; then he
has to practise it to experience the same. Otherwise it would be only the
experience of the masters that we read from the books, and we would not
be gaining much by reading alone. The third aspect is also very important. It
says one should distribute or give away what he has obtained to others. Revered
Master, quoting revered Babuji Maharaj said, “Spirituality is a charitable
work. The Master goes on giving, whether you deserve this or not.” Revered Chariji
also added that spirituality, knowledge, love, etc. are to be shared, given to
others. We call it a river only when the water flows in it. If the water
stagnates in one place, it becomes a pond or a lake, and during summer the
water gets dried up and it would give only a stinking smell. So Yama reminds
Nachiketas of the three important functions one should perform.
Yama further said that those who realised the
divine nature of the sacred fire would attain supreme peace. This should not be
taken to mean that it is the state of liberation or realisation of Brahman,
though it may be an exalted state.
Yama further said:
18. Trinaaciketas trayam etad viditvaa ya
evam vidvaams cinute naachiketam |
Sa mrityu paashaan puratah pranodya
shokaatigo modate svargaloke ||
“The wise one who has performed Naachiketas
sacrifice three times, realising the three (what kind of bricks are required
for the sacrifice, how many bricks, and also how the fire of sacrifice has to
be kindled), having destroyed the chains of death before one dies, transcends
sorrow and enjoys heaven.”
In the above Upanishadic passage, the word ‘paasha’
means that which binds. There are many chains which bind an individual soul
to this world, like desire, attachment, greed, ignorance, prejudice and so on.
So long as these are there in the human being, they bind him to this world and
he is born here again and again. In the traditional methods it is recommended
that one should cut them forcefully by controlling one’s mind. Sahaj Marg is a
gentle system. It advocates only regulation of the mind through meditation and
removing the unwanted tendencies by ‘cleaning’.
It is also said that one transcends sorrow by
performing this sacrifice and enjoys heaven. The sorrow generally represents
the worldly life, where one has to undergo all sorts of sufferings according to
one’s samskaras. Therefore it is said that birth itself presupposes sorrow. But
revered Chariji looks at birth in a different way also. He says that it is not
to be condemned as such, since it gives another opportunity for the individual
to transform and evolve and reach his destination, which is to merge with
Ultimate Reality. He says that if a student does not qualify himself for higher
class and is detained in the same class, it is not mere punishment, but it is
because he would not be able to understand the lessons of a higher class. He also
cautions that one should make use of the best opportunity that has been
bestowed upon him when he is born as a human being.
Here it is also to be noted that Yama said
that one could enjoy heaven. The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita say that this
is not an end, as one has to be born in this mortal world again, after the
results of his meritorious deeds are exhausted in heaven. So it is only a
temporary relaxation and not a permanent solution from breaking the chains
which cause rebirth.
Yama addressed Nachiketas thus:
19. Esha te agnir nachiketah svargyo yam
vrineethaah dviteeyena varane |
Etam agnim tavaiva pravakshyanti janaasah
triteeyam varam nachiketo vrineeshva ||
“O Nachiketas, this is your fire, which leads
one to the heaven, which you have chosen as the second boon. People shall call
this fire (sacrifice) by your name only. Now, O Nachiketas, choose your third
boon.”
It may be remembered that Yama, the lord of
death, had offered the young Nachiketas three boons, and with the above, the
first two boons have been granted by Yama. The additional boon was that this
particular fire sacrifice, which would lead the performer to heaven, would
henceforth be called Naachiketas fire sacrifice.
For the third boon, Nachiketas asked for the
higher knowledge, and Yama’s long reply, in the form of instruction about the
nature of the Self, forms the main theme of this Upanishad, for which it is
praised by all great teachers of yore and is also liked by revered Master.
