The Secret of the Hereafter

    In the Katha Upanishad, there is an important piece of dialogue between the seeker of knowledge, Nachiketa, and Yama, the lord of death.
     Nachiketa was the young son of Vajasarva. He was barely twelve years old when, as a witness to a sacrificial ceremony of his father, a disturbing thought entered his mind. He confronted his father and challenged him about the futility of sacrifice of old, unproductive, and useless cows. Nachiketa reminded his father to sacrifice something that is most important instead. On being repeatedly questioned by his son, Vajasarva announced in disgust, “I am sacrificing you, Nachiketa, to the lord of death, Yama!”

      Nachiketa arrived at the home of Yama, the lord of death, and waited for three days, without eating any food or even drinking water. When Yama returned, he was told about this, and he was immediately struck by the supreme effort of the young boy. He then offered three boons to Nachiketa as reward for this austerity.

      As his first boon, Nachiketa requested, “May my father be relived of all anxiety and anger in regard of losing me. May he sleep in peace.” The boon was immediately granted.
      As his second boon, Nachiketa requested, “May I know all the rituals of the fire sacrifice, which would ultimately lead an individual to be released from fear of death, and heaven.” This boon, too, was granted without any hesitation.
      Nachiketa then asked as the final boon, “What happens to man after the death? Some say he exists after the death; others say he does not exist. I wish to know from you, Yama, the lord of death, this vital secret of the hereafter!”

      Yama, on hearing this, offered Nachiketa many other temptations as alternatives to this inquiry. This he did to test the young Nachiketa about his resolve in seeking the spiritual knowledge of this nature. Finally satisfied with Nachiketa’s sincerity, Yama imparted the most intricate instruction to young Nachiketa thus:
      “To man come both the good (shreya) and the pleasant (priya) things in life. The wise, who discriminate, choose the good, but the foolish, who do not discriminate, choose the pleasant for the sensual satisfactions. The path of the good leads to God, to the imperishable spiritual kingdom; the path of the pleasant leads to the perishable domain of physical birth and death cycle.”
      Only by awakening and by transformation of the inner core of the mind and self-realization may one obtain divine knowledge.
     “He who has not turned away from evil conduct, whose senses are uncontrolled, who is not calm, and whose mind is not in peace can never attain this divine knowledge, even by studying all the scriptures.”

      Written thousands of years ago by Hindu seers, the Upanishad of the hereafter has become a subject of intense philosophical discussions across the world. It is acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements of the human mind in the exploration of spirituality.
      Hindu sages clearly outlined the way toward spirituality. Only by the change and transformation of the inner core toward virtue and moral conduct and not by any outward and superficial application may one achieve spirituality.
      “Fools dwelling in ignorance, yet imagining themselves wise and learned, go round in crooked ways like the blind leading the blind.”
      The ignorant do not think of the hereafter. They are mentally blind to what happens in the future.
     “The individual, having realized the subtle Self, rejoices, because he has obtained that which is the source of all joy.”
      Hindu seers paved the way of permanent joy in the virtue of God, rather than in the transitory pleasures of the senses. Worldly pleasures were subordinated to internal joy. Thus was sown the seed of renunciation of the material possessions in Hindu spiritual life.
      “He who does not possess discrimination, whose mind is uncontrolled and impure, he does not reach that goal, but falls again and again into samsara, the realm of birth and death cycle.”
      In this Upanishad is laid the foundation of the Hindu philosophy of reincarnation, according to karma. The final destination of salvation (moksha) would come when the individual completely surrendered the ego and unites with the Divine. Hindu sages envisaged human life as the final step on the ladder of evolution, after which the being would merge with the Supreme Divine by performing the highest practices of sacrifices, austerities, and meditations.
      “When all desires dwelling in the heart cease, then the mortal becomes immortal and attains the Brahman.”
      “If a man could not understand it before the falling asunder of his body, then he may take body again in the worlds of creation.”
      Such is the essential Hindu notion of birth cycle, samsara. A being has to undergo the process of life repeatedly, for eons of births, until all spiritual learnings are perfected.
     Nachiketas, having acquired the wisdom taught by the lord of death, together with all the rules of yoga, became free from impurity and attained the Brahman, the Supreme Divine.

      Hindu philosophical doctrine, which has been expounded on in this Upanishad, would unfold over the millennia. The seed of spiritual wisdom would then blossom across all continents of the globe.

NOTE: Quotes in this chapter are adapted from Swami Parmanand The
Upanishads. Cohasset, Mass.: Vedanta Center Publishers, 1981.

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