KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA -4
स ह उवाच पितरं तत कस्मै मां दास्यतीति
द्वितीयं तृतीयं तं होवाच मृत्यवे त्वाम ददाभीति -४
HE (NACHIKET) ASKED SECOND AND THIRD TIME,
"FATHER WHOM WOULD YOU GIVE ME TO?"
(AND FATHER)ANSWERED 'TO DEATH (YAMA-GOD OF DEATH)'
So when the son Nachiketa saw what his father was doing he was not happy. The father was giving things that were useless and would actually be burden. The cows that do not produce milk still need food and water and care if they get sick . So there is no 'return' on them, but just expense. Nachiket is exceptional son . He is learned and honest and at the same time polite. He did not want to question the behavior of his father, but at the same time he wanted to remind his father whom he respected ,that what he was doing was wrong.So indirectly he was telling him without questioning his behavior.
So he asked him repeatedly as to WHOM He would give his own son to?'This implies that at the time of this Yadnya,one is suppose to give up EVERYTHING,including attachment to all mortal things including own son. So the material objects are to be Given Up , but also the attachment to family. This is the state that one has to be detached to such an extent that he should own NOTHING.Once one gets in to this mind frame then and then only one can do the meditation to achieve God.
The Father was not any different than today's fathers.He did not liked to be questioned by young son. So when the son asked him same question over and over again, he was mad . So in anger he answered that"he is going to offer him the son to Death or God of death',.The God of death in Hindu philosophy is called Yama.
In Vedic religion the Gods are Humanized. So they are not the ultimate reality or PURUSHA. But they are 'functioning 'Gods . So the creator of the Universe is Brahma (not BRAHMAM) and his wife is Saraswati . He does rest and sleeps. To create anything - to build big mansion one would need Knowledge,and so the Goddess SARSWATI is the Goddess of KNOWLEDGE. The universe once created has to be maintained . So we have VISHNU ,one who does that function and his wife is LAKSHMI . To maintain anything one needs money. So the goddess LAKSHMI is the Goddess of money.Once the universe is created and maintained, there are going to be bad elements and so we have a God who takes care of bad element - SHANKAR .His wife is PARWATI or DURGA .To take care of bad elements one needs POWER.So the Durga is the Goddess of power. So in the same way it is the law of universe that anyone who is borne is going to die. So we have God of Death .He is called YAMA and he has his agents and they 'take away' the life. This Yama is a central figure in this Upanishad and so the father tells Nachiket that he is going to give 'him' to Yama.
द्वितीयं तृतीयं तं होवाच मृत्यवे त्वाम ददाभीति -४
HE (NACHIKET) ASKED SECOND AND THIRD TIME,
"FATHER WHOM WOULD YOU GIVE ME TO?"
(AND FATHER)ANSWERED 'TO DEATH (YAMA-GOD OF DEATH)'
So when the son Nachiketa saw what his father was doing he was not happy. The father was giving things that were useless and would actually be burden. The cows that do not produce milk still need food and water and care if they get sick . So there is no 'return' on them, but just expense. Nachiket is exceptional son . He is learned and honest and at the same time polite. He did not want to question the behavior of his father, but at the same time he wanted to remind his father whom he respected ,that what he was doing was wrong.So indirectly he was telling him without questioning his behavior.
So he asked him repeatedly as to WHOM He would give his own son to?'This implies that at the time of this Yadnya,one is suppose to give up EVERYTHING,including attachment to all mortal things including own son. So the material objects are to be Given Up , but also the attachment to family. This is the state that one has to be detached to such an extent that he should own NOTHING.Once one gets in to this mind frame then and then only one can do the meditation to achieve God.
The Father was not any different than today's fathers.He did not liked to be questioned by young son. So when the son asked him same question over and over again, he was mad . So in anger he answered that"he is going to offer him the son to Death or God of death',.The God of death in Hindu philosophy is called Yama.
In Vedic religion the Gods are Humanized. So they are not the ultimate reality or PURUSHA. But they are 'functioning 'Gods . So the creator of the Universe is Brahma (not BRAHMAM) and his wife is Saraswati . He does rest and sleeps. To create anything - to build big mansion one would need Knowledge,and so the Goddess SARSWATI is the Goddess of KNOWLEDGE. The universe once created has to be maintained . So we have VISHNU ,one who does that function and his wife is LAKSHMI . To maintain anything one needs money. So the goddess LAKSHMI is the Goddess of money.Once the universe is created and maintained, there are going to be bad elements and so we have a God who takes care of bad element - SHANKAR .His wife is PARWATI or DURGA .To take care of bad elements one needs POWER.So the Durga is the Goddess of power. So in the same way it is the law of universe that anyone who is borne is going to die. So we have God of Death .He is called YAMA and he has his agents and they 'take away' the life. This Yama is a central figure in this Upanishad and so the father tells Nachiket that he is going to give 'him' to Yama.
