KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA - 18

                   
                                                              त्रिणाचिकेतस्त्रयमेतद्विदित्वा

                                                            य एवं विद्वाँश्चिनुतेनाचिकेतम् ।

                                                              स मृत्युपाशान् पुरतः प्रणोद्य

                                                              शोकातिगोमोदतेस्वर्गलोके ॥ १८

                                                 TRINACHIKET TRAYA ETAT VIDITWA

                                           YA EVAM VIDWAN CHINUTE NACHIKETAM |

                                                SA MRUTYUPASHAT PURAT PRANODYA

                                                 SHOKATIGAH MODATE SWARGALOKE ||18

ONE WHO KNOWS THE THREE NACHIKETA-FIRE WITH KNOWLEDGE ,THROWS OFF

THE CHAINS OF DEATH GOES SORROW AND ENJOYES HAPPINESS IN HEAVEN ||18

          These Shlokas are repetition of the things that have been said. The Lord of Death had told Nachiketa that the Sacrificial ceremony - the Yadnya will be called Nachiketa - fire.We are told that when one does this Yadnya or the Sacrifice three times  and does it with knowledge , will enjoy the pleasures of the heaven. In this Shloka also there is mention of three.and also mention of the KNOWLEDGE in addition to the FIRE ceremony. So I do believe that the Lord specificaly wants to make sure that just knowledge of doing the Fire ceremony -Yadnya , like how to set the bricks  and how many are needed  and how to do the Mantras , is not as important as the KNOWLEDGE of the BRAMHAM. Again by repeating the three, I think the Lord wants us to know that one can not reach highest level just once , but maust continue.
    When one starts meditation, he starts having some SIDHHI or powers  and these could be as simple as knowing something that one can not know ordinarily.If I am in US  and I could know what happened in India without having direct contact with person there.Mind reading  and many other powers which are described to some extent in PATANJALI SUTRA YOGA. But having these powers is a trap. If one gets  entangled in these powers, then one forgets to get to the highest levels  and so just achieving the highest level once is not enough . Again this is open to interpretations.

    

KATHOPANISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA 17

                                            त्रिणाचिकेतस्त्रिभिरेत्य सन्धिं

                                             त्रिकर्मकृत्तरति जन्ममृत्यू।

                                             ब्रह्मजज्ञं देवमीड्यं विदित्वा

                                            निचाय्येमाँशान्तिमत्यन्तमेति ॥ १७

                               TRINACHIKET TRIBHIR ETYA SANDHIM

                              TRI KARM KRUTTARATI JANMAMRUTYU |

                       BRAMHA JA DNYANAM DEVAM IDYAM VIDITWA

                            NICHAYYA IMAM SHANTIM ATYANTA ETI ||17

WHOEVER PERFORMS THE SACRIFICE OF NACHIKETA FIRE,, THREE TIMES

HAS BEEN UNITED WITH THREE AND WHO IS 'DONE WITH KARMA' OVERCOMES

THE BIRTH AND DEATH (CYCLE) HE IS BORN OF BRAHMIN AND UNDERSTOOD

                      THE FIRE -LIGHT ATTAINS EVERLASTING PEACE ||17

In this Shloka the Lord Death or Yama is stating certain things  and they are open to various interpretations . The last Shloka told us that the Fire ceremony or mental process of mediation will be called Nachiketa Fire ,  and here we are told that when this is done 3 times and certain other conditions are met with one avoids the Birth and Death cycles. Why tree , why not one  and why not 5 or 10 . The idea is that many devotes will achieve the ultimate Samadhi once  and that too transiently . The mind  and the whole thing is back to usual tricks  and so until one has achieved the perfection in Samadhi or mediation and has reached the highest levels at WILL , he can not get out of reincarnation. So the 3 seems to mean that when the meditation or Samadhi is at will , then one cam expect the relief from birth and death cycle, But there are other conditions mentioned here.In my view this is to make sure that the devotee is not just doing 3 YADNYAS' or Fire ceremonies  and exoect the same result as perfect Samadhi. So then next one is unity with three. So what are these 3? There could be number of things that one can think of - there are 3 Gunas, there are 3 bodies or universes  and many other .In my view it must be 3 bodies namely the physical, astral and the causal bodies . The KARAN SHARIR, SUKSHMA SHARIR  AND THE STHUL SHARIR.The SPIRIT is encased by 3 bodies  and it will not have FREEDOM until all 3 are gotten rid off . When we die the physical body is gone , but the astral and the causal bodies are still there  and the Spirit or the consciousness is still not free to be united with Universal consciousness . This can happen only when all 3 bodies are destroyed  and so here the 3 is for 3 bodies .
       Now the last condition to get out of birth- death cycle. One must be Brahmin Does it mean he must be BORN in certain class - NO. The Brahmin refers to One who Knows BRaman  and also refers to the 3 Gunas , So the Brahmin is one who has predominance of SATWIK GUNA . But that alone is not enough He may have the Satwic tenedncies , but he also must have SEEN THE LIGHT . The Deva means Light - think about the Indian term for light THE DIYA . The word DEVA or God is due to the meaning light as the DEVAS have the bright light with it . So when one has Satwic Guna  and has seen the light then he can be free of birth and death cycle. 

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA 16

     
                                           तमब्रवीत् प्रीयमाणोमहात्मा

                                          वरं तवेहाद्य ददामि भूयः

                                           तवैव नाम्ना भविताऽयमग्निः

                                          सृङ्कां चेमामनेकरूपां गृहाण ॥ १६


                                  TAM ABRAVIT PRIYAMAN MAHATMA

                               VARAM TAV IHA ADYA DADAMI BHUYAH

                              TAV EVA NAMNA BHAVITA AYAM AGNIH

                           SRUKAM CH IMAM ANEK RUPAM GRUHAN ||16

            SATISFIED (LOVING) YAMA(DEATH) SPOKE TO HIM I GIVE YOU THE

             OTHER BOON,THE FIRE SACRIFICE WILL BE NAMED AFTER YOU,

                                AND TAKE MANY COLORED CHAIN ||16

     The Lord of Death or YAMA is granting the second boon and telling Nachiketa that the Universal Fire sacrifice will be named after You  and then offered him a chain of many colors.The first part is easy to understand. The Fire sacrifice is done for many years  and centuries . We have heard stories in Ramayana, that the sages were doing the Fife sacrifice and the Demons were coming to destroy it. Then Rama came in and protected the Sacrificial ceremonies. I have often wondered as to is this really physical Fire sacrifice called YADNYA and there were real Demons that came physically to destroy it and Rama came physically to help or was it that the sages were doing mental meditation , GIVING UP everything  and demonic thoughts - The Demons came  and disturbed the meditation and then when they prayed or concentrated on RAMA the supreme being, the demonic thoughts went away and the mental sacrifice of giving up every thing and achieving the meditation was complete peacefully. 
    In any case it could be the ritual that was explained or the technique of meditation was explained  and he was told that that will be named after him - just like a surgeon develops a surgical technique and it is named after the surgeon.
    But the next part is not easy to explain.. Why would the YAMA give him a chain or garland of many colors? In overall skim of teaching Nachiketa the meditation this does not make any sense. Could it be some special thing by which he could do the meditation quickly or was it it something like mortals giving gifts or may be it was just a gift and nothing more . In any case I do not have any special explanation for it .  

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA 19

                                                   एष तेऽग्निर्नचिकेतः स्वर्ग्यो
                               
                                                    यमवृणीथा द्वितीयेन वरेण ।
               
                                                एतमग्निं तवैव प्रवक्ष्यन्ति जनासः

                                                  तृतीयं वरं नचिकेतोवृणीष्व ॥ १९

                              ESH TER AGNI NACHIKETAH SWAARGYO

                                    YAM AVRUNITHA DWITIYEN VAREN |

                        ETAM AGNI TAV EVA PRAVAKSHYANTI  JANASAH

                          TRUTIYAM VARAM NACHIKETO VRUNISHVA || 19

OH NACHIKETA,THIS THE FIRE WHICH LEADS TO HEAVEN AND WHICH YOU

   CRAVED FOR BY SECOND BOON. THIS WILL BE CALLED BY YOUR NAME .

                                ASK FOR THIRD BOON OH NACHIKETA ||19

      This is continuation of the last Shloka  and so the lord of DEATH is telling that the Fire ceremony will be called Nachiketa Fire . This is the Yadnya or sacrificial ceremony, that will lead to HEAVEN for the host or the Yajaman. He tells that he has educated the knowledge of such action that leads to heaven . This is such an important ritual that it will be called by Nachiketa's name.

    This can be compared to the Satyanarayan Katha or the Pooja that many Indians do to end the sorrow in this Mortal world  and get Heavenly pleasures. So this is continuation of the same theme.
He is now asking Nachiketa to ask for the last and the third boon. 

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA 15

                                                   लोकादिमग्निं तमुवाच तस्मै

                                                  या इष्टका यावतीर्वा यथा वा ।

                                                    स चापि तत्प्रत्यवदद्यथोक्तं

                                                 अथास्य मृत्युः पुनरेवाह तुष्टः ॥ १५
                                        LOKADIM AGNI TAM UVACH TASMAI

                                         YA ISHTAKA YAVATIR  VA YATHA VA

                                 SA CHA API TAT PRATYAVADAT YATHOKTAM

                                ATH ASYA MRUTYUH PUNAREV AH TUSHTAH || 15

THE GOD OF DEATH,YAMA, EXPLAINED HIM THE FIRE -THE SOURCE OF THE WORLD,,

WHAT BRICKS AND HOW MANY ARE REQUIRED AND HOW TO PLACE THEM AND HE

(NACHIKET) REPEATED IT AND THEN HE (YAMA) WAS PLEASED  AND SAID AGAIN ||15

In this a Shloka , there is continuation of the theme  and the things that were stated in last one. The God of death is highly educated and in may thinking it a position that is like in any government,we have secretary of education or finance etc  So when someone is 'evolved , he can become one of these Gods, So the Yama is highly evolved  and so he can teach Nachiket on the fire ceremony and how the Fire is the source of the Universe  and then how to do the Fire ceremony . I am not sure if he is talking the ritual of fire sacrifice.So the Yama gives him the discourse on the fire ceremony.. In the ritual part of the Fire ceremony, one has to build the KUNDA where the fire is lighter  and how it is done or how to set the bricks etc  and then made sure that Nachiket understood it  and remembers it by asking him to repeat it and when he did it , he was happy.
     I am not sure if it is the Fire ceremony and the ritual that we do without understanding any meaning  of the Mantas or he talked about the TRUE sacrifice to uplift oneself. The Fire represent the Energy and that is considered to be the origin of the universe or it is needed for anything to happen in this world . In the Origin of universe , the AKASH or Ether was or space was created , Even in the Big Bang theory, the Bang has to to happen somewhere  and in in 1to the power -32 second or so the universe expanded tremendously. Then then was AIR formed . This is the gases that came in existence. Then there was FIRE or energy - helium -hydrogen - furnace . So when we look at this the space can not be seen or tasted or touched So our sense organs - the five , the Fire is the first that we can see  and it is also considered as energy and the energy is needed for anything and everything to happen  and so the FIRE has special place in Hindu or Vedic religion. (When spitit and Matter come together the universe comes in existence , The Spirit can be considered as Energy).
   Those of us who believe in Singularity or ADWATYA , feel every thing is BRAHMA .

KATHOPNISHADA CHAPTER 1 SHLOKA -14

   
                                                          प्र तेब्रवीमि तदुमेनिबोध
                             
                                                      स्वर्ग्यमग्निं नचिकेतः प्रजानन् ।
                               
                                                      अनन्तलोकाप्तिमथोप्रतिष्ठां
                               
                                                   विद्धि त्वमेतं निहितं गुहायाम् ॥ १४

                                         PRA TE BRAVIMI TADU ME NIBODHA

                                     SWARGAM AGNIM NACHIKETA PRAJANAN

                                       ANANTA LOKAPTIN ATHO PRATISTHAM

                                      VIDHHI TWAMETAM NIHITAM GUHAYAM ||14

I WILL TELL YOU , LISTEN WITH ATTENTION NACHIKETA,I HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE

OF FIRE THAT LEADS TO HEAVEN AND THE SAME FIRE THAT SUPPORT THE UNIVERSE
 
                                          AND THAT IS SEATED IN THE CAVITY

In this Shloka the Yama is telling the Nachiketa, that he will tell him the process by which he can reach / achieve the HEAVEN . The concept of the Heaven , is different for different people  and also different religion . In Vedic religion , we have different levels of Heaven - may be seven. But this Heaven is not eternal and one has better life without the physical body. But one has to come to mortal world after one is done with hbis PUNYA or has run out of 'chips' for casino goer. The highest levels of this SWARGA or Heaven is one from where One has separate existence , but one does not have to be reborn . The Yama is telling Nachiketa the Fire knowledge that leads to ANANTLOK PRAPTI . Which means ENDLESS PLACE ACHIEVEMENT. So this fire that the Yama is talking about is not Heaven in ordinary sense. It is one place where the existence is eternal or endless.
      Now he is also telling about the Fire that supports the Universe and is "IN THE CAVE".So now this is open to interpretation. Whee is this Cave ? But one thing for certain, He is not talking about the FIRE THAT WE HAVE WITH HOME / HEAVEN . In my estimate we replaced the FIRE or the energy that supports everything including the Universe  and also has our own FIRE or energy in our own CAVITY - or HEART -which is like a cave or cavity .