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Nakiketas said: 'O Death, as the first of the three boons I choose that Gautama, my father, be pacified, kind, and free from anger towards me; and that he may know me and greet me, when I shall have been dismissed by thee.' Yama said: 'Through my favour Auddâlaki Âruni, thy father, will know thee, and be again towards thee as he was before. He shall sleep peacefully through the night, and free from anger, after having seen thee freed from the mouth of death.'

 

Nakiketas said: 'In the heaven-world there is no fear; thou art not there, O Death, and no one is afraid on account of old age. Leaving behind both hunger and thirst, and out of the reach of sorrow, all rejoice in the world of heaven. Thou knowest, O Death, the fire-sacrifice which leads us to heaven; tell it to me, for I am full of faith. Those who live in the heaven-world reach immortality,--this I ask as my second boon.' Yama said: 'I tell it thee, learn it from me, and when thou understandest that fire-sacrifice which leads to heaven, know, O Nakiketas, that it is the attainment of the endless worlds, and their firm support, hidden in darkness.' Yama then told him that fire-sacrifice, the beginning of all the worlds, and what bricks are required for the altar, and how many, and how they are to be placed. And Nakiketas repeated all as it had been told to him.

 

Then Mrityu, being pleased with him, said again: The generous, being satisfied, said to him: 'I give thee now another boon; that fire-sacrifice shall be named after thee, take also this many-coloured chain. He who has three times performed this Nâkiketa rite, and has been united with the three (father, mother, and teacher), and has performed the three duties (study, sacrifice, almsgiving) overcomes birth and death. When he has learnt and understood this fire, which knows (or makes us know) all that is born of Brahman, which is venerable and divine, then he obtains everlasting peace. He who knows the three Nâkiketa fires, and knowing the three, piles up the Nâkiketa sacrifice, he, having first thrown off the chains of death, rejoices in the world of heaven, beyond the reach of grief. This, O Nakiketas, is thy fire which leads to heaven, and which thou hast chosen as thy second boon. That fire all men will proclaim. Choose now, O Nakiketas, thy third boon.'

 

Nakiketas said: 'There is that doubt, when a man is dead,--some saying, he is; others, he is not. This I should like to know, taught by thee; this is the third of my boons.'

Nakiketas said: 'O Death, as the first of the three boons I choose that Gautama, my father, be pacified, kind, and free from anger towards me; and that he may know me and greet me, when I shall have been dismissed by thee.' Yama said: 'Through my favour Auddâlaki Âruni, thy father, will know thee, and be again towards thee as he was before. He shall sleep peacefully through the night, and free from anger, after having seen thee freed from the mouth of death.'

Nakiketas said: 'In the heaven-world there is no fear; thou art not there, O Death, and no one is afraid on account of old age. Leaving behind both hunger and thirst, and out of the reach of sorrow, all rejoice in the world of heaven. Thou knowest, O Death, the fire-sacrifice which leads us to heaven; tell it to me, for I am full of faith. Those who live in the heaven-world reach immortality,--this I ask as my second boon.' Yama said: 'I tell it thee, learn it from me, and when thou understandest that fire-sacrifice which leads to heaven, know, O Nakiketas, that it is the attainment of the endless worlds, and their firm support, hidden in darkness.' Yama then told him that fire-sacrifice, the beginning of all the worlds, and what bricks are required for the altar, and how many, and how they are to be placed. And Nakiketas repeated all as it had been told to him.

Then Mrityu, being pleased with him, said again: The generous, being satisfied, said to him: 'I give thee now another boon; that fire-sacrifice shall be named after thee, take also this many-coloured chain. He who has three times performed this Nâkiketa rite, and has been united with the three (father, mother, and teacher), and has performed the three duties (study, sacrifice, almsgiving) overcomes birth and death. When he has learnt and understood this fire, which knows (or makes us know) all that is born of Brahman, which is venerable and divine, then he obtains everlasting peace. He who knows the three Nâkiketa fires, and knowing the three, piles up the Nâkiketa sacrifice, he, having first thrown off the chains of death, rejoices in the world of heaven, beyond the reach of grief. This, O Nakiketas, is thy fire which leads to heaven, and which thou hast chosen as thy second boon. That fire all men will proclaim. Choose now, O Nakiketas, thy third boon.'

Nakiketas said: 'There is that doubt, when a man is dead,--some saying, he is; others, he is not. This I should like to know, taught by thee; this is the third of my boons.'

Perhaps the most famous story from the Upanishads is the story of Nachiketa, told in the Katha Upanishad of the Yajur Veda. Nachiketa was the young son of the sage Vajashravas (who is either the same as or a relative of the sage Uddalaka Aruni whom I discuss here. Once Vajashravas performed a Yagna where he was giving away all his possessions, so Nachiketa asked "Who will you give me away to?" Annoyed, Vajashravas said "I will give you to the god of death." Nachiketa took that seriouslh and immediately proceeded to Yama's palace, where he waited for three days for Yama to come. Now it's a sin to have a Brahmin wait in your house without inviting him in and providing him food, so Yama offered Nachiketa three boons to make up for it. This chapter of the Katha Upanishad describes what Nachiketa wished for:

Does Ranga Ramanuja, the Sri Vaishnava commentator on the Upanishads, address this issue in his commentary on the Katha Upanishad? Are there any commentaries on the Sri Bhashya that shed light on this?

Perhaps the most famous story from the Upanishads is the story of Nachiketa, told in the Katha Upanishad of the Yajur Veda. Nachiketa was the young son of the sage Vajashravas (who may or may not be the same as the sage Uddalaka Aruni whom I discuss here. Once Vajashravas performed a Yagna where he was giving away all his possessions, so Nachiketa asked "Who will you give me away to?" Annoyed, Vajashravas said "I will give you to the god of death." Nachiketa took that seriouslh and immediately proceeded to Yama's palace, where he waited for three days for Yama to come. Now it's a sin to have a Brahmin wait in your house without inviting him in and providing him food, so Yama offered Nachiketa three boons to make up for it. This chapter of the Katha Upanishad describes what Nachiketa wished for:

Does Ranga Ramanuja, the Sri Vaishnava commentator on the Upanishads, address this issue in his commentary on the Katha Upanishad? Are there any subcommentaries on the Sri Bhashya that shed light on this?

Perhaps the most famous story from the Upanishads is the story of Nachiketa, told in the Katha Upanishad of the Yajur Veda. Nachiketa was the young son of the sage Vajashravas (who is either the same as or a relative of the sage Uddalaka Aruni whom I discuss here. Once Vajashravas performed a Yagna where he was giving away all his possessions, so Nachiketa asked "Who will you give me away to?" Annoyed, Vajashravas said "I will give you to the god of death." Nachiketa took that seriouslh and immediately proceeded to Yama's palace, where he waited for three days for Yama to come. Now it's a sin to have a Brahmin wait in your house without inviting him in and providing him food, so Yama offered Nachiketa three boons to make up for it. This chapter of the Katha Upanishad describes what Nachiketa wished for:

Now the Sri Vaishnava sect (of which I am a member) believes that there are two main paths to Moksha, Bhakti Yoga and Sharanagati. Bhakti Yoga involves devotional service to Vishnu, and it involves also doing Karma Yoga, i.e. doing your Dharma while giving up the fruit of your actions, and doing Jnana Yoga, i.e. meditating upon Brahman using the 32 Brahmavidyas found in the Upanishads. So it basically involves the complete set of teachings found in the Bhagavad Gita. Sharanagati involves a simple act of surrender to the lotus feet of Sri,an Narayana. It is performed using the Dvaya mantra which I discuss here, and the fact that it's guaranteed to give you Moksha is described in the Charama Shloka of the Bhagavad Gita which I discuss here. Sri Vaishnavas believe that Bhakti Yoga is a very difficult path to follow, especially given the diminished capacities of humans in the Kali Yuga, whereas Sharanagati gives easy and immediate results.

Perhaps the most famous story from the Upanishads is the story of Nachiketa, told in the Katha Upanishad of the Yajur Veda. Nachiketa was the young son of the sage Vajashravas (who is either the same as or a relative of the sage Uddalaka Aruni whom I discuss here. Once Vajashravas performed a Yagna where he was giving away all his possessions, so Nachiketa asked "Who will you give me away to?" Annoyed, Vajashravas said "I will give you to the god of death." Nachiketa took that seriouslh and immediately proceeded to Yama's palace, where he waited for three days for Yama to come. Now it's a sin to have a Brahmin wait in your house without inviting him in and providing him food, so Yama offered Nachiketa three boons to make up for it. This chapter of the Katha Upanishad describes what Nachiketa wished for:

Now the Sri Vaishnava sect (of which I am a member) believes that there are two main paths to Moksha, Bhakti Yoga and Sharanagati. Bhakti Yoga involves devotional service to Vishnu, and it involves also doing Karma Yoga, i.e. doing your Dharma while giving up the fruit of your actions, and doing Jnana Yoga, i.e. meditating upon Brahman using the 32 Brahmavidyas found in the Upanishads. So it basically involves the complete set of teachings found in the Bhagavad Gita. Sharanagati involves a simple act of surrender to the lotus feet of Sri,an Narayana. It is performed using the Dvaya mantra which I discuss here, and the fact that it's guaranteed to give you Moksha is described in the Charama Shloka of the Bhagavad Gita which I discuss here. Sri Vaishnavas believe that Bhakti Yoga is a very difficult path to follow, especially given the diminished capacities of humans in the Kali Yuga, whereas Sharanagati gives easy and immediate results.