We take life for granted, we take death for granted. We never question what happens after life? What is death? How it happens? Where do we go after we die? We live here as though we have been here forever.

🌷 Katho Upanishad 🌷

       Chapter 2

       Beyond death

      🌻 Day 🔟 🌻

प्र ते ब्रवीमि तदु मे निबोध 

स्वर्ग्यमग्निं नचिकेतः प्रजानन् ।

अनन्तलोकाप्तिमथो प्रतिष्ठां विद्धि

त्वमेतंनिहितं गृहायाम् ॥

लोकादिमग्निं तमुवाच तस्मै 

या इष्टका यावतीर्वा यथा वा ।

स चापि तत्प्रत्यवदद्यथोक्तं 

अथास्य मृत्युः पुनरेवाह तुष्टः ॥

Nachiketa was instructed to climb the steps of heaven. What are those steps? He was taught how to bring together 720 bricks, how to organise them. This is a secret. Think, what is this 720? Nachiketa learnt all this. When the disciple learns fast, it is the pride of the teacher. The Lord of Death got very pleased, “You learnt this with such sincerity, honesty and with such sharp attention; I will give you one more gift.” He gave Nachiketa a necklace.

तमब्रवीत् प्रीयमाणो महात्मा 

वरं तवेहाद्य ददामि भूयः ।

तवैव नाम्ना भविताऽयमग्निः

सृङ्कां चेमामनेकरूपां गृहाण ॥

It was a most amazing piece of necklace, which would also make sounds that were very pleasing. He gave him a necklace of red, blue, white and green colours which could make melodious music. What are those 720 bricks that Nachiketa learnt to gather? Pleased by his clarity if mind, sharpness of intellect, his ability to grasp and understand, he gave a gift as an extra boon. What was the beautiful gift that the Lord of Death gave Nachiketa? Nachiketa said, “This is my third boon.”

येयं प्रेते विचिकित्सा मनुष्ये –

ऽस्तीत्येके न्यायमस्तीति चैके ।

एतद्विद्यामनुशिष्टस्त्वयाऽहं

वराणामेष वरस्तृतीयः ॥

When someone dies, some say they still exist, some say they don’t. who else can teach me this other than the Lord of Death. You know the truth. I want to know what happens when a person dies. Very few people are curious about it. We take life for granted, we take death for granted. We never question what happens after life? What is death? How it happens? Where do we go after we die? We live here as though we have been here forever. In one way it is correct. Your spirit has been here even before the stones and trees. Your spirit is so old. It is not the way we think – that the body comes first and then spirit. The spirit comes first and then the body gets formed. That’s what happens in the womb. If the spirit is not there, the body will not be formed. Spirit first and then matter. Even before anything existed on this planet, you were there, I was there. We have been here many times. This is not first time. I know it. I only wish you remember a little bit at least. We have been here so many times. We have forgotten that. The inquisitiveness is dead, it is gone. What is death? What is life? They are two sides of the same coin. If you know life thoroughly, you know what is death is. If you know death, you know what life is. This young boy said, “I want to know.”

- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

Katho Upanishad