kathopanishad-1-1-19-eṣa te'gnirnaciketaḥ

Commentary by Swami Krishnananda of the great Divine Life Society

Eṣa te’gnir nachiketas svargyo yam avṛṇīthāḥ dvitīyena vareṇa, etam agnim tavaiva pravakṣyanti janāsas; tṛtīyaṁ varaṁ naciketo vṛṇīṣva (1.1.19): Yama continues, “You have asked for the second boon in the form of this great fire, and here it is for you. Take it and be happy. Your name will be associated with this sacrifice for all eternity, and in future this sacrifice will be known as the Nachiketas sacrifice. Now, my dear boy, ask for the third boon.”

This next boon comes unexpectedly like a bombshell on the head of Yama, the great Master. The boon which Nachiketas asks for is startling, shocking to Yama himself. He never thought that the boy would ask such a question, because the first two were simple enough to understand. The third boon is something which one cannot easily understand. What is this third boon? Supremely intelligent indeed is the boy Nachiketas to have thought of putting this question to Yama, the greatest of teachers.