Chapter-II

Yama continues: “O Naciketas! What we call as ‘Sreyas’ and as ‘Preyas’ are two different things of contradicting nature. Both of them are aimed at attracting the Purusha or the Jivan into doing certain specific things and to arrest him within that range. Out of this, the one who follows ‘Sreyas’ attains good results here and in the hereafter. The one who chooses to adopt ‘Preyas’ loses control of himself and of his spiritual progress.

Both Sreyas and Preyas come in search of a man. The wise man analyzes both in all aspects and understands the difference between them. He deserts the path of ‘Preyas’ and adopts ‘Sreyas’. The idiot, who is interested only in earning wealth and in protecting it takes on the path of ‘Preyas’.”

“O Naciketas! You have identified the worldly desires as hindrances to one’s spiritual progress and have chosen not to follow them. These desires, however, are very attractive and quite easily hypnotize any one of a strong will and make them run in search of their fulfillment. You have been very strong enough (in your mind) to come above this hindrance. You have not adopted that path of illusion (of making wealth and of protecting it) in which all people get immersed and lose themselves (the self referred to here being the Atman).”

“The path that avidyaa (or ignorance) leads one to and the path that vidyaa (or knowledge) takes one through are extremely different ones and are very far from each other. O Naciketas! I understand that you are the one in search of knowledge since you are not interested in fulfilling all the worldly, material desires that I offered to grant you. Those desires did not move you even an inch from your strong focus (of attaining the knowledge).”

“Those fools who are sunk in the ocean of ignorance think and feel that they are the really wise ones and that they are the masters (of knowledge). They are comparable to the blind who are led by the blind again. They do not reach their ultimate destination and will just be encircling the same place.”

“This knowledge about the Heaven and about the knowledge of the Atman will not be understood by that one who is not deeply interested in it and by those idiots who are attracted by the worldly wealth and desires. Such people tend to think that there is no such thing as Heaven or Hell and that what exists is only earth or the world. Those are the ones who get into my trap time and again”.

“It is quite rare to know even little regarding that thing (the knowledge) about which many people have not even heard of and even those who have heard of have not understood a fraction of it. It is rare to get someone who can explain about it. It is rare again to get someone who can understand and grasp it. Rarest of rare it is to get someone who is taught (about this knowledge) by an expert teacher and who understands it fully well.”

“The Atma cannot be understood if told by a man of a lower stature (by knowledge), because different people perceive it as many different things. If it is taught by one who has crossed the principles of duality and who has identified himself with the Brahman, there would not be any scope for misunderstanding. Since it is smaller than the smallest atom and finer than the finest one, it cannot be understood by the process of debate and discussions. (called as dharkam)”

“O Dear Naciketas! The knowledge that you have attained is something that cannot be attained by dharkam. It can only be learnt first-hand from a learned, wise teacher. You have a very strong will and heart. Quite surprising! I only wish that I should get more (aspiring students) like you (who are interested in learning this knowledge).”

“I know that the wealth saved and protected is illusory. One cannot attain the ever-existent, permanent wealth of Self-Knowledge through and by the use of temporary, illusory objects that you see in the daily life of the materialistic world. Still, I have taught you the technique of Naciketa-agni which can be performed with the worldly objects and which can take you to the ultimate knowledge path. Since I have done this, I will also be eligible for being in this position (of Yama and also of the knowledgeable one) for infinite years to come.”

“O Naciketas! Thou hath attained this state of Knowledge which is at the end border of the satiation of all desires, the reside of the whole world, the end-result of all deeds, the place of no fear in which everything else is centered, that which is praised by all, the limitless one, the all-pervading and the one which is the life of the life (breath) through sheer will power and strong mind! O the Brave one! You have crossed all those things that are of illusory nature.”

“The brave one who, by continuous practice of meditation on the self, identifies and understands the Self (the classic, bright force of power) which is hard to be seen but that which is present within all things, which is the hidden thing and remains in the brain-cave of every being and the oldest of all things, he immediately leaves behind himself all sorts of happiness as well as sorrows. He remains unaffected by either of these.”

“The man who has understood it as it is and who has segregated the root of dharma using his intelligence and sense and having attained the smallest atom of the Atma will obtain that which is deeply enjoyable and remains ever-joyous. I think the house of salvation is kept open for thou, O Naciketas”.

Naciketas: “That thing which you see as beyond both Dharma and Adharma, and that which is beyond activity and cause, and that which is beyond the produced and the one to be produced, kindly tell me about that”.

Yama: “That is the one which is praised by all the Vedas; the same is the object of end-result of all penances; desire of attaining the same is the reason for practice of celibacy. I shall tell you that thing in short. It is the syllable ‘OM’ (also written as AUM).”

“This syllable (OM) is the (lower aspect of) Brahman; this is the highest aspects of Brahman as well. If one understands this, he gets all his desires fulfilled. Whatever he desires for becomes his immediately.”

“This support is the best; this support is the highest as well. The one who understands this support becomes the blessed one in the Brahma Loka.”

“One who has understood this truth beyond doubt – he is not born again; nor does he die. This Atma is not given birth to or produced by something. Nothing else is produced from this Atma also. This (the Atma) is birth less, ever existent and immortal. It precedes everything else and it is not destroyed even when the physical body (where it resides) is destroyed.”

“A killer, who thinks that he has killed (the Atma) and the killed, who thinks that he (the Atma) has been killed are both wrong. Both of them do not understand the Atma. This (Atma) does not kill nor can it be killed.”

“This Atma, which is smaller than the smallest atom and which is larger than the largest one, resides in the heart of the Jivan. That one who has completely renounced his desires, he can see the Atma. (Having thus relinquished his desires,) he understands the greatness of the Atma through the clarity of the mind and an attitude that is not stained by sorrows.”

“Sitting at just one place, it (the Atma) travels long; laying down at a place, it goes everywhere. Who else can understand that Supreme Soul, which resides in me in the forms of both pleasure and sorrow except me (since it is inside me that it resides)?”

“The wise one who understands the Atma, which resides in the bodies without a body and which is a stable thing residing in instable forms and which is very large and all pervading, as himself (the feeling of: ‘I am He’) does not get affected by any sorrow.”

“This Atma cannot be attained (or understood) by an aspirant simply by learning the Vedas or by brilliant brain or by elaborate questioning sessions or debates. It is only when the aspirant mediates exclusively on the Atma (by the Atma), it is attainable by him. Then the Atma illumines its true form to him.”

“That one who has not come out of his bad habits, the one who has no control over his sense organs, the one who is not able to control and direct his mind in attaining peace – all of these cannot attain the Atma just by reason of possessing greater knowledge or awareness.”

“The Atma to which the four kinds of people (viz the Brahmanas, the Kshatriyas, the Vysyas and the Sudras) are like basic food and to which me, the Yama (the one who has the entire world as his basic food) is like a pickle – who can understand what it is in reality?”

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