Nachiketa And Other Stories

81-7508-277-1

Editor: Anant Pai
Author: Subba Rao
Illustrator: P.V. Kavadi

The three stories depicted here are from the Upanishads, which are also called Vedanta or "the end of the Veda". This is because they form the last branch of Vedic literature wherein one finds the final aim of the Vedas - that of self-realisation.

The first story is that of young Nachiketa, who struggles to comprehend the truth of life and death. He approaches Yama, the God of Death, and is tested by the Lord before being found worthy of divine instruction. The second story is about Satyakama's search for the ultimate reality or "Brahman". Here, nature is the best teacher as Satyakama experiences Brahman directly rather than through verbal instruction by his guru Gautama. In the third story, Prajapati - the father, the guru and the guide - utters a single syllable "DA" as instruction to the dissatisfied gods, humans and demons seeking contentment and peace. "DA" was understood and interpreted differently by the pupils in the light of their own experiences.