This is the story of Nachiketas, a young boy who was the son of a great rishi named Vajasravas. This saint once performed a huge Vedic sacrifice (yaga). He was giving away old and useless cows as alms to seekers. Nachiketas, who was watching his father asked him “Father! To whom are you planning to give me?” The rishi absorbed in his work did not respond to the query. The boy persisted with his question and the rishi irritated with the interruption, said in a fit of anger: “I am giving you away to Yama”. The rishi was himself shocked when the realisation seeped into his mind that Yama was the Lord of Death. But he had already uttered the words during the sacrifice and there was no going back on it. The father sat transfixed in sorrow but the young boy fearlessly declared, “Father! Do not grieve. I will go to the land of Yama and return back safely.”
For the English version, please visit the following links:
- Nachiketa – Short Story ( Comics Version)
- Nachiketas – The Precocious Child
