An eternal symbol of seeking

Given to the god of death- Yama by his own father in a fit of anger, child Nachiketa sat at the doors of the god of death for three days without food or water. When Yama found Nachiketa at his door, pleased by his sincerity, Yama granted him three boons. For the third boon, Young Nachiketa desired the knowledge of what happens to a being after death- for the wait and the disillusionment after the whole incident left him wanting to know the truth. Even after Yama insisted that he cannot reveal the sacred knowledge and that Nachiketa can ask for anything else in the world, he had to surrender before the determination of the child.

image courtesy Kala Kshetram

The boon was indeed granted by Yama and child Nachiketa became an eternal symbol of determination and seeking.

The quest for self- realization and self- knowledge is ancient. Came many seekers in search of knowledge and prophets to quench the thirst for knowledge and still we find the dialogue lost in interpretation. For such knowledge cannot be absorbed by the intellect and probably it is the beauty of the moment when the knowledge is imparted and is absorbed by the being that one should seek to experience. 

I wonder when we say we are seeking, how sincere is the seeking and how much we are ready to give up our conditionings and our comfort for the sake of seeking? Or do we customize our seeking as we customize our beliefs and our gods? Or are we just too much full of desires and indulgence…and seeking a higher purpose in life is only one of our wantings- not so important that it can wait till we have experienced 'all' the pleasures that we ever desired? And have lived our lives the way we wanted to live…

We all have our moments of disillusionment and disappointment…and we all have one Nachiketa inside us. The ignorance and indifference are probably the only hurdles we need to cross.