What is the Most Precious Thing in One's Life ?
During our childhood days it was told to us that.." … If wealth has gone, nothing is lost , if health has gone, some thing is lost and if character is gone, every thing has gone.."
I don't know how many would agree today with this statement. There would be many who would be happily prepared to barter their health and character for wealth. The moral degradation, corruption in all walks of life in India and every where (with variance in degree) and the consequential dis-array and helplessness in ones' life, the family, in society and the country is living testimony of the present situation.
The story of Katho Upanishad opens up with the story of Muni Vajasravasa, (also called Aruni Auddalaki Gautama), who declared to gives away all his most dearly worldly possessions, in charity. He always told his son Nachiketa , he was the dearest to him of every thing. Nachiketa questioned his father as the Muni instead of his dearest son Nachiketa, offered all other worldly things , those have already been used to exhaustion, and were of no value to the recipients. Seeing this farce charity, the son asked repeatedly, his father " Dear father, to whom will you give me away?"
He said it a second, and then a third time.
The father, seized by anger, replied: " To Death, I give you away."
— Nachiketa, Katha Upanishad, 1.1.1-1.1.4
The dialogue between the Nachiketa and the death god : Yama is the subject matter of Katho Upanishad.
In recent times, during my pilgrimage to ' Kailash Mansarover ' Yatra, in WesternTibet ,China , when we reached at the place called : 'Swargadwar ' the starting point of start of ascend to parikrama to Mount Kailash, customarily a ritual is performed. One has to drop and offer to the deity his most dearly worldly possession at this place.
One of my friends and co-travelers : Mr. Satvir Jand, a senior Banker, offered to drop the old , faded woolen cap he was wearing. It looked me very un-usual. On my asking he told me that his deceased wife made the knitted-cap with her own hands and he wore it almost more than 30 years, his most favorite. He told me that he loved his wife the most, and the cap being her only remaining sign, it was the dearest.
What is yours most favorite and dearest possession you would like to offer, if it was your turn ?