A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda
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A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

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284 REALIZATION.solution commits this mistake ;it insists that the whole, ofphenomena is only in touch,taste, sight, etc., and this ideaof heaven where we ought to live with very bright bodies,with the majority did not give full satisfaction. Yet Nathiketasasks as the second boon for some sacrifice throughwhich people might attain to this heaven. There was anidea in the Vedas that these sacrifices pleased the godsand took human beings to heaven, and so forth. Now, instudying all religions you will find it is an undoubted factthat whatever is old becomes holy. For instance, ourforefathers in India used to write on birch bark, but intime they learnt how to make paper. Yet the birch barkis still looked upon as very holy."When the utensils inwhich they used to cook in the most ancient times wereimproved upon, the old became holy, and nowhere has thisidea been more kept up than in India, Old methods whichmust be nine or ten thousand years old, of rubbing twosticks together to make fire, are still kept up. At the timeof sacrifice no other method will do. So with the otherbranch of the Asiatic Aryans. Their modern descendantsstill like to preserve fire that comes from lightning, showing that they- used to get fire in this way, afterwardslearning to obtain it by rubbing two pieces of wood, andwhen they learnt other customs they kept up the oldcustoms, which then became holy.So with the Hebrews. Theyparchment. They now write on paper,used to write onand the othermethod isvery holy. So with all nations, every rite whichyou now consider holy was simply an old custom, and thesesacrifices were of this nature. In course of time, as theyfound better methods of life, their ideas were much improved, still, these old forms remained, and from time totime they were practised and received a holy significance.

""Ask>"The"REALIZATION. 285Then a body of men made it their business to carry onthese sacrifices.These were the priests, and they speculated on the sacrifices, and the sacrifices became everythingto tftem. The gods came to enjoy the fragrance of thesacrifices, and everything in this world could be got bythe power of sacrifices. If certain oblations are made,certain hymns chanted, certain peculiar forms of altarsmade, th gods can do everything. So Nachiketas asks bywhat form of sacrifice a man will go to heaven.Then the third boon comes, and with that theUpanishad proper begins.There is this difficulty ;when a man dies some sayhe is,others that he is not. Instructed by you I desireto understand this."Yamawas frightened. He was very glad to satisfyNow he says, gods in ancientthe other two boons.times were puzzled on this point. This subtle law is noteasy to understand. Choose some other boon, Nachiketas,do not press me, let me off on this point."The boy was determined and said, What thou hastsaid is true, O Death, that even the gods doubted on thispoint, and it is no easy matter to understand. But I cannotobtain another exponent like you and there is no otherboon equal to this."Death said,for sons and grandsons who willlive one hundred years, many cattle, elephants, gold andhorses. Ask for empire on this earth and live as manyyears as you like. Or choose any other boon which youthink equal to these wealth and long life. Or be thou aking, Nachiketas, on the wide earth I will make thee theenjoyer of all desires. Ask for all those desires which aredifficult to obtain in this world. These heavenly maidenswith chariots and music which are not to be obtained by

""Ask>"The"REALIZATION. 285Then a body of men made it their business to carry onthese sacrifices.These were the priests, and they speculated on the sacrifices, and the sacrifices became everythingto tftem. The gods came to enjoy the fragrance of thesacrifices, and everything in this world could be got bythe power of sacrifices. If certain oblations are made,certain hymns chanted, certain peculiar forms of altarsmade, th gods can do everything. So Nachiketas asks bywhat form of sacrifice a man will go to heaven.Then the third boon comes, and with that theUpanishad proper begins.There is this difficulty ;when a man dies some sayhe is,others that he is not. Instructed by you I desireto understand this."Yamawas frightened. He was very glad to satisfyNow he says, gods in ancientthe other two boons.times were puzzled on this point. This subtle law is noteasy to understand. Choose some other boon, Nachiketas,do not press me, let me off on this point."The boy was determined and said, What thou hastsaid is true, O Death, that even the gods doubted on thispoint, and it is no easy matter to understand. But I cannotobtain another exponent like you and there is no otherboon equal to this."Death said,for sons and grandsons who willlive one hundred years, many cattle, elephants, gold andhorses. Ask for empire on this earth and live as manyyears as you like. Or choose any other boon which youthink equal to these wealth and long life. Or be thou aking, Nachiketas, on the wide earth I will make thee theenjoyer of all desires. Ask for all those desires which aredifficult to obtain in this world. These heavenly maidenswith chariots and music which are not to be obtained by

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