1.2.04

दूरमेते विपरीते विषूची अविद्या या च विद्येति ज्ञाता। विद्याभीप्सितं नचिकेतसं मन्ये न त्वा कामो बहवो लोलुपन्तः ॥४॥

dūram ete viparīte viṣūcī avidyā yā ca vidyeti jñātā. vidyābhīpsitaṁ naciketasaṁ manye na tvā kāmo bahavo lolupantaḥ ॥4॥

[दूरम् (dūram) - far apart; एते (ete) - these two; विपरीते (viparīte) - opposed; विषूची (viṣūcī) - divergent paths; अविद्या (avidyā) - ignorance; या (yā) - which; च (ca) - and; विद्या (vidyā) - knowledge; इति (iti) - thus; ज्ञाता (jñātā) - understood; विद्या-अभीप्सितम् (vidyā-abhīpsitam) - desirous of knowledge; नचिकेतसं (naciketasaṁ) - Nachiketas; मन्ये (manye) - I think; न (na) - not; त्वा (tvā) - you; कामः (kāmaḥ) - desire; बहवः (bahavaḥ) - many; लोलुपन्तः (lolupantaḥ) - have tempted;]

I think Nachiketas, who desires knowledge, has understood that ignorance and knowledge are far apart and opposed, like divergent paths; you have not been tempted by many desires.