1.1.01-03

उशन् ह वै वाजश्रवसः सर्ववेदसं ददौ। तस्य ह नचिकेता नाम पुत्र आस। तं ह कुमारं सन्तं दक्षिणासु नीयमानासु श्रद्धाऽविवेश ॥१॥

uśan ha vai vājaśravasaḥ sarvavedasaṁ dadau. tasya ha naciketā nāma putra āsa. taṁ ha kumāraṁ santaṁ dakṣiṇāsu nīyamānāsu śraddhā'viveśa ॥1॥

[उशन् (uśan) - desiring or wishing; ह (ha) - indeed; वै (vai) - truly; वाजश्रवसः (vājaśravasaḥ) - of Vājashravasa; सर्ववेदसं (sarvavedasaṁ) - entire wealth (or all possessions); ददौ (dadau) - he gave (as offering).] [तस्य (tasya) - his; ह (ha) - indeed; नचिकेता (naciketā) - Nachiketas; नाम (nāma) - by name; पुत्र (putra) - son; आस (āsa) - was.] [तं (taṁ) - him; ह (ha) - indeed; कुमारं (kumāraṁ) - the boy; सन्तं (santaṁ) - being; दक्षिणासु (dakṣiṇāsu) - among the gifts; नीयमानासु (nīyamānāsu) - being carried away or offered; श्रद्धा (śraddhā) - faith or earnestness; अविवेश (aviveśa) - entered.]

Desiring (reward), indeed, Vājashravasa gave away all his possessions. He had a son named Nachiketas. As the boy saw the gifts being carried away, 'śraddhā', i.e. honest-interest arose in him.

पीतोदका जग्धतृणा दुग्धदोहा निरिन्द्रियाः। अनन्दा नाम ते लोकाः तान् स गच्छति ता ददत् ॥२॥

pītodakā jagdhatṛṇā dugdhadohā nirindriyāḥ. anandā nāma te lokāḥ tān sa gacchati tā dadat ॥2॥

[पीतोदका (pītodakā) - those whose water has been drunk; जग्धतृणा (jagdhatṛṇā) - whose grass has been eaten; दुग्धदोहा (dugdhadohā) - whose milk has been milked; निरिन्द्रियाः (nirindriyāḥ) - devoid of strength or vitality.] [अनन्दा (anandā) - joyless; नाम (nāma) - by name; ते (te) - those; लोकाः (lokāḥ) - worlds or realms; तान् (tān) - those; स (sa) - he; गच्छति (gacchati) - goes to; ता (tā) - them; ददत् (dadat) - who gives (such).]

Those who give cows whose water has been drunk, grass eaten, milk drawn, and who are feeble—go to the joyless realms known by that name.

स होवाच पितरं तात कस्मै मां दास्यसीति। द्वितीयं तृतीयम्। तं होवाच मृत्यवे त्वा ददानीति ॥३॥

sa hovāca pitaraṁ tāta kasmai māṁ dāsyasīti. dvitīyaṁ tṛtīyam. taṁ hovāca mṛtyave tvā dadānīti ॥3॥

[स (sa) - he; होवाच (hovāca) - said; पितरं (pitaraṁ) - to his father; तात (tāta) - O father; कस्मै (kasmai) - to whom; मां (māṁ) - me; दास्यसि (dāsyasi) - will you give; इति (iti) - thus.] [द्वितीयं (dvitīyaṁ) - a second time; तृतीयम् (tṛtīyam) - a third time.] [तम् (tam) - to him; होवाच (hovāca) - he said; मृत्यवे (mṛtyave) - to Death; त्वा (tvā) - you; ददानी (dadāni) - I give; इति (iti) - thus.]

He said to his father, “O father, to whom will you give me?” A second time, and a third time he asked. To him, he said, “To Death I give you.”

Bhāṣya 1.1.01-03

Ancient testimonials from Brahmasāra and Gatisāra are quoted to set the context.

"अग्नौ विष्णुं सदा ध्यायन् त्रिशोऽग्निं नाचिकेतकम्। यश्चयीत स तु प्राप्य स्वर्गं तत्र भयातिगः। उष्य मन्वन्तरं कालं अमृतत्वं भजेत् क्रमात्॥"

"agnau viṣṇuṁ sadā dhyāyan triśo'gniṁ nāciketakam. yaścayīta sa tu prāpya svargaṁ tatra bhayātigaḥ. uṣya manvantaraṁ kālaṁ amṛtatvaṁ bhajet kramāt॥"

[अग्नौ (agnau) - in the fire; विष्णुं (viṣṇuṁ) - Viṣṇu; सदा (sadā) - always; ध्यायन् (dhyāyan) - meditating; त्रिशः (triśaḥ) - thrice; अग्निं (agniṁ) - the fire; नाचिकेतकम् (nāciketakam) - relating to Nachiketa.] [यः (yaḥ) - whoever; चयीत (cayīta) - would perform (the ritual); स (sa) - he; तु (tu) - indeed; प्राप्य (prāpya) - attaining; स्वर्गं (svargaṁ) - heaven; तत्र (tatra) - there; भयातिगः (bhayātigaḥ) - beyond fear.] [उष्य (uṣya) - dwelling; मन्वन्तरं (manvantaraṁ) - for a manvantara (cosmic age); कालं (kālaṁ) - period; अमृतत्वं (amṛtatvaṁ) - immortality; भजेत् (bhajet) - would attain; क्रमात् (kramāt) - gradually.]

One who always meditates on Viṣṇu in the fire and performs the Nachiketa fire ritual thrice—he, attaining heaven, becomes free from fear there. Dwelling for the period of a manvantara, he gradually attains immortality.

इति ब्रह्मसारे॥

iti brahmasāre॥

[इति (iti) - thus; ब्रह्मसारे (brahmasāre) - in the essence of Brahman]

- stated thus is the testimonial Brahmasāre, i.e. 'Essence of Brahman'.

"इच्छन् वाजश्रवो नप्ता ददौ सर्वस्वदक्षिणाम्। उद्दालकः स्वर्गलोकं ददौ गाश्च निरिन्द्रियाः॥

"icchan vājaśravo naptā dadau sarvasvadakṣiṇām. uddālakaḥ svargalokaṁ dadau gāśca nirindriyāḥ॥

[इच्छन् (icchan) - desiring; वाजश्रवः (vājaśravaḥ) - Vājashrava; नप्ता (naptā) - the grandson; ददौ (dadau) - gave; सर्वस्वदक्षिणाम् (sarvasvadakṣiṇām) - as offering of all his possessions.] [उद्दालकः (uddālakaḥ) - Uddālaka; स्वर्गलोकं (svargalokaṁ) - the heavenly world; ददौ (dadau) - gave; गाः (gāḥ) - cows; च (ca) - and; निरिन्द्रियाः (nirindriyāḥ) - without strength or vitality.]

"Desiring the the heavenly world Vājashrava's grandson Uddālaka gave away all his possessions as sacrificial offering. He gave cows that were feeble and devoid of vitality.

मां दत्वापि न ते गावो दातव्या ईदृशा इति। उवाच पुत्रः तं बालः तं शशाप पिता स्वयम्॥

māṁ datvāpi na te gāvo dātavyā īdṛśā iti. uvāca putraḥ taṁ bālaḥ taṁ śaśāpa pitā svayam॥

[मां (māṁ) - me; दत्वा (datvā) - having given; अपि (api) - even; न (na) - not; ते (te) - your; गावः (gāvaḥ) - cows; दातव्या (dātavyāḥ) - should be given; ईदृशाः (īdṛśāḥ) - such as these; इति (iti) - thus.] [उवाच (uvāca) - said; पुत्रः (putraḥ) - the son; तं (taṁ) - to him; बालः (bālaḥ) - the boy; तं (taṁ) - him; शशाप (śaśāpa) - cursed; पिता (pitā) - the father; स्वयम् (svayam) - himself.]

"Such cows as these should not be given by you, Even give me away" — said the boy to his father. Then the father himself cursed him.