Upanishads · Kaṭha 1.10
॥
Devanāgarī
शान्तसङ्कल्पः सुमना यथा स्याद् वीतमन्युर् गौतमो माभि मृत्यो ।
त्वत्प्रसृष्टं माभिवदेत् प्रतीत एतत् त्रयाणां प्रथमं वरं वृणे
Transliteration (IAST)
śāntasaṅkalpaḥ sumanā yathā syād vītamanyur gautamo mābhi mṛtyo /
tvatprasṛṣṭaṃ mābhivadet pratīta etat trayāṇāṃ prathamaṃ varaṃ vṛṇe
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
शान्तसङ्कल्पःśāntasaṅkalpaḥcalmed in his purposes (śānta-saṅkalpa); pacified in intent; with his anxiety stilled
सुमनाःsumanāḥkindly; kindly minded
यथाyathāso that; how
स्यात्syātmay he be; would become
वीतमन्युःvītamanyuḥwith his anger let go (vīta-manyu); free from anger; without wrath
गौतमःgautamaḥGautama; my father Gautama
माmāme; to me
अभिabhitowards; to meet [me]
मृत्योmṛtyoO Death; O Yama
त्वत्प्रसृष्टम्tvatprasṛṣṭamreleased by you; sent by you
माmāme; to me
अभिवदेत्abhivadetlet him turn to; let him speak
प्रतीतःpratītaḥrecognizing, kindly (prati-√i — 'to acknowledge'); trustful; cordial
एतत्etatthis; such
त्रयाणाम्trayāṇāmof the three; among the three
प्रथमम्prathamamthe first; the first
वरम्varama gift; a blessing
वृणेvṛṇeI choose; I ask
Translation
"That Gautama, my father, may be calmed in his purposes, become well disposed, and let go his anger against me, O Death; that, recognizing me released by you, he may greet me kindly — this is the first of the three boons that I choose."
Version
b1e7a1ce7ee3 · published Jul 26, 2026, 9:13:03 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The boy's first wish, with three fulfillable wishes of any kind in his hands, concerns his father's heart. śānta-saṅkalpaḥ — "calmed in his purposes": let the storm subside; sumanāḥ — "well disposed"; vīta-manyuḥ — "with his anger let go"; pratītaḥ — "recognizing [and accepting]": let the father not shrink from one come back from the dead but embrace him. Not a word about himself — the whole petition is for the man who cursed him.
This is not merely touching filial love — it is spiritual precision. Naciketas knows that the words "I give you to Death" burn the father worse than the son: on him lies the sin of anger and of a child destroyed. The first boon unties that knot: the son's return alive lifts the guilt from the father and the shadow of untruth from the family. Before ascending to the highest mysteries, what has been broken in one's own house must be healed: spiritual life is not built upon unpaid debts of the heart.
The order of the three boons is itself the ladder of the Upaniṣad: first, peace in the family (the dharma of relationships); second, the sacred fire (the dharma of rite); third, the truth about the immortal (what is higher than both). Not one rung is skipped; and that is why the ladder holds.