1uśan ha vai vājaśravasaḥ sarvavedasaṃ dadau | tasya ha naciketā nāma putra āsa ||
2taṃ ha kumāraṃ santaṃ dakṣiṇāsu nīyamānāsu śraddhā''viveśa so 'manyata ||
3pītodakā jagdhatṛṇā dugdhadohā nirindriyāḥ | anandā nāma te lokās tān sa gacchati tā dadat ||
4sa hovāca pitaraṃ tata kasmai māṃ dāsyasīti | dvitīyaṃ tṛtīyaṃ taṃ hovāca mṛtyave tvā dadāmīti ||
5bahūnām emi prathamo bahūnām emi madhyamaḥ | kiṃ svid yamasya kartavyaṃ yan mayādya kariṣyati ||
6anupaśya yathā pūrve pratipaśya tathāpare | sasyam iva martyaḥ pacyate sasyam ivājāyate punaḥ ||
7vaiśvānaraḥ praviśaty atithir brāhmaṇo gṛhān | tasyaitāṃ śāntiṃ kurvanti hara vaivasvatodakam ||
8āśāpratīkṣe saṅgataṃ sūnṛtāṃ ceṣṭāpūrte putrapaśūṃś ca sarvān | etad vṛṅkte puruṣasyālpamedhaso yasyānaśnan vasati brāhmaṇo gṛhe ||
9tisro rātrīr yad avātsīr gṛhe me 'naśnan brahmann atithir namasyaḥ | namas te 'stu brahman svasti me 'stu tasmāt prati trīn varān vṛṇīṣva ||
10śāntasaṅkalpaḥ sumanā yathā syād vītamanyur gautamo mābhimṛtyo | tvatprasṛṣṭaṃ mābhivadet pratīta etat trayāṇāṃ prathamaṃ varaṃ vṛṇe ||
11yathā purastād bhavitā pratīta auddālakir āruṇir matprasṛṣṭaḥ | sukhaṃ rātrīḥ śayitā vītamanyus tvāṃ dadṛśivān mṛtyumukhāt pramuktam ||
12svarge loke na bhayaṃ kiñ canāsti na tatra tvaṃ na jarayā bibheti | ubhe tīrtvāśanāyāpipāse śokātigo modate svargaloke ||
13sa tvam agniṃ svargyam adhyeṣi mṛtyo prabrūhi taṃ śraddadhānāya mahyam | svargalokā amṛtatvaṃ bhajanta etad dvitīyena vṛṇe vareṇa ||
14pra te bravīmi tad u me nibodha svargyam agniṃ naciketaḥ prajānan | anantalokāptim atho pratiṣṭhāṃ viddhi tvam etaṃ nihitaṃ guhāyām ||
15lokādim agniṃ tam uvāca tasmai yā iṣṭakā yāvatīr vā yathā vā | sa cāpi tat pratyavadad yathoktam athāsya mṛtyuḥ punar evāha tuṣṭaḥ ||
16tam abravīt prīyamāṇo mahātmā varaṃ tavehādya dadāmi bhūyaḥ | tavaiva nāmnā bhavitāyam agniḥ sṛṅkāṃ cemām anekarūpāṃ gṛhāṇa ||
17triṇāciketas tribhir etya sandhiṃ trikarmakṛt tarati janmamṛtyū | brahmajajñaṃ devam īḍyaṃ viditvā nicāyyemāṃ śāntim atyantam eti ||
18triṇāciketas trayam etad viditvā ya evaṃ vidvāṃś cinute nāciketam | sa mṛtyupāśān purataḥ praṇodya śokātigo modate svargaloke ||
19eṣa te 'gnir naciketaḥ svargyo yam avṛṇīthā dvitīyena vareṇa | etam agniṃ tavaiva pravakṣyanti janāsas tṛtīyaṃ varaṃ naciketo vṛṇīṣva ||
20yeyaṃ prete vicikitsā manuṣye 'stīty eke nāyam astīti caike | etad vidyām anuśiṣṭas tvayāhaṃ varāṇām eṣa varas tṛtīyaḥ ||
21devair atrāpi vicikitsitaṃ purā na hi suvijñeyam aṇur eṣa dharmaḥ | anyaṃ varaṃ naciketo vṛṇīṣva mā moparotsīr ati mā sṛjainam ||
22devair atrāpi vicikitsitaṃ kila tvaṃ ca mṛtyo yan na suvijñeyam āttha | vaktā cāsya tvādṛg anyo na labhyo nānyo varas tulya etasya kaś cit ||
23śatāyuṣaḥ putrapautrān vṛṇīṣva bahūn paśūn hastihiraṇyam aśvān | bhūmer mahad āyatanaṃ vṛṇīṣva svayaṃ ca jīva śarado yāvad icchasi ||
24etat tulyaṃ yadi manyase varaṃ vṛṇīṣva vittaṃ cirajīvikāṃ ca | mahābhūmau naciketas tvam edhi kāmānāṃ tvā kāmabhājaṃ karomi ||
25ye ye kāmā durlabhā martyaloke sarvān kāmāṃś chandataḥ prārthayasva | imā rāmāḥ sarathāḥ satūryā na hīdṛśā lambhanīyā manuṣyaiḥ | ābhir matprattābhiḥ paricārayasva naciketo maraṇaṃ mānuprākṣīḥ ||
26śvobhāvā martyasya yad antakaitat sarvendriyāṇāṃ jarayanti tejaḥ | api sarvaṃ jīvitam alpam eva tavaiva vāhās tava nṛtyagīte ||
27na vittena tarpaṇīyo manuṣyo lapsyāmahe vittam adrākṣma cet tvā | jīviṣyāmo yāvad īśiṣyasi tvaṃ varas tu me varaṇīyaḥ sa eva ||
28ajīryatām amṛtānām upetya jīryan martyaḥ kvadhaḥsthaḥ prajānan | abhidhyāyan varṇaratipramodān atidīrghe jīvite ko rameta ||
29yasminn idaṃ vicikitsanti mṛtyo yat sāmparāye mahati brūhi nas tat | yo 'yaṃ varo gūḍham anupraviṣṭo nānyaṃ tasmān naciketā vṛṇīte ||
Chapter source notes
Independent normalized IAST transcription from Röer 1850, printed pp. 74–92. See Edition source for the Devanagari print and commentary.
I.2: The double avagraha in śraddhā''viveśa is retained as two apostrophes; the initial draft silently omitted it.