KATHOPANISHAD

Yama thus failed to persuade Nachiketas to give up his inquiry into the mystery of life even for all the pleasures of this world and of the world of the gods. "You have displayed courage and re solve," said Yama. "There can be no better seeker than such a one, even as you stated that there can be no better instructor than myself. Listen, then, I shall explain."

Then follows the teaching.

The first thing that man should learn in the pursuit of Truth is that the good is something different from the pleasant. So Yama begins thus:

The Good is one thing, the Pleasant is another. These two lead man to very different ends. He who chooses the Good attains happiness. He who prefers the Pleasant ever loses his object. The wise is not deceived by the attractions of the Pleasant. They choose the Good. Fools are snared into the mere pleasant and perish.

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