Katha Upanishad 2.3
beginner
स त्वं प्रियान्प्रियरूपांश्च कामानभिध्यायन्नचिकेतोऽत्यस्राक्षीः। नैतां सृङ्कां वित्तमयीमवाप्तो यस्यां मज्जन्ति बहवो मनुष्याः॥
sa tvaṃ priyānpriyarūpāṃśca kāmānabhidhyāyannaciketoatyasrākṣīḥ | naitāṃ sṛṅkāṃ vittamayīmavāpto yasyāṃ majjanti bahavo manuṣyāḥ ||
""You, O Nachiketa, pondering on dear desires and their forms, have let them go. You have not taken the chain of wealth in which many men sink and drown.""
What This Means:
Yama praises Nachiketa: You considered worldly pleasures but released them. You didn't grab the "wealth chain" that drowns most people.
Going Deeper:
The "chain" offered earlier was both a gift and a trap. Nachiketa recognized that worldly wealth binds as much as it rewards.
How To Apply This:
Wealth is a chain that drowns many. Ask yourself: Am I owning my possessions, or do they own me?
#renunciation#wealth#freedom