Have you ever sensed that our soul is immortal and never dies?” ― Plato, The Republic

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Yama, however, was not talking to word-juggling ignoramuses, but to an eminently qualified inquirer. Yet, testing the strength of Nachiketa’s interest in such a profound matter, he attempted to dissuade him from pressing the question. When that failed, he resorted to that which has effectively deflected “seekers” through the history of humanity. He offered him long-lived and prosperous progeny, vast material wealth and possessions, unlimited pleasure and unlimited power, and finally, dominion over even the subtle worlds and all that is therein. Throughout countless ages the mere promise or prospect of such acquisitions have turned awakening consciousnesses from the path of immortality and led them further into the morass of mortal life. But Nachiketa could not be moved from his original resolve to learn the truth regarding immortality. The Katha Upanishad cannot have been unknown to Jesus when he lived and studied in India, and it can be speculated that it was in the context of the teachings of this upanishad that he asked his disciples: “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” I have to admit that when as a primary grade-schooler I first heard this verse read out in church, I immediately thought: “No. The real question is: ‘What will a man take in exchange for his soul?’” Through the years I kept questioning as to whether things were a blessing for life or a bribe to embrace inner death. This, too, we see so often. From those early years and even till now I have seen so many bribes offered and taken, all of them cheap and paltry compared to what the seekers would have gained if they had turned away from the offers. And as I have pointed out, in every instance the promise was withdrawn unfulfilled or the “gain” was ruthlessly wrested from their grasp and they were left broken and empty. People do not need to die to become “lost souls.” The suffering may not be eternal, but it is no less terrible for that

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Here is a Summary Bullet Quote (SBQ) for the above powerful passage on temptation, steadfastness, and the value of the soul, based on Katha Upanishad and its profound echo in the teachings of Jesus:

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🕉 SBQ — What Will a Man Take in Exchange for His Soul?

• 🧑‍🏫 Yama's Final Test:
  Even a worthy seeker like Nachiketa was tested—with wealth, power, pleasure, and dominion—to measure his resolve for truth.

• 🪤 The Ancient Trap:
  Throughout time, humanity has traded away spiritual pursuit for shiny bribes: material success, fleeting joy, or false security.

• ✋ Nachiketa Stands Firm:
  Unlike many, he refused the bargain, choosing the path of immortality over all temporal offers.

• ✝️ Echo in Christ’s Teaching:
  Jesus asks, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”—a question in perfect alignment with the Upanishadic wisdom.

• 🤔 What Will You Take?
  The real question is not what we’ll give for the soul, but what we’re willing to take to abandon it.

• 🧘 Blessing or Bribe?:
  True seekers must ask: “Is this a gift for the journey or a bribe for betrayal?” The price of compromise is the death of inner life.

• 💔 The Aftermath of Bargaining:
  Those who take the bribe often find it withdrawn or destroyed, leaving them empty, broken, and lost—even while still alive.

“People do not need to die to become ‘lost souls.’”

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