Oh Naciketas, you have seen the desires that are desired. Do not be weak.

Yama changes strategy. Recognizing that he cannot bribe Naciketas with riches, he now tries to use inverted logic: he suggests that the boy has already tasted desires (by fasting for three nights) and therefore should understand their nature and not yield to them. The injunction mā bhūḥ (do not be) can be interpreted as “do not be weak” or “do not exist” (in the sense of not falling into illusion).

The term kāmānām (of desires) appears in the genitive plural, indicating that Yama refers to all sensory desires in general, not just those he offered. This broadens the scope of the conversation: it is no longer just about specific riches but about the principle of desire itself.

The word agraṃ (first, principal, highest) qualifies Naciketas. Yama recognizes his distinction: among all who seek blessings, Naciketas is unique because he rejects what others accept without question. This distinction makes him worthy of the highest knowledge.

There is profound irony here: Yama, who tried to weaken Naciketas’s resolution with temptations, now urges him not to be weak. This demonstrates that the god of death has been conquered by the young man’s firmness. The power of spiritual discrimination (viveka) is greater than any worldly power.