Nachiketa (Sanskrit: नचिकेत), also known as Nachiketā (Sanskrit: नचिकेता, Bengali: নচিকেতা Odia:ନଚିକେତା), or Nachiketas (Sanskrit: नचिकेतस्) or sometimes even Nachiketan (Sanskrit: नचिकेतन्) was the son of the sage Vājashravas (Sanskrit: वाजश्रवस्, lit. famous for donations) also known as Vājashravā (Sanskrit: वाजश्रवा) is the child protagonist in an ancient Hindu fable about the nature of the soul and Brahman. The story is told in the Katha Upanishad (c. 5th century BCE), though the name has several earlier references. He was taught self-knowledge, the separation of the human soul (the supreme Self) from the body, by the god of Death, Yama. Nachiketa is noted for his rejection of material desires which are ephemeral, and for his single-minded pursuit of the path of realizing Brahman/Moksh