"I preach only the Upanishads. If you look, you will find that I never quoted anything but the Upanishads. And of the Upanishads, it is only that one idea, strength. The quintessence of the Vedas and Vedanta and all lies in that one word." Thus Swami Vivekananda.

Perhaps Swami Vivekananda's favorite Upanishad, the Katha Upanishad is the classic text dealing with the issue of life and death. Written in the form of a dialogue between the youth, Nachiketa, and Yama, the God of Death, this time-honored teaching presents us with a simple, yet profound wisdom.

Selected from the multi-volume The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda the book presents Vivekananda's exposition of the Katha Upanishad. The compilation juxtaposes what Swamiji said in different contexts with the original verses of the Upanishad. The verses are given in the original Sanskrit and transliterated, but not translated into English. But through Swami Vivekananda's commentary, the words, as well as the profound thought of the Upanishad, are made known to the reader.