THE TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD
THE TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD
tW¢äOr£yaEp¢nxt¯
Contributed
by
ALAMELU SWAMINATHAN
and
C.L.RAMAKRISHNAN
The
Taittiriya Upanishad forms the
seventh, eighth and ninth
chapters of the Taittiriya Aranyaka
of the Krishna Yajur Veda.
These chapters are known
as Siksha Valli, Ananda Valli
and Bhrigu Valli, respectively.
The Siksha
Valli, which is the first
chapter of the Upanishad
consists of twelve lessons or
Anuvakas concerning various types of
meditations and ethical rules
to be practised by the
seeker to make his mind
pure and fit to receive
the teachings above the
Supreme God contained in the
next two chapters. Meditations
of various types are suggested
to help the mind to gain
steadiness. The thought of
the seeker entangled in
the intricate domestic and
religious rituals
are lifted to the level
of cosmic contemplation. Material
rewards are also promised as
aids to spiritual evolution.
There is prayer for prosperity,
good health, mental efficiency, good memory,
sweet speech and general
fitness to receive the bliss of
immortality. The ethical principles and
practices necessary for the
aspirant are clearly stated.
The tenth lesson describes how
the accomplished sage Trisanku narrates
his experience of God-realisation.
The last
lesson of the chapter repeats
the opening peace chant
in a slightly
altered form expressing gratitude to
the deities who have helped
the student in realising the
truths taught in the chapter.
The second
chapter, Ananda Valli, declares
that the knowledge
of the Absolute
God alone can destroy ignorance
and thus remove the misery of
transmigratory existence. He who
knows Brahman attains the Supreme.
The all-pervading Brahman is
also man's inner most self
or subtlest essence within the
cavity of the heart. But man
is not conscious of it
because the Self is covered or
obscured, as it were, by
many layers of ignorance
in the form
of sheaths or
Kosas of varying degrees of
subtlety and grossness. These sheaths
constitute the gross, subtle and
causal bodies of man.
The same Brahman
dwells in the hearts of all
as consciousness
and manifests
itself in all acts of cognition.
Brahman is also described
as self-made, which means
: It is both the
material and the efficient cause
of the universe. It is
cause of everything but in
Itself without a cause.
It is also defined as Existence,
Knowledge and Infinite Bliss.
He who realises his identity
with God enjoys Supreme Bliss
compared to which the happiness
enjoyed on earth and heaven
are nothing.
The third
chapter, Bhrigu Valli, teaches
knowledge of Brahman through a
dialogue between teacher and disciple.
The teacher tells his disciple
to concentrate all his energies
and inquire into the nature
of the different sheaths
to find out if any
of them can be Brahman or
God. The disciple is guided
stage by stage through
the different Kosas and
finding everyone of them
falling short
of the ideal, he transcends
all the Kosas and reaches
the Atman at the innermost
core.
In the
later sections of this
chapter are given meditations
on food as Brahman. Food
or matter is said to be
the basis of all organic creation,
and on the body, resulting
from food, rests the final spiritual
realisation. The contemplation of
food as Brahman is eulogised
in several lessons.
In conclusion,
it may be said that
the Taittriya Upanishad contains
many outstanding teachings on
philosophy and religious discipline,
which deserve to be studied
earnestly and meditated
upon by all
seekers of God. Even today
many persons learn
the text of
this Upanishad in the oral
tradition in order to recite with
the correct accent, measure,
emphasis, sequence and rhythm.
PROCEED TO CHAPTER ONE
RETURN TO THE INDEX OF UPANISHADS