Taittriya Upanishad – 5

Chapter 2, Anuvaka 2 

Mantra 2.2.1:

annadvai prajah prajayante I

yah kascha prthivigmsritah I

atho annenaiva jivanti I athainadapiyantyantatah I

annagmhi bhutanaṃ jyeshtam I

tasmat sarvaushadhamuchyate I

sarvam vai te'nnamapnuvanti I

ye'nnam brahmopasateI

annagmhi bhutanam jyeshtam I

tasmatsarvaushadhamuchyate I

annadbhutani jayanteI jatanyannena vardhante I

adyate'tti cha bhutani I tasmadannam taduchyata iti II

All beings, that exist on the earth, are born out of food. Thereafter they live by food. Finally, they merge into this food. Food was verily born before all creatures; therefore, it is called the medicine for all. Those who meditate on food as Brahman certainly attain all food. Food was verily born before all creatures; therefore, it is called the medicine for all.  All beings are born out of food. Those that are born grow by (consuming) food.  Food is eaten by the beings and food eats the beings. Therefore, food is called ‘Annam’. 

            This is the Sruthi quotation regarding food referred to in the first anuvaka.  All the living beings of this world are the products of food, sustained by food and in the end dissolve as food, as they become food for other creatures who live on these bodies. This is the cycle and gives food its name ‘Annam’ which means that is eaten (adyete) and that which eats (atti).  As food being the product of earth is the first born after the pancha bhuthas, food is called jyeshtam, the first born of all the living beings. Food is also called sarvaushadham, the medicine for all as it cures the ‘disease of hunger’ of all beings.  If a person worships this food as Brahman i.e. as the origin, support and the end of all living beings, he gets all food that he wants. According to Sri Sankara each sheath that covers the Indweller is Brahman but not the Supreme Brahman. They are just starting points in pursuit of the Supreme Brahman. We start with the gross body and slowly we have to transcend it, from the gross to the finer, till we reach the Supreme Self.

Mantra 2.2.2:

tasmadva etasmadannarasamayat I

anyo'ntara athma pranamayah I tenaisha purnah I

sa va esha purushavidha eva I tasya purushavidhatam I

anvayam purushavidhah I tasya prana eva sirah I

vyano dakshinah pakshah I apana uttaraḥ pakshah I

akasa athma I pṛthivi puccham pratishta I

tadapyesha sloko bhavati II

Other than this sheath made of the essence of Food, there is another sheath within it made of Prana (Air).  By that (of Air) is this one (of Food) filled. This (Pranamaya) is of the same form as previous.  It is also verily of the human form. The human form of this, is exactly as the human form of the former.  Of this, Prana is the head; Vyana is the right side; Apana is the left side; Space or Samana is the trunk (body); and Earth is the tail (or support) that stabilizes.  Pertaining to this also is the following verse.

            The body is called annarasamaya, made of the essence of food, because it is the personification of what we eat which gets transformed into muscles, bone, blood etc.  After talking about the food sheath, the Upanishad now starts discussing about the sheath of vital breath, Pranamaya kosa. It says it is inside and separate from this gross body. The Upanishad calls it Athma of annamaya kosa.  It is like the individual self or soul of the gross body. The Prana is not just one part of the body; it fills everywhere in all parts of the body. The Prana is all over the body and is known by five different names based on the functions viz Prana (respiratory system), Apana (evacuatory system), Vyana (circulatory system), Udana (reversing system) and Samana (digestive system).  These five Pranas are compared to different parts of a bird as before. The description is as below:

1)    The head is Prana

2)    The right side is Vyana

3)    The left side is Apana

4)    The trunk is Samana

5)    The supporting tail is Udana

The anuvaka ends announcing a Sruthi Mantra in support which is quoted in the next anuvaka.  The, same presentation pattern is followed in the next three anuvakas, which is as below:

1)    Sruthi quotation on the “current kosa”

2)    “Next kosa” as the inner Self of "current kosa"

3)    Changeover: “next” becomes current and “current” becomes “previous”

4)    Bird comparison

5)    Announcement of a Sruthi Mantra in support

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Taittriya Upanishad – 4

 Chapter 2, Anuvaka 1

Om brahmavid aapnoti param I Tat eshaa abhyuktaa I

satyam, jnaanam, anantam brahma I

yah veda nihitam guhaayaam parame vyoman I

sah ashnute sarvaan kaamaan, saha brahmanaa vipashchitaa” iti II 

Om. The knower of Brahman attains the Supreme. With reference to this, there is the following quotation (Rik Mantra): “Brahman is the Truth, Knowledge, Infinity.  He who knows It as existing in the cave of the heart in the transcendent Akasa, realizes all his desires as the Omniscient Brahman”

          This chapter opens with a Sutra Vakhyam, “Brahmavid apnoti Param”, which summarises the entire teaching.  Sutra Vakhyam is a pithy or aphoristic statement in which the teaching is condensed. This capsule statement is followed by a Rig Mantra, which conveys the Svarupa lakshanam of Brahman, among other things.  Since Brahman has no attributes and cannot be objectified it is only indicated through a lakshana vritti.  In Svarupa lakshanam, Brahman is indicated through Its nature. 

    Let us first take the Sutra Vakhyam.  It means that one who acquires the knowledge of Brahman, attains Moksha because when one attains Brahman, one is freed from the cycle of birth and death and the suffering of samsara.   The same idea is expressed in Mundaka Upanishad (3-2-8) which states:” Sa yo ha vai tat paramam Brahma veda, Brahmaiva bhavathi (Whoever knows the Supreme Brahman, becomes the very Brahman)”.  From the Sutra Vakhyam one can also draw the corollary that Moksha can be attained through Jnanam only and not through any other means which are only preparatory sadhanas that make one fit for receiving Jnanam. The Sutra Vakhyam is followed by the Vedic quotation which answers briefly the two questions raised by the Sutra Vakhyam.  i.e. what is Brahman and how can one attain Brahman.

    Brahman is defined as “Satyam, Jnanam, Anantham” i.e. Brahman is Satyam - that which is never subject to change, is Jnanam - that which is all knowledge Itself, is Anantam -that which is Limitlessness Itself.   Being Limitlessness itself, Brahman is free from Time, Space, Object-wise limitations. That means Brahman is “Existence, Consciousness, Infinite”, the capital letters indicating the absolute nature. Further Brahman being Anantam - Limitlessness Itself, there can be nothing independent of Brahman which means all names and forms in this creation are non-separate from Brahman even though Brahman Itself remains independent of this creation which is subject to change from time to time.  Brahman as Existence pervades all, sentient and non-sentient and as Consciousness lends sentiency to all living beings, humans being no exception.  The one who attains the knowledge of Brahman discovers Brahman as one’s very Self, Athma.  This discovery is described as ‘becoming Brahman’.  The one who makes this discovery feels fulfilled and anchors no more material desires and wants.  This realisation of Bliss absolute, as Brahman by the person who attains the knowledge of Brahman, is conveyed by the expression ‘realizing all desires’.  Hereafter, the answers in detail will be given to these questions.

tasmad va etasmaat atmanah akasah sambhutah I

 akasat vayuh I vayor agnih I agner apah I

adbhyah prithivi I prithivya oshadhayah I

oshadhibhyo annam  annaat purushah I 

From That, (which is) this Athma, space is born; from space, air; from air, fire; from fire, water; from water, earth; from earth, herbs; from herbs, food; from food, the human being

            Brahman is called Athma and is introduced as Jagat Karanam. This means that everything in the creation, without exception, is born out of Brahman. This is the tatastha lakshanam of Brahman as Brahman is indicated through its relation to the thing that we know, the world. The mantra gives a description of the evolution of the universe from fine to gross. It illustrates how the five great elements, pancha bhuthas, have emerged in a sequential order out of the Supreme, Brahman.

 1. From Brahman is born space – akasa. Space is all pervasive and the subtlest; it has one guna, sound.

2. From space is born air – vayu, which has two gunas. sound and touch.

3. From air is born fire – agni, which has three gunas, sound, touch and form.

4. From fire is born water – apah, which has four gunas, sound, touch, form and taste

5. Then from water is born earth – prithvi, the grossest which has got five gunas, sound, touch, form, taste and smell

After the five elements, the elementals are born. From the earth, plant kingdom (oshadayah) is born.  Out of the plant kingdom food is born and out of food the human beings (purusha).  Food precedes human beings as the latter cannot survive without the former.  Further after the inert elements are created, there comes the addition of sentiency in its basic form, namely the plant kingdom.  Through the agency of food, sentiency develops to its advanced stage in the form of human beings.

sa va esha purusho’nnarasamayah I

tasyedameva sirah I ayam dakshinah pakshah I

ayamuttarah pakshah I ayamatma I

idam pucchaṃ pratistha I tadapyesa sloko bhavati II 

He indeed is this Man, consisting of the essence of food; This is his head; This is his right wing; This is his left wing; This is his trunk; This is the hind part forming his support.  About this also is the following verse. 

            The body is said to be annarasamaya, made of the essence of food. For this food becomes the egg in female body and the semen in male body which together join to produce a new body, the child.  Then the Upanishad compares the human body to a bird. The right and left arms are compared to wings. The lower part of the body is compared to tail which is called the support because without the tail a bird cannot fly. The whole body is balanced like a bird. This is the description of annamaya kosa or the food sheath, the human body. The anuvaka closes with the reference to a Rig Mantra, which will be quoted in the next anuvaka.

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Taittiriya Upanishad - 3

 Two Shanthi Mantras

Sikshavalli ends with a Shanthi Mantra as anuvaka 12. This Shanthi Mantra is the same as the one in anuvaka 1 with a difference in tense of verbs used in the latter part of the Shanthi Mantra. While in the earlier one it was a submission to the Supreme, here it is a statement of satisfaction at being blessed with His Grace. The Mantra is:

Om sam no mitrah sam varunah I sam no bhavatvaryama I

sam na indro brihaspatih I sam no vishnururukramah I

namo brahmane I namaste vayo I

tvameva pratyaksham brahmasi I

tvameva pratyaksham brahma vadisham I

ritamavadisham I satyamavadisham I

tanmamaviit I tadvaktaramaviit I

aaviinmam I aaviidvaktaram I

Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi II

May Mitra be propitious unto us. May Varuna be propitious unto us. May Aryaman be propitious unto us. May Indra and Brihaspati be propitious unto us. May Vishnu, of wide strides, be propitious unto us. Salutation to Brahman. Salutation to Thee, O Vayu! Thou indeed are the visible Brahman. Thee indeed I proclaimed as the visible Brahman. Thee indeed, O Vayu, I proclaimed as the Ritam. Thee indeed I proclaimed as the Satyam. That protected me! That protected the teacher! Protected me! Protected the teacher! Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

       The second chapter is known by three names, Brahmavalli, Anandavalli and Brahmandavalli.  The chapter begins with the word Brahma and so is called Brahmavalli.  A beautiful analysis of Ananda, Ananda mimamsa, is given in the chapter and so is called Anandavalli. Since it starts with the word Brahma and contains the analysis of Ananda, it is called Brahmanandavalli, which name we will be using.  It starts with a Shanthi Mantra which is repeated in the beginning of the third chapter also.  This Shanthi Mantra is a popular Mantra and is recited in school prayers as well, as it prays for good rapport between the teacher and the student besides praying for the good health of both and for removal of obstacles to the successful pursuit of study of Upanishad.  Swami Paramarthananda calls it “a beautiful santipatah, specifically geared for a Vedāntic student”.  Because through this Shanthi Mantra the student is praying for the five factors that are very important for Vedantic study, namely self-effort, grasping and retention power, healthy relationship with Guru, Jnanam and Jnanaphalam.  The Mantra is:

Om saha naavavatu I saha nau bhunaktu I saha veeryam karavaavahai I

tejaswi naavadheetamastu maa vidvishaavahai I Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi II

May He protect us both (teacher and the taught)! May He cause us both to enjoy the bliss of Mukti! May we both exert to discover the true meaning of the sacred scriptures! May our studies be fruitful! May we never quarrel with each other! Om peace, peace, peace!

            The meaning of the different segments of the Mantra are as follows:

Om stands for Brahman . 

saha naavavatu - May the Supreme protect us both the teacher and taught.

saha nau bhunaktu -  May He bless us both to enjoy the fruits of this knowledge.

 saha veeryam karavaavahai - May we both put forth efforts together to find out the true meaning of the Scriptures.

tejaswi naavadheetam-astu - May our studies be fruitful, i.e. it should be available when needed.

maa vidvishaavahai - May we not misunderstand each other as persons and as communication wise.

Om shanti, shanti, shanti - Here Om is the sound representation of Brahman.  shanti stands for the peace that comes from the removal of obstacles to the successful pursuit of study of Upanishad.  The word shanti is repeated thrice as the obstacles are of three-fold nature. They are:

1. Adhyathmikam – Obstacles arising from within oneself like one’s personal ill-health, negative mood etc.  i.e. obstacles arising from oneself.
2. Aadhi bauthikam – Obstacles arising from other known sources or external situations like ill-health of a family member, noisy neighbourhood etc. i.e. obstacles arising from one’s environs.
3. Aadhi daivikam – obstacles arising from unseen sources like floods, storm etc. obstacles arising from nature

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Taittriya Upanishad – 2

 Parting advice to students

The eleventh anuvaka contains the final instruction which the students in those days received when they completed their Vedic studies under the Guru, before leaving the gurukulam which is called sishya-anusasanam (rules for a student).  This is similar to the present day convocation address and gives the students leaving gurukulam at the end of Vedic studies general guidelines for post-gurukulam life.  This can be seen also as Guru’s parting advice to students for leading good life in keeping with their studies, a manifesto for “Hindu way of way of living”, as Swami Chinmayananda puts it.   These instructions can also be seen as a passport to a post-student life of peace, happiness and prosperity for students even today as in life one’s needs are cultural and spiritual as well and not just physical alone.  We shall see all the Mantras together

vedam anoochya aachaaryah antevaasinam anushaasti;

satyam vada; dharmam chara; swaadhyaayaat maa pramadah;

aachaaryaaya priyam dhanam aahritya;

prajaatantum maa vyavacchhetseeh;

satyanna na pramaditavyam; dharmanna na pramaditavyam;

kushalanna na pramaditavyam; bhootyai na pramaditavyam;

swaadhyaaya pravachanaabhyaam na pramaditavyam;

deva-pitru-kaaryaabhyaam na pramaditavyam….1

Having taught the Vedas, the teacher thus instructs the pupils: Speak the truth. Practise Dharma. Do not neglect the study of the Vedas. Having brought to the teacher the gift desired by him, enter the householder's life and see that the line of progeny is not cut off. Do not swerve from the truth. Do not swerve from Dharma. Do not neglect personal welfare. Do not neglect prosperity. Do not neglect the study and teaching of the Vedas. Do not neglect your duties to the Gods and the departed souls.

maatru devoh bhava; pitru devoh bhava;

acharyadevoh bhava; atithih devoh bhava;

yaani anavadyaani karmaani; taani sevitavyaani; no itaraani;

yaani asmaakam sucharitaani; taani tvayaa upaasyaani; no itaraani… 2

Treat your mother as God. Treat your father as God. Treat your teacher as God. Treat your guest as God.  Let the actions that are free from blemishes only be done; and not any others; Let those virtuous actions which are irreproachable only be followed by you; and not any others.

ye ke cha asmat shreyaam sah braahmanaah;

teshaam tvayaa aasanena prashvasitavyam;.

shraddhayaa deyam, ashraddhayaa adeyam;

shriyaa deyam, hriyaa deyam;

bhiyaa deyam, samvidaa deyam…3

When the Brahmanas who are more distinguished than us are in discussion, you must offer them a seat and provide them with honourable services.  Gifts (charity) should be given with faith. Never give without faith; give in plenty, give with modesty; give with sympathy; give with friendly feelings

atha yadi te karma-vichikitsaa vaa vritta-vicikitsaa vaa syaat;

ye tatra braahmanaah sammarshinah; yuktaah aayuktaah;

alookshaa dharmakaamaah syuh;

yathaa te tatra varteran; tathaa tatra vartethaah;

atha abhyaakhyaateshu; ye tatra braahmanaah sammarshinah; yuktaah aayuktaah;

alookshaa dharmakaamaah syuh;

yathaa te teshu varteran; tathaa teshu vartethaah

eshah aadeshah; eshah upadeshah; eshaa vedopanishat; etat anushaasanam;

evam upaasitavyam; evamu cha etat upaasitavyam…4

Now, if there arises in your mind any doubt concerning any act, or any doubt concerning conduct, you should conduct yourself in such matters as Brahmanas would conduct themselves-Brahmanas who are competent to judge, who of their own accord are devoted to good deed and are not urged to their performance by others and who are not too severe, but are devoted to Dharma.  Now when you are falsely accused of some crime; You should act as Brahmanas do - Brahmanas who are competent to judge, who of their own accord are devoted to good deed and are not urged to their performance by others and who are not too severe, and are devoted to Dharma.This is the Command; This is the teaching; This is the secret of the Vedas; This commandment is to be observed; In this way you should live; In this way, verily, you should act.

              A selection from these instructions that can be a source of guidance and inspiration even this day as well is listed below with a brief commentary to follow.

1)    satyam vada; satyan na pramaditavyam. (Be truthful.   Do not swerve from truthfulness.) - One should maintain harmony between thought and speech, without hypocrisy or a motive to do injury.  Truthfulness is also required to cultivate love between members of family.  Truthfulness needs no ‘maintenance’, while a lie needs more lies and constant effort to maintain it.

2)    dharmam chara ; dharman na pramaditavyam.( Follow Dharma. May you not neglect the dharmic way of living.) – To be righteous and follow a religious way of living, means being just and compassionate in everything one plans or does.  Swami Vivekananda says “The world can be good and pure only if our lives are good and pure”

3)    svadhyayat ma pramadaḥ ; svadhyaya pravacanabhyam na pramaditavyam. (Never neglect scriptural study.   Never neglect the study and propagation of Vedas) - Scriptural study reminds one of Vedic values and Niyata Karmas and sharing with others helps one to keep in mind what has been learned.

4)    kusalan na pramaditavyam. (Do not neglect personal welfare) - One should not neglect the duty to oneself and one’s family in the name of serving the society.  It is not selfish to take care of one’s well-being and one’s family’s welfare; rather it is one’s duty.  It is only wrong to be selfish at the at the expense of the others.

5)    bhootyaih na pramaditavyam (Do not neglect prosperity) - Earn in plenty but earn legitimately and give in plenty, proportionate to the earning.  Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to advise people to earn well but not to consider earning as an end by itself.

6)    devapitrkaryabhyam na pramaditavyam (Do not neglect the duties to Gods and ancestors) - Worship of God is essential. Swmi Paramarthananda quotes an example from Bhagavatam. To nourish a tree, one pours water only at the root even though one wants to water every cell of the tree.  That water from the root will reach every cell in an invisible manner. Similarly, the universe is huge tree with many needy people. It is impossible to help every individual in the world. Therefore, the Vedas prescribe a method: serve or contribute to the universal tree whose root is Iswara.   Offering at least a spoonful of water, regularly worship Iswara asking for the welfare of the entire world and in that process purify the mind as well.  Similarly, pitrkaryam, the worship of the ancestors in the form of srardha, tarpaṇa etc. is also extremely important.  This helps one to attain chithasuddhi, that aids one’s spiritual growth.

7)    maatru devoh bhava; pitru devoḥ bhava; acharyadevoh bhava. (Treat your mother as God; Treat your father as God; Treat your teacher as God) - Have reverential attitude towards parents and teacher and offer them namaskara as one does to an idol in the temple.  One should not forget the sacrifices made and pains suffered by the elder generation to bring one up from infancy and groom as responsible intelligent youth.

8)    yanyanavadyani karmaṇi ; tani sevitavyani ; no itarani (Let the actions that are free from blemishes only be done; not others) - The Acharya, out of humility, here tells the pupils that they should take only the good from what they have experienced in their gurukulam life, and discard the others.

9)    ye ke cha asmat shreyaam sah braahmanaah; teshaam tvayaa aasanena prashvasitavyam. (When the Brahmanas who are more distinguished than us are in discussion, you must offer them a seat and provide them with honourable services.) -  Here Brahmanas stand for cultured, Vedic scholars. The idea is that one must be all ears and eyes when such scholars hold discussion on philosophical matters with the aim of learning from their discussions, while treating them respectfully as well.

10)  sraddhaya deyam ; asraddhyadeyam ; sriya deyam ; hriya deyam ; bhiya deyam ; saṃvida deyam. (Gifts (charity) should be given with faith. Never give without faith; give in plenty, give with modesty; give with sympathy; give with friendly feelings) – In short, gift must be a Satvic Dhanam as defined by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita (17-20) i.e. “That gift which is given with a sense of duty expecting nothing in return, in a proper place and at proper time to a proper person, is pronounced as Satvic”.

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Taittiriya Upanishad – 1

 

Introduction & Shanthi Mantra

The word ‘Upanishad’ is interpreted to mean that knowledge, which destroys the ignorance of Brahman of those who approach it with shraddah and mumukshutvam and steadfastly abide by its teaching, in short BrahmaVidya, knowledge of Brahman, the Cosmic Supreme. The word ‘Upanishad’ primarily refers to the knowledge of Brahman, and secondarily to the book that contains the knowledge of Brahman. Upanishads form the end portion of Vedas, Veda anta bhaga, and so are called Vedanta as well. Since this portion deals with the knowledge of Brahman and its realization and gives the knowledge of jiva, the individual, jagat, the universe and their relationship with each other and with Brahman, this is the philosophical portion of Vedas and is called the jnana khanda.  The earlier portion of Vedas, Veda purva bhaga, deals only with karmas and upasanas and is called the karma khanda.

Taittiriya Upanishad belongs to Krishṇa Yajur Veda and forms part of its Taittiriya Aranyaka.  The svaras (intonation) of this Upanishad are available for chanting and this Upanishad is chanted on all auspicious religious occasions.  There are two stories behind how Taittiriya Upanishad got its name.  One is that this Upanishad was composed by a rishi called Tittiri and therefore, the Upanishad is called Taittiriya Upanishad.  The other is that Vaisampayana rishi got annoyed with a prominent disciple of his, Yajnavalkya, and he ordered the disciple to return back all the knowledge so far taught to him.  Yajnavalkya ‘vomited’ the entire knowledge acquired which the other disciples taking the form of Titttri birds (partridges) consumed giving this portion of Veda, its name ‘Taittriya’.  The story is symbolic and is to be interpreted as; Yajnavalkya learned from his Guru Vaisampayana, digested the teaching and gave it to the fellow students at the command of the Guru.  The other students are represented as Tittri birds as these birds, though small, are active and ever vigilant, to indicate that the students are smart and vigilant in their quest for knowledge.

Taittriya Upanishad is in a prose form divided into paragraphs, instead of verses. A paragraph, small or big, is known as anuvaka.  Taittiriya Upanishad consists of three Chapters viz., Sikshavalli, Brahmanandavalli and Bhriguvalli.   Sikshavalli consists of 12 anuvakas and it is a preparatory chapter that does not contain any Vedantic teaching.  It contains the sadhanas for preparing the mind to receive the Jnanam as can be seen from the subject of the anuvakas listed below:

Anuvaka 1     ---        Invocation (Shanthi Mantra)

Anuvaka 2     ---        Lesson on pronunciation

Anuvaka 3     ---        Significance of Combinations

Anuvaka 4     ---        A Teacher’s prayer for wisdom and fortune

Anuvaka 5     ---        Fourfold mystic utterances

Anuvaka 6     ---        Contemplation of Saguna Brahman

Anuvaka 7     ---        Fivefold nature of the world and individual

Anuvaka 8     ---        Contemplation of 'Om'

Anuvaka 9     ---        Study and teaching of the Sacred Syllable

Anuvaka 10   ---        Meditation on knowledge of Vedas

Anuvaka 11   ---        Convocation address to the departing students

Anuvaka 12   ---        Conclusion (Shanthi Mantra) 

So let us see only three anuvakas 1,11 and 12 in this chapter before going to chapter 2 where the Vedantic teaching starts.  The Upanishad starts with a Shanthi Mantra as anuvaka 1.  Shanthi Mantra is recited as a prayer to Lord for the removal of obstacles to the successful pursuit of study of Upanishad.   The Mantra is:

Om sam no mitrah sam varunah I sam no bhavatvaryama I

sam na indro brihaspatih I sam no vishnururukramah I

namo brahmane I namaste vayo I

tvameva pratyaksham brahmasi I

tvameva pratyaksham brahma vadishyami I

ritam vadishyami I satyam vadishyami I

tanmamavatu I tadvaktaramavatu I

avatu mam I avatu vaktaram I

Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi II

May Mitra be propitious unto us. May Varuna be propitious unto us. May Aryaman be propitious unto us. May Indra and Brihaspati be propitious unto us. May Vishnu, of wide strides, be propitious unto us. Salutation to Brahman. Salutation to Thee, O Vayu! Thou indeed are the visible Brahman. Thee indeed I shall proclaim as the visible Brahman. Thee indeed, O Vayu, I shall proclaim as the Ritam. Thee indeed I shall proclaim as the Satyam. May That protect me! May That protect the teacher! Protect me! Protect the teacher! Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

        This Shanthi Mantra is a prayer to various deities seeking the blessings, support and good wishes of all the deities. The word ‘sam’ in Sanskrit means, be propitious i.e. be kind, be helpful. The prayer starts with 'Om' that stands for Brahman. The deities to whom the prayers offered are:

Mitra – The deity identified with the prana and the day; the deity controlling the sun.

Varuna – The deity identified with apana, the downward breath and the night.

Aryaman – The deity identified with the eye and the solar orb.

Indra – The deity identified with strength.

Brihaspati – The deity identified with speech and intellect.

Vishnu – The deity who pervades the universe and is identified with the feet.

Vayu – Vayu stands for Hiranyagarbha, samashti Prana

Ritam and Satyam are very similar in meaning, referring to the Truth. However, when used together we can interpret Satyam as right knowledge and Ritam as right action.

The student prays for his own protection and that of the teacher also as both the teacher and the taught should be mentally and physically fit for attaining the spiritual goal. If the student is dull he cannot learn and if the teacher is dull he cannot teach. The word ‘Shanti’ is uttered thrice in order to ward off the obstacles emanating from one’s own self (Adhyathmikam), from the other living beings (Aadhi bauthikam) and from the natural forces (Aadhi daivikam).

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