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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