Taittriya Upanishad – 11

 Chapter 2, Anuvaka 8

Mantra 2-8-1

bhisasmadvatah pavate I bhisodeti suryah I

bhisasmadagniscendrascha I

mrtyurdhavati pancama iti I

Out of fear of this (Brahman), the wind blows. Out of fear of this (Brahman), the sun rises. Out of fear of this (Brahman), the fire and Indra (do their duty). The lord of death, the fifth (deity), runs (because of fear of this Brahman). Thus (ends the Sruthi Mantra).

            The Mantra mentioned in the previous anuvaka is quoted here. According to this Mantra.  it is out of fear of Brahman that the wind blows as per law, the sun rises and sets at the appointed time, fire, Indra and death (referred to as the fifth) perform their functions properly. Had there been no coordinating agency there would have been chaos in the universe. This proves that there is one organizer, inspirer, and controller who manages all these phenomena and He is called Brahman and He is attainable by the human beings, which also proves, along with other reasons cited before, the existence of Brahman. Having explained the Sruthi Mantra, the infinite Bliss attained by the seeker on realisation of Brahman is described poetically in the form of a mathematical formula in the coming Mantras.

Mantra 2-8-2

saishanandasya mimagmsa bhavati I

yuva syatsadhuyuvadhyayakah I asistho drdhistho balisṭhah I

tasyeyaṃ pṛthivi sarva vittasya purṇa syat I sa eko maanusha anandah I

te ye sataṃ maanusha anandah I sa eko manushyagandharvanamanandahI 

srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

The following is the analysis of Aananda. Suppose there is a young man – a noble youth who is learned in scriptures., the most dynamic, the most resolute and the strongest. Suppose this entire earth, full of resources, belongs to him.  That (happiness enjoyed by him) is one unit of happiness.  This (unit of happiness) of man multiplied hundred-fold is the one unit of happiness of Manushya-gandharvas as well as (the happiness) of a man of scriptural learning who is free from desires.

            For any measurement one must have a ‘standard unit’ with reference to which one can make all the subsequent measurements.   In this Mantra the unit for measuring happiness is defined.  It is the joy enjoyed by one who has youth, good health, abundant wealth, education, discipline and power of self-control and self-assertion.  Relative to this Joy-unit various types of happiness are measured in this and subsequent verses.  This Joy-unit is defined as ‘Maanusha Aanandha’. Hundred times this unit is the unit of happiness enjoyed by Manushya- gandharvas i.e. gandharvas who had risen from human ranks.  The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.  The next nine Mantras spell a mythological scale of bliss and they are mostly self-explanatory needing only one or two lines of explanation.

Mantra 2-8-3

te ye sataṃ manushyagandharvanamanandah I

sa eko devagandharvanamanandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Manushya- gandharvas is the unit  unit of happiness enjoyed by Deva-gandharvas.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            Deva-gandharvas are those who have been born as such even at the beginning of the present cycle. This amounts 10,000 times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’

Mantra 2-8-4

te ye satam devagandharvanamanandah I

sa ekah pitrnam chiralokalokanamanandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Deva- gandharvas is the unit of happiness enjoyed by the ancestors, dwellers of pitr-loka.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            This unit of happiness amounts to a million times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-5

te ye satam pitrnaṃ chiralokalokanamanandah I

sa eka ajanajanam devannamanandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by dwellers of pitr-loka is the unit of happiness enjoyed by the Aajaanaja Devas, gods born in the Deva loka.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            This unit of happiness amounts to a hundred million times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-6

te ye satamajanajanam devanamanandah I

sa ekah karmadevanam devanamanandah I

ye karmana devanapiyanti I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Aajanaaja Devas is the unit of happiness enjoyed by the Karma Devas, Devas who have become so by their special Karmas.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            This unit of happiness amounts to ten thousand million times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-7

te ye satam karmadevanam devanamanandah I

sa eko devanamanandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Karma Devas is the unit of happiness enjoyed by the Devas (office-bearers).   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            This unit of happiness amounts to a billion times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-8

te ye satam devanamanandah I

sa eka indrasyanandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Devas is the unit of happiness enjoyed by Indra.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            This unit of happiness amounts to a hundred billion times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-9

te ye satamindrasyanandah I

sa eko brhaspateranandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Indra is the unit of happiness enjoyed by Brahaspathi.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            This unit of happiness amounts to a ten thousand billion times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-10

te ye satamindrasyanandah I

sa eko brhaspateranandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Brahaspathi is the unit of happiness enjoyed by Prajapathi.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            Prajapathi refers to Virat. This unit of happiness amounts to a million billion times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

Mantra 2-8-11

te ye satam prajpateranandah I

sa eko brahmana anandah I srotriyasya chakamahatasya I

Hundred times this unit of happiness enjoyed by Prajapathi is the unit of happiness enjoyed by Brahmaji.   The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion.

            Brahmaji means Hiranyagarbha.  This unit of happiness amounts to a million billion times ‘Maanusha Aanandha’.

            This analysis stops with Hiranyagarbha, as Brahman is the repository of immeasurable infinite Bliss that is qualitatively on a different plane than worldly joys.  Further “The same happiness is attained by one who is well-versed in scriptures and who has desireless dispassion” is repeated in every level to emphasise that all the different kosananda possible in creation including the highest happiness of Hiranyagarbha is enjoyed by such a person of strong dispassion and scholarship in scriptures indicates the great superiority of such a person to all other beings of the universe.

Mantra 2-8-12

sa yaschayam purushe I yaschasavadhitye I sa ekah I sa ya evamvit I asmallokatpretya I etamannamayamatmanamupasankramati I etam pranamayamatmanamupasankramati I etam manomayamatamanamupasankramati I etam vijnanamayamatmanamupasankramati I etamanandamayamatmanamupasankramati I tadapyesa sloko bhavati II 

That (Brahman) which is in the human being and that (Brahman) which is in Sun – that is one.  Having left this world, he, who knows thus transcends this annamaya self, transcends this praṇamaya self, transcends this manomaya self, transcends this vijnanamaya self, transcends this anandamaya self (and abides in Brahman). In this regard, there is the following Sruthi Mantra.

            Here sun stands for Hiranyagarbha and the first three statements constitute a Mahavakhya as they together mean that the same single Brahman is the self of all at the micro and macro level of Creation.  Also ‘leaving the world’ here means turning away from the world i.e. not depending upon the world for one’s happiness, being totally fulfilled.  In short it means jivanmukthi and not death.  The jivanmuktha transcending the abhimana for all the kosas, identifies himself with the indweller of all the kosas, the pure attributeless Brahman and enjoys the boundless, infinite Brahmananda always. A Sruthi Mantra in support is quoted in the next anuvaka.  This anuvaka ends with this Mantra which will be again quoted in part just before the end of this Upanishad.

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