Taittriya Upanishad – 12

Chapter 2, Anuvaka 9 

Mantra 2-9-1

yato vacho nivartante I aprapya manasa saha I

aanandam brahmano vidvan I na bibheti kutaschaneti I

He who knows the Bliss of Brahman, from whom words together with the mind return without reaching Him, is not afraid of anything whatsoever.  Thus (ends the Sruthi Mantra).

            This Mantra was quoted earlier in describing Manomaya kosa (verse 2-4-1).  This Mantra tells about the fruit of knowing Supreme Brahman, the bliss itself. It says that the mind and all senses do not get Him (grasp Him) and come back empty-handed. To know Brahmananda, the mind and senses do not have power or capability. He who realises such a Brahman and the joy of Him, never has fears from anybody and is always fearless.  It means that there is not even any cause for fear left, i.e. not only fear but also its very cause (Duality) is being denied. This stage of fearlessness is clearly of a much higher order than the one referred to in the earlier verse (2-4-1).

Mantra 2-9-2

Etagmha vava na tapati I kimahagm sadhu nakaravam I

kimaham papamakaravamiti I sa ya evaṃ vidvanete atmanagm sprnute I

ubhe hyevaisa ete atmanagm sprnute I ya evaṃ veda I ity-upanishat II

“Why did I not do proper (actions)? Why did I do improper (actions)?” – such (thoughts) do not torment him at all. He who knows thus perceives these two as the Athma only. He who knows thus perceives both these as the Athma only. Thus (ends) the Upanishad.            

            How an enlightened person, Jnani, will lead the rest of his life after gaining Jnanam is given in this Mantra.  An ignorant person always suffers from samsara, whereas the jnani because of the Athmajnanam, becomes free from it. He enjoys jivanmukti. This is the essence of this Mantra. The jnani does not go back to his past (pre-jnanam era). Before gaining knowledge, he might have had many omissions and commissions, but now he does not feel the twin expressions of samsara called hurt and guilt in regard to them.  Karta is associated with guilt and bhokta with hurt. The jnani sees both kartrtvam and bhoktrtvam as mithya and so, he doesn’t have samsara.   As he has gone beyond sin and sinlessness, omissions and commissions are powerless to affect him anymore.  He identifies both with the Supreme Self.  Renouncing regret and hurt, he is absorbed in the meditation of Brahman and gains an abiding consciousness of Brahman with a vision of unity in everything around him.

            With this Mantra the teaching portion has come to an end and the chapter also ends with the Shanthi Mantra from Krishna Yajur Veda, which is the same as the one with which the chapter started i.e.

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!

            Earlier it was chanted for jnana-prapti and now it is chanted for jnana-nishtaprapti.    As the Mantra has been explained earlier let us take up the next chapter.  Chapter 3 is called Bhrugu Valli and it starts with the same Shanthi Mantra and so we will skip it and take up anuvaka 1 of chapter 3 in the next blog.

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