Taittriya Upanishad – 9

 Chapter 2, Anuvaka 6

Mantra 2-6-1

asanneva sa bhavati I asad brahmeti veda cet I

asti brahmeti cedveda I santamenaṃ tatoviduriti I 

If a person knows Brahman as non—existent, he himself becomes non—existent. If he knows Brahman as existent, then (knowers of Brahman) know him as existent.

            The section starts with the description of the fruit of believing and non-believing Brahman as the quotation actually speaks of Brahman, the support of the Anandamaya kosa, and not of the kosa itself. The person who does not believe in the existence of Brahman has no faith in the Sruthi and as a consequence, lives and moves in the domain of senses, which seem to be only reality to him. And from an absolute standpoint these senses and all the objects of sensuous perception are non-existent. He having identified his life with the life of senses becomes non-existent in that sense.  Moreover, negation of Brahman is equivalent to negating his own existence because he is none other than Brahman.  On the contrary if he believes that Brahman is there because of faith in scriptures, such a person is indirectly accepting his own existence because he is Brahman and this faith in the divine existence will become the stepping stone for acquiring divine knowledge through which he will discover through study and contemplation that Brahman exists not as an object, but as I, the very subject that is witness to all the five kosas.

Mantra 2-6-2

tasyaisa eva sarira Athma I yah purvasya I

athato'nuprasnah I utavidvanamum lokam pretya I

kaschana gacchati 3 I aho vidvanamumlokam pretya I

kaschitsamasnuta 3 u I

This (sheath of bliss) is the embodied soul of the former (the sheath of intellect). Thereupon arise the following questions of the pupil: Does anyone who knows not(Brahman) attain that World after departing this life? Or does he who knows(Brahman) attain that World after departing this life?

            This Anandamaya kosa, is the embodied self of the Vijnanamaya kosa (the Self as the intellect).  The student now comes up with the following questions. An anuprasna is a question asked by a disciple after the teacher has spoken. The questions are as follows - Does the person who knows not the the existence of Brahman, the ignorant person, go to the World of Brahman, on his death? or does only the person who knows Brahman go to the world of Brahman on death?  The doubt arises because if both go to the world of Brahman, then why struggle to attain BrahmaVidya, as anyhow he will be going to the world of Brahman on death or if both do not go then also why trouble to study?   The number 3 in these questions indicate that the word must be pronounced extra-long and that indicates doubt here.  The anuprasnas pave the way for the topic to follow, discussion on Brahman.

Mantra 2-6-3

so'kamayata I bahu syam prajyeyeti I sa tapo'tapyata I

sa tapastaptva I idagmsarvamasrjata I yadidam kim cha I

tatsrstva I tadevanupravisat I

tadanupravisya I saccha tyacchabhavat I

niruktam chaniruktam cha I nilayanam chanilayanam cha I

vijnanam chavijnanaṃ cha I

satyam chanrtam cha satyamabhavat I

yadidam kim cha I tatsatyamityachaksate I

tadapyesa sloko bhavati II

He desired thus – “Let me be born. Let me become many.” He performed tapas. Having performed tapas, He created all this – whatever (we perceive). Having created it, He entered it. Having entered this, (He) became the manifest and the unmanifest, the defined and the undefined, the sustained and the non-sustained, the sentient and the insentient, as well as the truth and the falsehood, and all this whatsoever that exists. Therefore, they call That (Brahman) the absolute Truth. In this regard, there is the following Sruthi Mantra.

            After discussing the sheaths surrounding the Indweller (Brahman), the Upanishad now takes up a dialogue about the Indweller (Brahman) Himself. The section starts with a doubt regarding the existence or non-existence of Brahman. As an answer to this doubt this Mantra explains that in accordance with His desire (sankalpa), Brahman projected the entire creation (universe), with form and without form, sentient and insentient, truth and falsehood.  Then He entered the objects created, as well.  So all that is perceived and experienced by one, including one’s own Self is Brahman only. As all this is achieved with Brahman’s power of Maya, they are all only relative Realities and Brahman alone is Absolute Reality and in this birth of plurality, no division or change has taken place in Brahman. The Creation is only super-imposition on Brahman, like the vision of ghost on the post. We learn from this Mantra that Brahman is very much existent as the intelligent and material cause of the universe. There is the following Sruthi Mantra about this which will come in the next anuvaka.  This anuvaka ends with this Mantra.

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