Wednesday, 7 September 2022

Taittriya Upanishad – 17

 Chapter 3, Anuvaka10 (Mantras 4,5 &6 (end))

Mantra 3-10-4

tatpratishthetyupasita | pratishthavan bhavati |

tanmaha ityupasita | mahanbhavati |

tanmana ityupasita | manavanbhavati |

tannama ityupasita | namyante'smai kamah |

tadbrahmetyupasita | brahmavanbhavati |

tadbrahmanah parimara ityupasita |

paryeṇam mriyante dvishantah sapatnah |

pari ye'priya bhratrvyah ||4||

Let one meditate on the Supreme as the support and he will be well-supported; let him meditate on That as greatness and he will become great; let him meditate on That as the mind and he will be endowed with mental vigour. Let one meditate on That as 'Namaha' (obeisance) and all objects of his desire will come to pay obeisance to him. Let one meditate on That as the Supreme Lord and he will be endowed with supremacy. Let him meditate on That as the ‘destructive aspect’ of Brahman and his enemies who hate him and also those rivals whom he does not love will die around him.

            “As one thinks so one becomes” is highlighted by the various upasanas and their phalams given in this Mantra. If one meditates on the Supreme as the support of all, one becomes well-supported by his fellow beings.  By meditating upon the greatness of the Supreme being, one becomes great in life.  Meditating upon the Supreme as mind, one becomes a great thinker. By meditating as 'Namaha', he will have at command all the desired objects.  By meditating as limitless, infinite one, one will achieve name and fame, far and wide. By meditating on the destructive aspect in pralaya, where everything gets resolved in Him, all his enemies, disliking enemies and disliked enemies will perish.  This should be taken as the destruction of their enmity. All will become friends and he will have no enemies at all.

Mantra 3-10-5

sa yaschayam purushe | yaschasavaditye | sa ekaḥ |

sa ya evamvit | asmallokatpretya |

etamannamayamatmanamupasankramya |

etam pranamayamatmanamupasamkramya |

etam manomayamatmanamupasankramya |

etam vijnanamayamatmanamupasankramya |

etamanandamayamatmanamupasankramya |

imamllokankamanni kamarupyanusancharan | etat sama gayannaste ||5||

This He who is in this man and that He who is in yonder sun, both are one.  He who knows this, as described above, after dying to (i.e. withdrawing from) this world, attains the Self which consists of food, attains the Self which consists of the vital breath, attains the Self which consists of the mind, attains the Self which consists of the intellect, attains the Self which consists of bliss. Then he goes up and down these worlds, eating the food he desires, assuming the forms he likes and sits, singing the following Sama song of joy.

            The above Mantra is the repetition of Mantra (2-8-12) wth the addition of one more line and change in phrase i.e. upasankramathi (2-8-12) to upasankramya (present Mantra).  The essence of Brahma vidya is given in the form of a Maha vakyam, which Maha vakyam was given in the second chapter as well and it means 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 purnatvam always.  He is happy wherever he is enjoying whatever he has with no wants or desires or complaints. This sense of total fulfillment bursts out as song, an expression of the Brahmananda he enjoys, which we will see as the next Mantra.

Mantra 3-10-6

ha 3 vu ha 3 vu ha 3 vu |

ahamannamahamannamahamannam |

ahamannado3’hamannado3’ahamannādah |

ahagm slokakrdahagm slokakrdahagm slokakrt |

ahamasmi prathamaja rta3sya |

purvam devebhyo'mrtasya na3bhayi |

yo ma dadati sa ideva ma3 ‘vah |

ahamannamannamadantama3’dmi |

aham visvam bhuvanamabhyabhava3m |

suvarna jyotih | ya evam veda | ityupanishat || 6||

"Ah! Ah! Ah! I am the food, I am the food, I am the food! I am the eater of food, I am the eater of food, I am the eater of food! I am the unifier, I am the unifier, I am the unifier! I am the first-born (Hiranyagarbha) of this world. I am prior to the gods and the centre of Immortality. He who offers me (as food), he alone preserves me. He who eats food (without sharing)—I, as food, eat him. I, as the Supreme Lord, pervade the whole world. I am radiant as the sun." He who knows thus, (attains such results). This is the Upanishad.

            This is the song of the Jivanmuktha Jnani.  For this Jnani, Brahman is not an object elsewhere. He has recognised Brahman as himself and the glory of Brahman as his own glory. This fills him with surprise and wonder and initial expression of surprise and wonder pours out as the sound “ha3vu” three times (the number 3 means the word is to be lengthened as in a song).  Similarly, the repetition of the words ‘annam’, ‘annadha’ and ‘slokakrt’ three times are also out of the feeling of astonishment. The wonder arises out of the fact that though he is the Absolute, he himself is the food and food-eater, the object of enjoyment and enjoyer, the object and the subject as the whole universe is divided into these two aspects and as Brahman, he is both of them and the connecting factor as well.  For prior to attaining Jnanam, he was thinking of himself as enjoyer only and now this discovery and also the realisation that he is also the principle of Consciousness that brings about the union between the enjoyer and objects of enjoyment adds to his astonishment.  He further sings “I am the Hiranyagarbha, the first born, born before all the devas and also the Nirguna Brahman, the centre of immortality, which is my original nature “.  He continues his song praising annadhanam, following it up with a threat to selfish people who do not share their food (riches) with others that they will find it a destroying agent and not a nourishing agent.  The song ends with his declaration that as Athma he is all-pervading and self-effulgent, which is Lord Krishna’s declaration as well in Bhagavad Gita (13-32 & 33).  And the Upanishad also concludes with this song.

Acknowledgement

While concluding the series of blogs on Taittriya Upanishad I wish to record my deep debt of gratitude to the speeches and writings on this Upanishad, of:

1)      Swami Paramarthananda

2)      Swami Chimayananda

3)      Sri T.N. Sethumadhavan

4)      Swami Guruparanandha

5)      Swami Sarvananda

6)      Swami Gambhirananda

7)      Swami Gurubhakthananda

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