Lesson 9 (The Aitareya & Taittiriya Upanishad)
dask...@gmail.com
The Aitareya Upanishad
This Upanishad tells the story of evolution of life in a simple but
dramatic manner. It brings out the truth that the one source and the
innermost reality present in us is the Self. It underlines that the
external world can be fully understood only when studied with
conjunction of mind and senses.
The practical consequence is that we seek to get pleasure from the
outside world by thinking that we can get that happiness by trying out
this or that because we believe that there is an "outside" apart
from us. But the Upanishad says that we carry the world within us and
thus we if we turn to that we can feel all fulfillment, all love and
all creativity.
It belongs to the Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rigveda. It is divided into
three chapters and contains 33 verses.
The first chapter deals with the creation of Purusha, (the primeval
being in its macrocosmic form and man in its microcosmic aspect), the
creation of the various divinities, and how they were placed and
assigned various duties.
Section three of the first chapter deals with how food was created and
how the various divinities sought to control it, but failed. In the
last few verses of this section we are explained how the self entered
the body and stayed there as the enjoyer.
The second chapter is more difficult to understand. We are explained
here the three births of the self.
The third chapter deals with the qualities of the Self or Brahman. It
contains one of the most famous expressions of the Vedanta, "pragnanam
Brahma," which means Brahman is intelligence.
Excerpts
1. The Self only verily all this was in the beginning. Nothing else
whatsoever stirred. He (the Self) thought, "Let me now create the
worlds."
2. He then created all these worlds. He created water, light rays,
death and elements such as water. Above the heaven is water. The heaven
supports it. The light rays are the space. Death is the earth. Those
which are below are also waters.
3. He brought for them a person. They said this was an appropriate
creation. A person is indeed an appropriate creation. He said to them,
"Enter your respective parts."
4. Fire becoming speech entered the mouth. Air becoming breath entered
the nostrils. The sun becoming sight entered the eyes. The directions
of space, becoming hearing entered the ears. Plants and trees becoming
hair entered the skin. The moon becoming mind entered the heart. Death
becoming the outgoing breath entered the navel. Water becoming semen,
entered the reproductive organs.
The Taittiriya Upanishad
The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads
commented upon by Shankara. It is a Mukhya Upanishad, associated with
the Taittiriya school of the Black Yajurveda. It figures as number 7th
of 108 Upanishads.
It is divided into three sections called Vallis. the Siksa Valli, the
Brahmananda Valli and the Bhrgu Valli. The Siksa Valli is the first of
the six Vedangas ("limbs" or auxiliaries of the Vedas), concerned with
phonetics and pronunciation. The other two sections deal with the
knowledge of Atman.
Excerpts
The science of pronunciation we shall now expound
the sounds, the tone, the measure, and the force for articulation
the uniformity and continuity in their pronunciation are all important.
The chapter on pronunciation is thus explained.
Having heard the basics of pronunciation from the teacher the students
invoke Brahman and pray for the glory of both.
And the teacher then explains the secrets of conjunction of words using
the five perceptible objects: the Universe, the light, the knowledge,
the people and the body. These are known as the five great aggregates.
Regarding the universe, the teacher explains like this: the earth is
the first form, the heaven the second, and the space in between is the
middle. The air is the connecting element. This is it should be about
the universe.
Regarding light the teaching is like this: fire is the first form, the
sun is the second. Water is the middle. Lightening is the connecting
element. This is how it should be about light.
Regarding knowledge the teaching is like this: the teacher is the first
form, the taught is the second. Learning is the middle. The instruction
is the connecting element. This is how it should be about knowledge.
Regarding people the teaching is like this: Mother is the first form,
father is the next. The progeny is the middle. Procreation is the
connecting element. This is how it should be about the people.
Regarding the individual the teaching is like this: the lower jaw is
the first form, the upper jaw is the second form. Speech is the middle.
Tongue is the connecting element. This is how it is about the
individual.
(Next Lesson: The Prashna & Chandogya Upanishads)