TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD – 45. Rishi Yajnavalkya.

Chinmaya Mission :

Made the last week of the year count and ring in the new year at the Vision Centre of Chinmaya Mission - Chinmaya Vibhooti, Kolwan. 

The year end family retreat by Swami Swaroopananda for all age groups, based on Gopika Geet from Shrimad Bhagavatam was rejuvenating and overflowing with joy to be together with members from all over the world. 

Kids and teenagers had their own exclusive sessions and there were many interesting activities and events including 17th year celebrations of Chinmaya Maruti Mandir, talks and discourses by Swami Swaroopananda and several spiritual teachers of Chinmaya Mission.

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Monday, 25 Dec 2023. 06:30.

“PANKTI” UPASANAS"

Part-1. - Sheeksha Valli

Chapter-12.

UTTARA SHANTI PAATH

Concluding Peace Chant 

Post-45.

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Mantram - 1.12: 1: The Yajur Veda Peace Chant

1

om shan nah mitrah  =   Om. May Mitra be propitious to us;

sham varunah;  =   May Varuna bless us!

shan nah bhavatu aryamaa;   =  May the blessings of Aryamaa be with us!

2 

shan nah indrah brihaspatih;   =  May we have the Grace of Indra and Brihaspati!

shan nah vishnuh urukramaha;   =  May Vishnu, the all-pervading, be propitious to us!

3 

namah brahmanah;   =  Salutations to Brahman!

namah te vayuh; Salutation to Thee,   =  O Vayu! (Pratyag Brahman)

4 

twam eva pratyaksham brahma asi;   =  Thou art the visible Brahman,

twaam eva pratyaksham   =  Thee alone the visible

 brahma vadishyaami; Brahman shall I consider.

5 

ritam vadishyaami;   =  Thou art the (Vyavaharic) Dharma, the “Right”;

satyam vadishyaami;   =  Thou art the (Paramarthic) Supreme, the “Good”;

6 

tat maam avatu;   =  May That protect me!

tat vaktaaram avatu;   =  May that protect the teacher (speaker)

7 

avatu maam;   =  Please protect me!

avatu vaktaaram;   =  Please protect the teacher!

8 

om shaantih, shaantih, shaantih   =  Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!

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Part -1 Ends

Next

Taittireeya Upanishad – 2

“Brahmananda Valli –

The Bliss that is Brahman”

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BRAHMANANDA VALLI

PART 2: 9 No. Anuvakas (Chapters)

THE BLISS THAT IS BRAHMAN

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INTRODUCTION

MILITARY FORCES ARE required only to protect or preserve something which is of 

value in civilisation. Without the valuable asset that needs preservation, military efforts in 

themselves have no value. At best, they then only serve to prop up those who are in power 

for the sake of power. In our study of Taittireeya Upanishad, we are at a point where we are 

faced with making a similar assessment:

With Part 2, we are entering the philosophical end of the Taittireeya Upanishad, 

having passed through what may be termed the tutelary end in Part 1. The word ‘tutelary’ 

has the same sense as ‘military’ in the above example. It denotes that by which the whole 

text is protected and guarded for posterity. This was the overall purpose of Sheeksha Valli. 

The Brahmananda Valli has a completely different content to it. It aims to convey a spiritual 

philosophy. This philosophy is a precious treasure, which needs the armoury of Part 1 to 

protect and guard it. 

This background brings to mind how this Upanishad came to be named “Taittireeya”.

Swami Chinmayanandaji recounts the story beautifully. The precious teaching was given out 

by the Guru Vaisampayana to a number of disciples, among them Yajnavalkya, who himself 

became a great Rishi as a result. The Guru asked Yajnavalkya one day to repeat all that he 

had learnt. The great disciple not only ‘vomited’ the teaching verbatim, but added to it “an 

independent charm” of his own understanding. This so impressed the Guru, that he asked 

the other disciples to take special note of Yajnavalkya’s version.

The incident resembled the well-known, normal habit of the taittireeya bird, the 

partridge, which routinely consumes the droppings of other creatures, picking out from it 

that which is nourishing and leaving the rest untouched, a task that requires it to be ‘smart 

and vigilant’. It is this smartness and vigilance that is required of students of this precious 

philosophy when they return to their worldly abodes after their studies are completed. 

Worldly life is like the ‘droppings’. In the midst of it, there are places where precious 

teachings are taught that nourish the spirit. These are to be picked. This is how the name 

Taittireeya came to be associated with the teachings of this Upanishad!

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Next

MANGALAACHARAN

Invocatory Chant 

The Peace Invocation from Krishna Yajur Veda

To be continued

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