TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD – 54. Rishi Yajnavalkya.

 

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Friday 19, Apr 2024. 06:30.
Taittiriya Upanishad
Part-2.
BRAHMANANDA VALLI
PART 2: 9 No. Anuvakas (Chapters)
THE BLISS THAT IS BRAHMAN
Post - 54.

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UPANISHAD SARA SANGRAH 
Anuvaka 2.1 
The Essence of the Upanishads:

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“Satyam, Jnaanam, Anantam Brahman” 
Bhashya A: 
“On the Nature of BRAHMAN” 
Coverage:   Mantram - 2.1.2 (3 Padas)

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LINE 4:

 yah veda nihitam guhaayaam parame vyoman 

“He who knows It, hidden in the cave (of the heart), 

as the transcendent Akasha . . .” 

The question which this Line answers is: 

Question 2: How do we realize that Brahman? 

The answer given here specifically clarifies that this Brahman is realizable as non-different from one’s own indwelling Self. 

A/

 There are three ways of interpreting this line relating to where Brahman is who is 

to be realized. The interpretation is “open” because of the absence of information as to 

where and what this ‘cave’ (Guha) is. Sri Shankaracharyaji corrects the case of the word 

‘Vyoman’ by changing it to the 7th case ‘Vyomni’, making all the last 3 terms the same case.

 

Yah Veda Nihitam: “He who knows Brahman as hidden (existing)”; this refers, of 

course, to the ‘knower of Brahman’ in 3. The first point considered is that Brahman is 

hidden.

Brahman is not normally available for people in general to “see”. 

The true Self of man is hidden by Cosmic Ignorance or Maya, it is veiled from the 

perception of man for a good reason. Nature has kept the secret of Her creation hidden 

from us deliberately. Only those who yearn to know God will make the necessary effort to 

know Brahman. To make oneself eligible to know Brahman is a huge subject in itself, and 

that will be taken up later in the body of the Upanishad. For now, we have to just accept the 

fact that we are veiled from the Truth by a ‘device of Nature’, and compelled to function 

within the limitations of our body, mind and intellect. 

Guhaayaam Parame Vyoman: This can be interpreted in three different ways: 

i) Taken Literally as it Is:

 Taken literally there are two levels to reach Brahman. Firstly, He is in the cave, and 

secondly, within the cave He is in the transcendent Space. Thus all three words are in 7th 

case. The word ‘Guha’ is first taken to mean the intellect or Buddhi. The intellect is where 

the function of ‘knowing’ takes place, hence it is natural to take this interpretation. The 

Knower and the Knowable can be hidden only in the intellect of man. All experience of 

Dharma, Artha and Kama take place in the intellect. 

The space within this intellect is taken to be Maya (pronounced “maayaa”). Maya is 

the first level of Brahman’s Upadhis. The whole of creation begins with the Pure Brahman 

getting into association with His creative Power, Maya. From that union the whole universe 

manifests. Maya is therefore also called Avyakta or Unmanifest. She has many other names 

due to Her great importance to philosophers – Avyakriti, Pradaana, Prakriti, Akasha and 

Vyoman are just some of these names. 

The Supreme Brahman is realized within this cave of the intellect inside which is the 

Space (transcendent space, not a physical space) of Maya which veils or “hides” Brahman. 

Brahman is realizable by unveiling Maya within this very deep, subtle region of the intellect. 

ii) Space and Guha Taken as One: 

B/

 In the second interpretation, Guha is taken as an adjective for this space. In other 

words the two levels have been united into one single level. The space is itself the only level; 

that is where Maya is to be found; and this space is described as a cave or Guha. Everything 

relates to Maya only, not the intellect. The realization of Brahman is simply the unveiling of 

Maya. The intellect has no direct role in this process. The only role given is to the Jeeva, the 

individual soul, which has to prepare its intellect through purification and render it subtle 

and sharp enough, so that the unveiling of Maya takes place spontaneously as a self

luminous revelation in a pure intellect.  

iii) Modify Text by Adding “Hridayam” :   
 

C/

 The third interpretation is the one that Sri Shankaracharyaji greatly favours. From 

his vast knowledge of the Upanishads as a whole, he has found numerous references to the 

“cave of the heart”, wherein the actual word ‘Hridayam’ (heart) is used. The omission of 

that word in 4 does not preclude its implied meaning in it. Sri Shankaracharyaji therefore 

adds the word in and brings the meaning of 4 to come in line with all the other references in 

the Upanishads to the ‘location’ of Brahman within the human being. 

In doing so, Sri Shankara show his tremendous intellectual honesty as well as deep 

concern for the Upanishadic wisdom to be interpreted with uniformity on an issue as 

important as this, the core message of the scriptures. He cannot bear to see a controversy 

arising over a simple omission of a word in the line. Acharyaji said it was very courageous for 

him to add this for us, keeping in mind that he was only 16 years old at the time he wrote 

his Bhashyas! His intellectual conviction and spiritual realization must have been 

overwhelmingly compelling for him to do so. 

Sri Shankaracharyaji presents his suggestion with great dignity, saying “it is 

reasonable to accept…” 4 does want to convey the idea of there being some assistance in 

the form of co-operation from the Jeeva to bring down the divine Knowledge.  

D/

 Other Shruti references quoted are: (Chand. Up III, 12.7/8/9) “The space that is 

outside the individual is the same as the space within the individual, and that again is the 

same as the space within the heart.” The meaning of 4 in the light of this becomes:  

“Within the cavity that is the intellect, which is within the space 

defined by the heart, is hidden (Nihitam), lodged, placed the Supreme 

Brahman.” 

E/

 The Bhashya explains this as: “In other words, Brahman is perceived clearly 

through the function of that intellect. For, apart from this perception, Brahman can have no 

connection with any particular time or space, since He is all-pervasive and beyond all 

distinctions.” 

Although the Knowledge is independent of any outside factor, to reveal Itself it 

needs a prepared, clean vessel, namely, a thoroughly purified and subtle intellect. In the 

scriptures there are many references to the ‘cavity of the intellect lodged in the space 

circumscribed by the heart’, and Brahman can be directly perceived there as such.

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Next

LINE 5

 sah ashnute sarvaan kaamaan, saha brahmanaa vipashchitaa 

“He enjoys all desires, along with the omniscient Brahman.” 

Continued

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