Narayana Parathvam: III

[Guest guest]

Let us dwell some more on the Taittriya Upanishad. Adiyen happened

to read an outstanding summary of the key concepts embedded in this

masterpiece by U.Ve. Prof. K.S. Narayanachariar Swamin. Hence, he is

tempted to provide a brief overiew from this beautiful monograph.

Specifically, we focus here on the anandavalli section of the

Taittriya Upanishad.

 

The term valli means creeper. This term appearing in the apoUrusheya

(unknown authorship) vedam when crushed like the sacred soma creeper

(in the context of Soma Yajna) gives rise to the Soma juice, the

food of Gods, drops of which are sought after by Vaidika Brahmins

upon performance of Soma Yaga. It must be noted that this Soma juice

is not the intoxicating liquor that is popular among the Aryans, but

is the symbolic flow of Bliss of God known as BrahmAnanda rasa. This

is praised in the entire 9th mandala of the Rg Samhita. In the

Taittriya Upanishad, God is declared as Anandamaya, and of the

nature of rasa, the flow of Bliss or Enjoyment (rasO vai sa:). Thus,

the Upanishad itself is a condensed presentation of the entire Soma

mandala of the Rg Vedam. The creeper used in Soma yajnas is named as

Soma creeper. However, since this was hard to find even in days of

yore, a substitute creeper recommended in the Kalpas was used. What

is of importance is not the physical creeper itself but its symbolic

meaning. The Rg Samhita declares " Him whom Brahmans call Soma, no

one can ordinarily drink " sOmam yam brahmaNO vidhu: na thasyAthi

kaschana " . Soma is available only on mountain tops (at great

heights). Therefore, only the adventurous ones can get Him! The

Aitareya and Taittriya Brahmanas declare that " Soma flourished at

the third foot of the Lord " (thruthIyasyAmithO dhivi soma AsIth),

i.e., when Brahma washed the Third Foot of Trivikrama, during the

Vamana Avatara the PuraNas equate Soma with Ganga and Madhu (honey)

at tat Third Foot, thereby indicating that its taste is barred to

those of impure hearts. This Soma was brought to to earth by the

Holy Gayathri, the Divine Vedic metre, by the high flying bird, the

Divine Vulture, Garuda or shyEna. Garuda is eulogized in the

Taittriya Upanishad as " thasya yajurEva shira: I rg dakshiNa:

paksha: I sAmOtthara paksha: I AdhEsha AthmA I aTharvAngirasa:

pucCham prathiShTA II

 

Meaning: The yajurveda is his head; Rgveda is the right wing; Sama

veda is the left wing; the Message (meaning) is his Soul; Atharva

Veda is his tail " . This declaration is further corroborated and

elaborated upon in the Souparna Sookta of the Taittriya Samhita.

 

We then examine the position of the ChandOgya Upanishad, which

glorifies Brahman, who resides in the cave of the heart. It is

helpful to note the previously discussed antarvyApthi (pervading the

inner self of all sentient and insentient beings) discussed in the

first part of this series. This enables use to readily recognize

that the deity being meditated upon in Dahara vidya discussed in the

8th Chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad is Lord Narayana.

Specifically, the Chandogya Upanishad states " aTha yadhidham asman

brahmapurE dhaharam pundarIkam vEshma, dhaharOsminnanthara AkAsha:

thasmin yadhantha: thadhanvEShruvyam thaddhAva vijijnyAsithavyam "

 

Meaning: The body is the city of Brahman There is a small abode here

that is the heart. There is a small ether within that abode. That

ether and that which is within that ether are both to be meditated

upon. The Upanishad further explains that the eight qualities like

apahathapApmA (unaffected by sin), vijara: (unaffected by old age),

vishOka: (free from sorrow), vimruthyu: (imperishable) vijiDhathsa:,

apipAsa: (free from thirst), sathyakAma: (lover of truth),

sathyasankalpa: (he who wills the truth), AthmA (soul) Esha: for the

Brahman. In the Vedanta Sutras, Veda Vyasa establishes that dhahara

is Brahman. Brahman is characterized by eight qualities and he is to

be meditated upon as such.

 

Dahara vidhya is also expounded upon in the Mahanarayana Upanishad

mantram

" dhaharam vipApmam paramEshva BhUtham yath puNdarIkam

puramaDhyasaggamsTham I thathrApi dhaharam gaganam

vishOkasthasminyadhantha sthadhupAsithavyam "

 

Meaning: That small lotus of the heart, which is opposed to all that

is defiling and which is the abode of paramatman, is stationed in

the middle of the body of the aspirant. Even there, the small ether

which is within that abode, and which is characterized by

sinlessness and others and that which is within that ether-both are

to be meditated upon.

 

The very next mantram of the Mahanarayana Upanishad connects this

upasana to Lord Narayana through the mantram

 

YadhvEdhAdhoU svara prOkthO vEdhAnthE cha prathiShTitha: I thasya

prakruthilInasya ya: parassa mahEshvara:

 

Meaning: The pranava is ordained to be recited at the beginning of

the Veda and also at the end of it. The letter akAra into which it

merges is the source of it. He that is denoted by that akAra is the

supreme Lord.

 

The connection to akAram at once becomes apparent by noting Lord

Krishna's exposition in the Bhagavad-Gita " aksharANAm akArOsmi "

(among the aksharams I denote " A " ). Thus, the Upanishad mantram

declares that Sriman Narayana is the deity to be meditated upon in

dhaharOpasana.

 

In fact, Narayana is deity that is to be meditated upon in all modes

of meditation upon the Supreme Being. The upasya, who is expounded

thus, is the same as Narayana. PraNavam is the seed of the vedam.

Svara in the above mantram denotes PraNavam. According to manu

smriti " OmkAra praBhavO vEdhA: I brahmaNa: praNavam kuryAth

AdhAvanthE sa sarvadhA I sravathyanOnkrutham brahma parasthAccha

vishIryathE II

 

The prakrithi or the seed of that praNava is akAra; akAra is the

source of all words " samastha shabdhamUlathvAth akArasya I lInathvam

means assumption of that form " thadhrUpathApannam "

 

" AkArOvai sarvavAk I A ithi brahma " akAra is the source of all

speech. Narayana is the ultimate cause of all objects in this world.

The vachya is Narayana and his vachaka is the akAra of the praNava.

 

The term mahEshvara signifies the ultimate cause of this universe.

He is the cause of all other causes of this universe. A good

understanding of this term can be gained from the Bhagavad-Gita

salutation

 

" yO mAmajamanAdhim cha vEtthi lOkamahEshvaram I

asammUDa: sa marthyEShu sarvapApaI: pramuchyathE II

 

Meaning: Among men, he who without delusion knows Me as unborn

without beginning and the great Lord of the universe, he is released

from all sins. A person who realizes that

Lord Krishna (Brahman) (1) is different from all beings (2) is the

Supreme Lord of all including Brahma and the other Devas (3) is the

controller of everything sentient and insentient (4) is replete with

auspicious qualities of unbounded excellence; such a person is

released from all sins, which stands in the way of his adopting

Bhakti to Him.