Fwd: Taithireeya Upanishath Satrumurai: Part II(Conclusion)

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs and VedAbhimAnis around the World:

 

The TaittirIya Upanishad SaRRumuRai day ( Dec 20 ) is fast

approaching at Kuwait under the adhyaksham of SrIman I.V.K.Chary.

 

In honor of this important occasion , adiyEn would like to share

a few thoughts about the importance of this Upanishad based on

the VisishtAdvaithic intrepretations of Drs. S.M.S. Chari and

NSA Swamy and Vaikunta Vaasi UtthamUr Swamy , who in turn have

based their vyAkyAnams on the original text of Sri RangarAmAnuja

Muni(Upanishad BhAshyakArar) of Srirangam , who has also blessed us

with a Sanskrit commentary on ThiruppAvai and recieved the title of

Upanishad BhAshyakArar from GOdhA PirAtti Herself .It is

approprioate to remember that on this " Ongi UlahaLantha

Utthaman " dinam .

 

If adiyEn can take the liberty of paraphrasing a famous

AchArya Taniyan on ThiruppAvai , One can say about TaittirIyam

without hyperbole : " vedam anaitthukkum vitthAhum " )

TaitthirIyam is the essence/seed of all VedAs . Why ?

It is because Taittiriyam has many key passages central to

Brahma MeemAmsa( Inquiry in to Brahman ):

 

(1)Provides the definition of Brahman ( Sathyam Jn~Anam

anantham Brahma).

 

(2)It establishes that Brahaman is Anandamayam

(of the Ananadamaya form or Bliss form ) among

the five concrete forms of comprehension of Brahman

( annamaya ,prANamaya , manOmaya , vij~namaya and

Anandamaya ). Anandavalli establishes beyond doubt that

the Bliss of Brahman is beyond comparison with any other

form of Bliss principle.

 

(3)It teaches that this Anandamaya Brahman , the goal of

our saadhana is the source cause of this Universe

( tadh srushtvA tadhEva anuprAvisath ).

 

(4) In its chathurtha Prsnam , TaittirIya Upanishad

(Naarayana Valli/MahA NaarAyaNopanishad) , the Lord's

pervasive presence , immanence and transcendence

in all of His creation is saluted as :

 

" anthar bahisccha tathsarvam vyApya NaarAyaNa:

sTitha: " TaittirIyOpanishad: IV.94

 

5) nyAsa VidhyA is taught here and celebrated as

the superior penance compared to the others (Tapas,

Yaaga-Yajnams): " NyAsa ithi BrahmA , BrahmA hi Para:,

ParO hi BrahmA;thAni vaa yEthAnyavarANi tapAgamsi

nyAsa yEvAthyarEchayath ya yEvam vEdathyupanishath "

( NyAsa/Surrender /saraNAgathi /prapathti is hailed to be

the most celebrated by Supreme Brahman and Brahman

is most celebrated. All the other penances (saadhanAs/

UpAsanAs) are inferior to NyAsa . That nyAsa surpasses

all others. He who comprehends this (truth)is supreme .

This is the secret upadEsam /teaching of the scriptures).

 

Further thoughts on the LakshaNam of Brahman

********************************************

Coming back to the LakshaNam of Brahman , (satyam Jn~Anam

anantham Bbrahma ) this Upanishadic passage is part of

a larger passage of TaittirIyam:

 

" Brahmavid ApnOthi param , tadeshAbhyuktA

Satyam Jn~Anam anantham Brahma

yO veda nihitham guhAyAm ParamE vyOman

so'snute sarvAn kAmAn saha

BrahmaNA vipascithEti "

 

This portion is known as the Aanandamaya VidhyA

section of the Upanishad and is translated by

Dr.NSA Swamy as follows:

 

" The knower (meditator) of Brahman attains the Highest.

This Rk is uttered about that Brahman .(This) Brahman

is True , Conscious and Infinite. He who knows Brahman

hidden in the cavity of the heart , enjoys in the Supreme

abode all the auspicious qualities of Brahman ALONG WITH

the all-knowing Brahman " .

 

This statement leads us to reflect on the nature of Brahman:

Is it endowed with attributes or not ?

 

Is Brahman SavisEsham or NirvisEsham ?

***************************************

The quintessence of VedAnthic inquiries on the nature of

Brahman (definition) , the method for attaining that Brahman

(Saadhana) and the nature of the attainment are included

in the above definition . Other upanishads ask these questions

too and elaborate on the answers through instructions on Brahma

VidhyA. This passage of TaittirIyam however lays the ground

work for the above three fundamental topics of VedAnthA

according to Dr.S.M.S. Chari :

 

1. What is the nature of Brahman?

2. What is the nature of the method of attainment?

3. What is the nature of the attainment ?

 

AchArya RaamAnujA and MaadhvAchArya intrepret this important

passage to prove that Brahman is not nirvisEsha , but

SavisEshA in their own ways.

 

They define " Satyam Jn~Anam Anantham Brahma " as the LakshaNa

Vaakyam for Brahman( the three Terms that provide a definition of

Brahman)and they differ from SankarAchArya's postition that

leads to the description of Brahman as nirvisEsha Brahman

(devoid of all attributes). AchArya RaamAnujA's arguments in

SrI BhAshyam reject categorically the nirvisEsha Brahman

position and establish that the SavisEsha Brahman ( Brahman

endowed with attributes like Satyam , Jn~Anam and Ananatham.

Swamy Desikan has elaborated further how untenable

the nirvisEsha Brahman doctrine is from the true

perspective of Brahma soothrAs in his brilliant

SrI Sookthis revered as Satha dhUshaNi ,SarvArTa Sidhdi

and Para Matha Bhangam. For thousand years ,this debate

whether Brahman is SavisEsha or nirvisEsha has gone on

and will continue to do so . As far as VisishtAdhvathins

are concerned , our AchAryAs have unquestionably defined

and established Brahaman as SavisEsha Brahman .

 

TaittirIya Upanishad like the other major Upanishads

chosen by BhAshyAkArar (AchArya RaamAnuja )establish

that Bbrahman is savisEsha and acknowledges the reality of

the Universe (not miTyA) and JivAs as distinct from Brahman.

 

Let us reflect on the VidhyA Phalam of the study of

TaithtirIya Upanishad :

 

saishA BhArgavI VaaruNI vidhyA

ParamE vyOman PrathishtithA

ya yEvam Veda prathishtathi

annavAn annAdhO bhavathi

MahAn bhavathi prajayA pasubhirbrahmavarchasEna

mahAn keerthyA

 

(meaning according to Dr.NSA Swamy): This knowledge

taught by VaruNa and gained by Bhrigu is established

in Supreme Brahman. He who realizes thus , becomes

established . He becomes the possessor of food and

the eater of food , He becomes great by virtue of

progeney , cattle and splendour of Brahamn .He becomes

great through fame.

 

On this forthcoming SaaRRumuRai day , May the Veda Pursuhan

bless all the VedAbhimAnis with His most merciful glances

and bless them and all their families to engage in further

studies of the eternal scriptures celebrating Him

as Supreme Personal God and grow their Kaimkarya SrI.

May our AchAryAs continue to bless us with the ruchi

for Veda VichAram and Kaimkarysa prApthi!

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

SrImath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi .