Part 12

5 Preparation

5-7 TaittriyA Upanishad SikshA Valli

5-7-5 Anuvaka 9 The Order and Regularity of Life                                                      Knowledge alone gives the highest goal: liberation. It may follow that duties enjoined by the Vedas and Smritis are useless. It is not so. The responsibilities that contribute to attaining human goals are to be discharged. Physical action is possible without upAsanA, not vice versa. A grihastha leads a lifestyle where physical action is predominant. The Vedas advise that upAsanA must be gradually included in life. During the early part of life, there is an emphasis on physical action when the body is strong and shifts to upAsanA in later life when the body is weaker though the mind is still active. Vanaprastha ashrama is upAsanA -centric.

There are three types of physical action:
Para-upakAra (sAttvik) actions benefit people at large. They accelerate spiritual growth. [ god-man]
Para-udAsina (rajas) actions benefit the doer and those close to him/her without harming others. They result in spiritual stagnation. [ man-man]
Para-apakAra (tamas) actions benefit the doer at the cost of others. They cause spiritual fall (animal-man).

Panch maha yajnAs are an integral part of karma yoga.                                                     Deva yajna: regular worship of devatAs,                                                                             Pitra yajna – regular worship of the ancestors,                                                            RIsi yajna– the study of the scriptures and transmitting them to the next generation so that the glorious tradition is preserved and liquidate the debts of the great risis for giving us this tradition. This is also called brahman-yajna,                                                       Manusya Yajna – service to the community and humanity in general,                               Bhuta Yajna – protecting non-human living beings and the environment generally.

The scriptures may appear to criticize the other values to glorify a certain value, but it is only to highlight the importance of that value and not to disparage others. In Mundaka Upanishad, Satyam is highlighted in verse 3.1.6 as the most important value. In the third chapter, tapa is highlighted to such an extent that the Upanishad says that tapa itself is Brahman. In this anuvaka, scriptural study is highlighted and repeated many times, which indicates that the Upanishad is stressing its importance.

The Upanishad presents the opinions of three risis about the most important sAdhanA and then presents its verdict. Ratitara risi valued Satya most and took the vow to speak the Truth. He  he received the title Satyavaca. – the one who always speaks the truth. He says that truthfulness is the highest value. Rshi Paurusiti says that austerity is the highest Sadhana. Risi Maudgalya says that the study of scriptures and their propagation is the highest discipline. The Upanishad concludes that the study of scriptures is the highest sAdhanA. If one studies the scriptures, the other instructions can be received through the scriptures during all the Ashramas throughout life.

5-7-6 Anuvaka 11 Farewell Advice to Students The knowledge of the Self dawns easily on one with the proper mental disposition. The teacher gives farewell instructions to the disciple after Vedic teaching is complete and the disciple is ready to enter the Grihastha Ashram. A religious life is necessary to attain Jnana yogyatA.

1 Speak the truth. Perform your duty. Do not neglect the self-study of the Vedas and teaching of Vedas. After giving a suitable gift to the teacher, do not break the chain of your progeny. Do not neglect your health. Do not neglect your material well-being.

2 Do not neglect your duties to gods and ancestors. Honour your mother as a goddess, father, teacher, and guest as you would worship a god. Perform actions free from ego and shun contrary actions. Follow the good conduct of the teacher. Egoistic actions should be discarded since they lead to karmic consequences and bondage. Actions should be performed as an offering. A teacher should be a role model in so far as his good conduct is concerned.

3 Offer seats to Brahmanas who are praiseworthy. Charity should be given in plenty with sincerity, kindness, and modesty. If there is any doubt about duty, take the advice of noble persons in society.

4 In dealing with an accused person, follow the Brahmans who are competent to occupy the seat of a judge, who can discriminate between right and wrong, who are not cruel, and who are interested in performing actions for the sake of dharma. This is an important quality of a judge.

In Grihastha Ashrama, a person acquires the fourfold qualification when he practices what he has learned in the Brahmacharya Ashrama. This is why it is called Ashrama. It is only a stage in life and not the destination. Because of karmAs, spouses and children come together. Once the necessary qualifications for pursuing knowledge are acquired, one must exit Grihastha Asrama or withdraw mentally. All the responsibilities must be transferred to the next generation. Then he can pursue knowledge.

5-7-7 Anuvaka 12 A Joint Invocation for Divine Help (peace invocation) May Mitra be favourable to us. May Varuna be favourable. May Aryaman be favourable to us. May Indra and Brihaspati be favourable to us. May Vishnu, of wide strides, be favourable to us. Salutation to Brahmana. Salutations O Vayu. You, verily, are the visible Brahman. You alone I declare as the visible Brahmana. I declare (you) as the controller. I declare (you) as the truth. May It protect me. May It protect the teacher. May It protect me. May It protect the teacher. Aum. Peace. Peace. Peace.

5-8 Taittiriya Upanishad: Bhrigu Valli
5-8-1 Anuvaka 10 Upanishad introduces two more disciplines: Athiti puja – reverence for the guests, and Anna-dana – sharing of food. Athiti puja was earlier discussed in Anuvaka 11 of Sikshavalli. There is no greater charity than giving food. One should legitimately acquire plenty of food to feed the guests and a willingness to share it with the guests. A generous heart does not come at random. It is due to acquired punya. There will be one courageous person among a hundred, a scholar among a thousand, and one great communicator among a lakh, but a true giver may or not exist. Inner richness is the prerequisite of charity. Uttama dAna -The superior one in which verbal expression and body language indicate happiness and the giver considers it a blessing. Adhama dAna – The inferior one where the person grumbles and gives half-heartedly. Madhyama dAna – It is somewhere between the above two The three types of dana produce results accordingly.
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