Taittiriya Shakha


The Taittiriya Shakha, is a shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda. Most prevalent in South India, it consists of the Taittiriya Samhita, Taittiriya Brahmana, Taittiriya Aranyaka, and Taittiriya Pratisakhya.

Nomenclature

The 'Taittiriya Shakha' can be loosely translated as 'Branch or School of Tittri' or 'Branch or School of Taittiriya' or 'School of the pupils of Tittiri'.

Monier-Williams

According to the Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary, Taittiri was a pupil of Yaska. According to the Vishnu Purana, Yaska was in turn a pupil of Vaiśampáyana,. Taittiri is also stated in the Mahabharata to have attended 'the Yaga conducted by Uparicaravasu'.

Vishnu Purana

'Tittiri' also means 'partridge'. This meaning is worked into the account of the stated origin of the School of Tittri in the Vishnu Purana. Following a division between Brahmins at Mount Meru - including Vaiśampáyana and Yajnavalkya - 'The other scholars of Vaiśampáyana, transforming themselves to partridges, picked up the texts which he had disgorged, and which from that circumstance were called Taittiríya'. This indicates both Yaska and Taittiri were pupils of Vaiśampáyana.
The translator, H.H. Wilson, states in his commentary to this chapter that 'the term Taittiríya is more rationally accounted for in the Anukramańí or index of the black Yajush . It is there said that Vaiśampáyana taught it to Yaska, who taught it to Tittiri, who also became a teacher; whence the term Taittiríya, for a grammatical rule explains it to mean, 'The Taittiríyas are those who read what was said or repeated by Tittiri'.'

Nirukta

, attributed as the teacher of Taittiri, is also attributed as the author of the Nirukta, a study of etymology concerned with correct interpretation of Sanskrit words in the Vedas. This is significant as the Nirukta references and quotes extensively from the Taittiriya texts.

Overview

The Taittiriya school of the Krishna Yajurveda produced several types of texts constituting Sruti Vedic literature. These are the:
According to B.R. Modak, the scholar Sayana, notable for his commentaries on Vedic literature including the Taittirīya texts, was a member of the Taittiriya Shakha. According to G.R. Garg, Apastamba, notable for his Shrautasutras, was also a member.

Commentaries

The 'Śrauta Sútras' of Apastamba, Bodhayana, and Vaikhanasa. are theological texts concerned with procedures and ceremonies of Vedic ritual practice. All are attached to the Taittiriya Samhita.
There are other commentaries written by Sanskrit scholars and philosophers on the works of the Taittiriya Shakha. Most notably, according to B.R. Modak, Sayana wrote commentaries on the Taittirīya texts. According to N. Sharva, the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa was also commented upon by Bhava Swāmī ; Kauśika Bhaṭṭa Bhāskara Miśra ; and Rāmānḍara / Rāmāgnichitta.

Taittiriya Samhita

R. Dalal states that 'The Yajur Veda consists of passages in verse and prose, arranged for the performance of yajnas... The two main versions of the Yajur are known as the Shukla Yajur Veda and the Krishna Yajur Veda... of the black Yajur Veda, five shakhas are known: the Taittiriya, Kapishthala, Katha, Kathaka, and Maitrayani, with four closely related recensions, known as the Kathaka Samhita, the Kapishthala-Katha Samhita, Maitrayani Samhita, and the Taittiriya Samhita'.

Structure and Content

The Taittiriya Samhita consists of seven kandas of hymns, mantras, prayers, and three Anukramanis. In translations such as that by A.B. Keith, this Samhita is presented as the Krishna Yajurveda. M. Winternitz adds that the Samhita also includes Brahmana passages. The chapters for each of the books of the Taittiriya Samhita are as follows:
D.M. Harness states that 'The Vedic Nakshatras arose from a spiritual perception of the cosmos. Nakshatras are the mansions of the Gods or cosmic powers and of the Rishis or sages. They can also project negative or anti-divine forces, just as certain planets like Saturn have well known malefic effects. The term Nakshatra refers to a means of worship or approach... The Nakshatras dispense the fruits of karma... For this reason Vedic rituals and meditations to the present day follow the timing of the Nakshatras... are of prime in muhurta or electional astrology for determining favorable times for actions, particularly sacramental or sacred actions like marriage'.
Reference to the Nakṣhatra Sūktam, occurs in kāṇḍa 3, prapāṭhaka 5, anuvākaḥ 1.

Shaivism

Shri Rudram and Namah Shivaya homages to Shiva

The Shri Rudram Chamakam and Namah Shivaya, homages to Rudra / Shiva, occur in kāṇḍa 5, prapāṭhakas 5 and 7.

Vaishnavism

The Varaha Avatara of Vishnu

Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu is primarily associated with the Puranic legend of lifting the Earth out of the cosmic ocean. A.A. Macdonell and R. Janmajit both state that the origin and development of the boar avatar is found in the Taittiriya Samhita, albeit initially as a form of Prajapati:
Another extract attributed to the early development of the Varaha avatar by Macdonell is:

Taittiriya Brahmana

The Taittirīya Brāhmaņa is considered by academics to be an appendix or extension of the Taittirīya Samhita. The first two books largely consist of hymns and mantras to the Vedic-era Devas, as well as mythology, astronomy, and astrology ; the third book contains commentaries and instructions on Vedic sacrificial rites such as the Purushamedha, Kaukili-Sutramani, Ashvamedha, and Agnicayana. Recorded around 300-400 BCE, it was prevalent in southern India in areas such in Andhra Pradesh, south and east of Narmada, and areas on the banks of the Godavari river down to the sea.
A.B Keith states that 'at a comparatively early period the formulae were accompanied by explanations, called Brahmanas, texts pertaining to the Brahman or sacred lore, in which the different acts of the ritual were given symbolical interpretations, the words of the texts commented on, and stories told to illustrate the sacrificial performance... a mass of old material, partly formulae, partly Brahmana, which had not been incorporated in the Taittiriya Samhita was collected together in the Taittiriya Brahmana, which in part contains matter more recent than the Samhita, but in part has matter as old as, at any rate, the later portions of that text'.

Structure and Content

Based on information provided by Kashyap and R. Mitra, the chapters for each of the books are as follows:
The Taittiriya Aranyaka is primarily a theological text consisting of ten chapters. J. Dowson states that 'Aranyaka' means 'belonging to the forest' as this type of text is intended to 'expound the mystical sense of the ceremonies, discuss the nature of God . They are attached to the Brahmanas, and intended for study in the forest by brahmanas who have retired from the distractions of the world'. As illustrated below, the Taittiriya Aranyaka contains a Brahmana text of its own, the Pravargya Brahmana, as well as two Upanishads, the Taittiriya Upanishad and the Mahanarayana Upanishad.

Structure and Content

R. Mitra states that the Taittiriya Aranyaka is 'by far the largest of the Aranyakas. It extends altogether to ten prapāṭhakas or 'Great Lessons', i.e. books or chapters, of which the last four are Upanishads, and the first six, are Aranyaka strictly so-called'. The 10 chapters of the Taittiriya Aranyaka, including numbers of anuvakas for each, are as follows:
PrapāṭhakaAnuvakasDescriptionComment
132Propitiation of the Eastern Altar - Uttara Vedi
220Brahmanic Education
321Mantras of the Chaturhotra-Chiti
442Pravargya MantrasUsed for the Pravargya ceremony
512Pravargya CeremonyPravargya Brahmana
612Pitrimedha or Rites for the welfare of the Manes
712S'iksha or the training necessary for acquiring a knowledge of BrahmaTaittiriya Upanishad
89Knowledge of BrahmaTaittiriya Upanishad
910Relation of Brahma to food, mind, life, etc.Taittiriya Upanishad
1054The worship of BrahmaMahanarayana Upanishad

Vaishnavism

The Mahanarayana Upanishad is classified as a Vaishnava Upanishad. In addition to this, the Taittiriya Aranyaka is also considered significant by academics in the development of the avatars and their associated legends of the RigVedic god Vishnu, the supreme being in Vaishnavism.

The Varaha Avatara of Vishnu

A. Daniélou states that a hundred-armed black boar lifts the earth out of the waters in the Taittiriya Aranyaka. J. Eggeling in note 451:1 to the Shatapatha Brahmana incorrectly states it was 'a black boar with a thousand arms'. The Journal Of The Indian Society Of Oriental Art states 'in the ‘Taittiriya Aranyaka’, the earth is said to have been raised by a black boar with a hundred arms. It is an easily understandable step to the making of the boar an incarnation of Visnu himself, a step which is finally taken in the epics and the Puranas'. This legend is also contained in the Mahanarayana Upanishad :
As 'Krishna' also means 'black', the verse can also be interpreted as 'black boar' or 'raised up by the black boar', as stated by Daniélou and Eggeling. However, the translation given above clearly shows how Krishna is linked with Varaha.

The Kurma Avatara of Vishnu

N. Aiyangar states that the following verse from the Taittiriya Aranyaka 'is narrated in connection with the ritual called Arunaketuka-kayana, in which the tortoise is placed below the uttara-vedi . In it Prajapati or his juice the Tortoise is called Arunaketu ':
The Vātaraśanāḥ Rishis created are also mentioned in RigVeda 10.136, where Shiva drank water/poison, linking to the legend of Kurma and the churning of the Ocean of Milk, referred to as the Samudra manthan. Prajapati then encounters a tortoise that existed even before he, the creator of the universe, came into being.

Taittiriya Pratisakhya

The Taittiriya Pratisakhya is concerned with phonetics, i.e. the correct pronunciation of words.

Structure and Content

The 24 chapters of the Taittiriya Pratisakhya are as follows:
  1. List of sounds
  2. Origin of sounds
  3. Shortening of vowels
  4. Pragraha or uncombinable words
  5. Sanhita or combination of words
  6. Conversions of s and visarjaniya into sh.
  7. Conversion of n into ṇ
  8. Changes of unaspirated surds
  9. Changes of h, ah, áh, n, ṉ, án, in, etc.
  10. Coalescence of vowels
  11. Elision of vowels
  12. Elision of vowels
  13. Elision of m
  14. Duplication
  15. Nasalization
  16. the use of n
  17. Various opinions about nasality
  18. Opinions about the aspiration of Om
  19. Emphasis and shaking
  20. Different kinds of circumflex letters
  21. Division of consonants in syllabication
  22. Formation of articulate sounds, tones, pitch, long and short syllables, etc.
  23. Articulation
  24. Various kinds of texts, and qualifications of Vedic teachers and readers

    Manuscripts and translations

Supplemental