The verse and its meaning · Upanishads · Taittiriya · Lessons for the Student

The Fourth That Enlarges

Taittiriya Upanishad 1.5.2

मह इत्यादित्यः । आदित्येन वाव सर्वे लोका महीयन्ते । भूरिति वा अग्निः । भुव इति वायुः । सुवरित्यादित्यः । मह इति चन्द्रमाः । चन्द्रमसा वाव सर्वाणि ज्योतीँषि महीयन्ते । भूरिति वा ऋचः । भुव इति सामानि । सुवरिति यजूँषि

Meaning · English

Mahas is the sun, which magnifies every world. Fire, wind, sun: Bhur, Bhuvas, Suvar. Mahas is the moon, which magnifies every light. Rig, Saman, Yajus: Bhur, Bhuvas, Suvar.

Bhur, Bhuvas and Suvar are three short sacred words used in Vedic ritual. Mahas, meaning greatness, is a fourth. The teacher lines the four up against sets of things. Among the worlds, Mahas is the sun, and every world grows great by it. Among lights, fire, wind and sun are the three, and Mahas is the moon, which enlarges every light. Then a third set begins: the Rig verses, the Saman chants, the Yajus formulas. Each time, three name the parts and the fourth is what enlarges them.

A pot of soup holds carrots, onions and lentils. Everything is there, but the dish tastes flat until a pinch of salt goes in. Then each ingredient tastes more like itself. Mahas works the same way. The three utterances name the parts, and the fourth is what lets each part reach its full size.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Greatness, the Fourth Utterance · Taittiriya Upanishad 1.5.1
• Next: Breath, Food, and Sixteen · Taittiriya Upanishad 1.5.3
• All of Upanishads · Ask Krishna about it

Sacred Sargam

The sacred texts with their meaning, read aloud, with Ask Krishna, a Panchang and bhajans. Free, on the web and as an app. Open Sacred Sargam