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

The Syllable of Assent

Taittiriya Upanishad 1.8.1

ओमिति ब्रह्म । ओमितीदँसर्वम् । ओमित्येतदनुकृतिर्हस्म वा अप्यो श्रावयेत्याश्रावयन्ति । ओमिति सामानि गायन्ति । ओँशोमिति शस्त्राणि शँसन्ति । ओमित्यध्वर्युः प्रतिगरं प्रतिगृणाति । ओमिति ब्रह्मा प्रसौति । ओमित्यग्निहोत्रमनुजानाति । ओमिति ब्राह्मणः प्रवक्ष्यन्नाह ब्रह्मोपाप्नवानीति ब्रह्मैवोपाप्नोति

Meaning · English

Om is Brahman. Om is all this. Om means yes. With Om priests call, sing, recite, respond, and permit; a teacher says Om before teaching, seeking Brahman, and reaches it.

Om is first called Brahman, the one reality the Upanishads keep pointing to. Then it is called all of this, the whole visible world. Next it is simply the word of agreement, the way one says yes. The teacher then walks through a fire ritual: the call to begin, the sung chants, the recited praises, a priest's reply, the chief priest's go-ahead, the approval of the daily fire offering. Each step is marked with Om. Last, a learned man about to recite says Om, hoping to reach Brahman, and he reaches it.

Picture a relay race where each runner waits for the baton touching their palm before moving. The same small handoff happens at every leg, and nothing starts without it. Om works like that touch: the call, the chant, the reply, the go-ahead each begin only once the syllable has been said, so one sound ties every part together.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Everything Comes in Fives · Taittiriya Upanishad 1.7.1
• Next: Study and Teaching Alongside · Taittiriya Upanishad 1.9.1
• All of Upanishads · Ask Krishna about it

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