Five Meditations - From Taithiriyopanishad

Taithiriyopanishad appears in the Krishna Yajurveda Taithiriya Samhita. It is very popular for its poetical and metaphorical treatment of the subject of vedanta and is commonly chanted in many vaishavite temples. 

At the every begiing of the upansihad,  in preparation for the detailed teaching on Brahman that is to follow, the Rishi of the Taithiriyopanishad offers to his students 5 sepaarte topics for their reflection. He calls these as 'mahasamhita', the Great Instructions. As common with many other Upanishadic statements, these instructions also  may not look very meaningful on surface. But on deeper consideration, their brilliance is revealed. Here is one perspective to go beyond the superficial meaning of these topics.

The 5 topics for reflection are:

• Adhilokam - about worlds of experience
• Adhijauthisham - about science of luminaries
• Adhividyam  - about  science of knowledge
• Adhiprajam - about progeny
• Adhyatmam - about self

Each of these topics is presented in a framework that specifies a pre-form (poorvaroopam), a post-form (uttararopam),  the enjoinder (sandhi)  that connects or separates the two forms and a means (sandhanam) for traversing from pre-form to post-form. Here is an overview.

Topic	Pre-form	Post-form	Enjoinder	Means
Adhilokam	Earth (Prithvi)	Heaven (Dyau)	Space (Akasa)	Air (Vayu)
Adhijauthisham	Fire (Agni)	Sun (Aditya)	Water (Apa)	Lightning (Vaidyutha)
Adhividyam	Teacher (Acharya)	Student (Anthevasi)	Knowledge (Vidya)	Deliberation (pravachanam)
Adhiprajam	Mother (Maata)	Father (Pitha)	Child (Praja)	Procreation (Prajananam)
Adhyatmam	Lower Jaw (adhara hanu)	Upper Jaw (uthara hanu)	Word (vak)	Tongue (Jihwa)

Let's take a closer look at each one of them. Please refer to the table above as each topic is discussed.

1. Adhilokam - about the worlds of experience. (Poorvaroopam-Prithvi; Uttararoopam-Dyau; Sandhi-Akasa; Sandhanam-Vayu)  Our current experience is that of this world, which is full of divisions (prithvi - earth:  prithaktvena  means separated or divided and because of the divisive experience it offers, Earth is called prithvi). What we want to change this experience to,  is the illuminated state (Dyau) of Bliss where there are no divisions. What is separating the two states is our cognition of space (akasa). We can overcome this separation in Samadhi using Yoga, control of breath (vayu).
2. Adhijauthisham - about the science of luminaries. (Poorvaroopam-Agni; Uttararoopam-Aditya; Sandhi-Apa; Sandhanam-Vaidyuta) We experience the world through the 'fire' (agni) in our sense organs. Our current identity or state of being is defined based on this experience. Our true state of being is the Awareness (aditya: "yathadityagatam thejam.. thad thejo vidhi mamakam - Know me to be the effulgence that makes the sun illuminate" B.G Ch 15) that powers the sense organs. What separates the two states of being is the continuous stream of Consciousness (Apa).  We can overcome this separation through  visions of self, obtained from right knowledge (vaidyuta - born from vidya, i.e., knowledge)
3. Adhividyam - about science of knowledge. (Poorvaroopam-Acharya; Uttararoopam-Anthevasi; Sandhi-Vidya; Sandhanam-Pravachananam) The initial state of knowledge is when the knowledge is external, as seen with the Teacher who also demonstrates it in practice (Acharya). The transformed state is when the knowledge is internalized, becomes one with the student (anthevasi - one who dwells inside). What separates the two states of being is the external knowledge itself which is to be traversed through deliberation (pravachanam - the act of discourse or deliberation)
4. Adhiprajam - about progeny.(Poorvaroopam-Maata; Uttararoopam-Pita; Sandhi-Praja; Sandhanam-Prajananam)   We are initially what we are born with from the mother (Maata). What we could become is what we are protected, educated and nurtured for by the father (Pita). What separates the two states of being is our strong identification with what we are born with (praja). We can overcome this separation by transforming ourselves (prajananam - procreation; self-transformation in this context)
5. Adhyatmam - about the self. (Poorvaroopam-adhara hanu; Uttararoopam-uttara hanu; Sandhi-vak; Sandhanam-jihwa) We identify and express ourselves with the movements, just as speech is identified with the movement of lower jaw (adhara hanu) that causes it. But this movement  is based on and enabled by our true, motionless state, like the upper jaw (uthara hanu). As Sage Patanjali says in Yogasutra, the 'chitha vritti'  or movement of consciousness, causes the self to be identified  with those movements and with Yoga, the self is able to free itself from this fals identification and realize its observer state. What separates the two states of being is self-expressions (vak - word). We can overcome this separation in meditation where awareness burns like a flame without a wick (Jihwa - in addition to tongue this also means a flame: "yatha deepo nivathastah nengate sopama smrita" - The awareness of a meditator is said to be motionless like a steady flame in a windless environment: BG Ch 6)

Meditated thus, these 5 mediations prepares one for receiving the teaching on Brahman.

(The above has few extrapolations beyond the traditional teaching on the subject. These thoughts were Inspired by a discourse on this topic by Sree Aswath on Nov 10th, 2013)