Trishikhi Brahmana Upanishad (Triśikhibrāhmaṇopaniṣad) - This is another wonderful Upanishad, belonging to and part of the Shukla Yajur Veda, having 165 mantras. It has two parts: the Brahmana part and the Mantra part. The Brahmana part begins by saying the significance of the name of the Upanishad, which itself is very interesting.
It says that there was a Brahmana, a man belonging to a Brahmin community. This Brahmana has three tufts, Trishikhi. So, this Trishikhi Brahmana, a man belonging to the Brahmin community having three Shikhas, goes to his Guru, and the Guru is none other than the Sun, Surya.
So, he goes to Aditya Loka, and he raises a question, and the discussion follows. That is the Trishikhi Brahmana Upanishad.
"triśikhī brāhmaṇa ādityalokaṃ jagāma" He went to the Aditya Lokam. "taṃ gatvovāca bhagavan kiṃ dehaḥ kiṃ prāṇaḥ kiṃ kāraṇa kimātmā". This Brahmana asks these questions, five questions to the Sun God: kiṃ dehaḥ - What is the body? kiṃ prāṇaḥ - What is the prana? kiṃ kāraṇa - What is the cause? kimātmā - What is Atman? These are the five questions raised by this Brahmana, Trishikhi Brahmana. The Aditya, the Surya, replies to these four questions and explains beautifully. That is how the Upanishad goes wonderfully, and it brings out the four levels of existence.
These four levels of existence are symbolically equivalent to akara, ukara, makara, and the ardha matra of the pranava. A very beautiful imagery, a very beautiful combination of our existence itself has four avasthas: swapna, sushupti, jagruthi and Turiya. Jagruthi avastha, swapna avastha, sushupti avastha and Turiya avastha. Jagruthi avastha is the avastha where we are all aware of everything, where the senses are active, the normal world. Swapna is a dream state. Sushupti is dreamless sleep state. Turiya is that state which is the base and foundation of all the three states which runs into all these three states. Just for example, when we sleep without a dream, a dreamless sleep, when we wake up we are aware that we slept. That continuous awareness which was existent even while we are in dream sleep is the state of Turiya. Turiya is beyond these three states. So, the Pranava or the Omkara is equated with these three states: Akara with the jagrutha avastha, Ukara with the swapna avastha, Makara with the sushupti avastha, and the Turiya with the ardhamatra avastha. This is an exact reflection, a continuity of what was explained in the Mandukya Upanishad, one of the major Upanishads, which also explains about the Omkara. In Trishikibrahmana Upanishad, Surya Aditya explains the same here, the avastha chatushtayam and the Omkara.
Then the Upanishad goes a little further explaining the karma and jnana yogas. Very interesting to know what is karma yoga as per the Trishikhi Brahmana Upanishad. And it says that karma yoga is...
jñānayogaḥ karmayoga iti yogo dvidhā mataḥ।।
23rd mantra of the Trishikhi Brahmana Upanishad. And what is karma yoga?
kriyāyogamathedānīṃ śruṇu brāhmaṇasattama।
avyākulasya cittasya bandhanaṃ viṣaye kvacit।।
yatsaṃyogo dvijaśreṣṭha sa ca dvaividhyamaśnute।
karma kartavyamityeva vihiteṣveva karmasu।।
bandhanaṃ manaso nityaṃ karmayogaḥ sa ucyate।
yatta cittasya satatamarthe śreyasi bandhanam।।
See how beautifully he explains what is karma yoga.
yatsaṃyogo dvijaśreṣṭha sa ca dvaividhyamaśnute।
karma kartavyamityeva vihiteṣveva karmasu।।
What is karma yoga is "karma kartavyamityeva vihiteṣveva karmasu" - vihita karma, ordained, what is to be done is to be done. Generally, it is understood as enjoined by the scriptures following the activities, performing the work, doing the work, performing the activities which are ordained, enjoined. What is to be done is to be done - for all our normal understanding 'duties' which are to be performed, and that is karma yoga. But with that, the dimension is "yatta cittasya satatamarthe śreyasi bandhanam." The karma yoga releases the attachments, means duties are to be done without attachment, exactly what we find in the Bhagavad Gita. That is karma yoga, and that leads to moksha.
Then the Upanishad talks about the jnana yoga. This is the mantra part of the Upanishads, and then techniques are given. We should remember Trishikibrahmanopanishad as a yoga Upanishad also, as it is talking and prescribing karma yoga. So, yoga is not only limited or confined to asana, pranayama, bandhas, and all that. It is also confirmed by Trishikibrahmanopanishad, karma yoga, and then it prescribes jnana yoga, moksha lakshanam - description of the moksha.
Then Trishikibrahmanopanishad presents the Ashtanga Yoga in the 28 to 31 mantras. In these 4 mantras, it talks about the Ashtanga Yoga - the yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi, and then it also talks about the anusandhana. That is how the Trishikibrahmanopanishad Ashtanga Yoga is exactly a replica of Maharishi Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga. Whether Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga is prior or earlier to Trishikibrahmanopanishad, or Trishikibrahmanopanishad is earlier to Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, that is immaterial, but still, the reflections are similar.
But the difference is the yama of the Trishikibrahmanopanishad is 10 yamas, and niyamas are 10. Then the Upanishad in its asanas presents 16 asanas, whereas in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, we don't find any asanas. So, the 16 asanas' names have been given.
ahiṃsā satyamasteyaṃ brahmacaryaṃ dayārjavam।।
kṣamā dhṛtirmitāhāraḥ śaucaṃ ceti yamādaśa।
tapaḥsantuṣṭirāstikyaṃ dānamārādhanaṃ hareḥ।।
vedāntaśravaṇaṃ caiva hrīrmatiśca japo vratam .. iti।
So, they are the 10 yamas and 10 niyamas. Then the 16 asanas are: Swastika Asana, Gomukha Asana, Virasana, Padmasana, Baddha-Padmasana, Kukkutasana, Uttana Kurmaka Asana, Dhanur Asana, Simha Asana, Bhadra Asana, Mukta Asana, Mayur Asana, Matsya Asana, Siddha Asana, Pascimottana Asana, and Sukha Asana. These are the 16 asanas mentioned and taught, elaborated in the Trishikibrahmanopanishad. Sun god, Suryadeva, Adityaha, was explaining to the Brahmana who raised the questions, and he explains to him how to attain the highest state beginning with the Omkara, the avastha chatushtayam, karma yoga, and the jnana yoga. Then the yama niyama practices, then the asanas, then comes the pranayama portion.
The pranayama portion again talks about the nadis, the length of the prana, the importance of time in pranayama, inhalation and exhalation, lengthening the process of puraka, lengthening the process of rechaka, and by lengthening the puraka and rechaka activities, increasing the time of inhalation and exhalation. Then the natural slowness of breathing to its maximum slowness gives an experience of almost stopping the breathing. It means the flow of the puraka and rechaka is so slow, it is almost negligible and insignificantly recognized. It is as if in an ocean there are no waves, but we all are aware there cannot be an ocean without waves. Waves are present but they are not visible, or not noticeable, or not recognized. They are so soft, subtle. If the pranic flow of the puraka and rechaka is so slow, Trishikibrahmanopanishad, Lord Sun Adityaha tells the Brahmana to practice pranayama like this.
It is the nadi shodhanam; it purifies the nadis - the channels of prana, the medium for the flow of prana. Then the Upanishad explains sahita pranayama, means actually practicing holding the breath, kumbhaka, introducing kumbhaka, that is sahita pranayama. Normally nowadays, all yoga instructors and yoga teachers, we are aware of sahita pranayama, sahita kumbhaka, various terminologies we use. Sahita has two meanings, one is with kumbhaka, introducing kumbhaka, between inhalation and exhalation, between exhalation and inhalation, but sahita also means it is hitam, it does good, it is useful. So, sahita pranayama means useful pranayama which gives benefit to the practitioner, hitam. So, pranayama practiced by slowing down the inhalation and exhalation by lengthening the time of inhalation and exhalation is sahita pranayama, having inbuilt a kevala kumbhaka in that, that is how sahita pranayama is to be understood, and it is better to understand in this particular dimension the way Trishikibrahman Upanishad presents it sahita pranayama.
Then the Upanishad also talks about the qualities of the pranayama practices, means inferior practice, middle practice, superior practices - adhama, madhyama, and the uttama practices. That is, what happens if the practice is adhama, how can we say the practice is madhyama, how can we say the practice is uttama, the Trishikibrahman Upanishad describes beautifully.
prasvedajananaṃ yasya prāṇāyāmastu so'dhamaḥ।
104th mantra it is. if there is a sweating in the body, while practicing after the practice of the pranayama if there is a sweating, heat in the body it is adhamaha.
kaṃpanaṃ vapuṣo yasya prāṇāyāmeṣu madhyamaḥ।
If there is a shivering, trembling in the body, then it is madhyamaha. Then
utthānaṃ vapuṣo yasya sa uttama udāhṛtaḥ।।
What is the highest, the superior level of the pranayama practice effort is, he becomes one, he becomes expansive feelings and the actual physical measurements, actual physical experiences are given by the Trishiki Brahman Upanishad, it says that destructions of the papaha. Then,
alpamūtro'lpaviṣṭhaśca laghudeho mitāśanaḥ।
paṭvindriyaḥ paṭumatiḥ kālatrayavidātmavān।।
recakaṃ pūrakaṃ muktvā kumbhīkaraṇameva yaḥ।
karoti triṣu kāleṣu naiva tasyāsti durlabham।।
In the superior practice of the pranayama, a practitioner, a yoga sadhaka, gets cured from all the incurable diseases or we can say his resistance power is enhanced and then he will have very calmness of the mind. The excretory organs excrete low quantities, then lightness, softness, flexibility, these are the results of superior practice of the pranayama - adhama, madhyama, and the uttama.
Then the Trishiki Brahman Upanishad, Suryadeva, talks about the shanmukhi mudra upasana. He talks about the shanmukhi mudra, then also the beautiful discussion on the pranagati, how prana moves when a person is practicing shanmukhi mudra, then practice of the dharana, then the dhyana, then the Trishiki Brahman Upanishad. The guru, Surya himself is the guru, talks about the length of the body, weight of the body, the changes which will be brought about by the practice of the yoga, then the importance of the dhyana.
Then finally he talks about the triyatitam vasudeva chaitanyam, the final dhyana of the two types, saguna dhyana and the nirguna dhyana. Saguna dhyana is the dhyana, meditation on any object and image, any object, any image, anything which is bound by name and frame, that is rupa and nama, anything, that is saguna dhyana, which has a guna, which has a quality. And the nirguna dhyana which has no name and no frame, nama, rupa, rahita, nirguna dhyana it is. And that is where Trishiki Brahman Upanishad expounds the one becoming one with all expansiveness and Trishiki Brahmana Upanishad Adi Deva, Aditya uses the word vishwarupa deva and sadhaka experiences that vishwarupa deva, the jiva attains nirvanaha and the jiva experiences kaivalyaha. That chaitanya svarupaha, chaitanya anubhava is brought by the practice of the techniques expressed in the Trishiki Brahman Upanishad, a discussion between Surya Deva and the Brahmana having three tufts. Let us also practice these techniques explained in the Trishiki Brahman Upanishad and enhance our practice and experience the deeper layers of the yoga in our regular practices. Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti.
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
