Bhrigu, Varuna and the Five Sheaths

The Taittiriya Upanishad comes from the Krishna Yajurveda. Its third part, the 'Bhrigu Valli', has a lovely story. Bhrigu was the son of Varuna. One day he went to his father and said, 'Revered one, teach me Brahman.' Varuna did not give a direct answer. He gave only a clue: 'That from which all beings are born, by which they live, and into which they return when they die: seek to know that. That is Brahman. Practise tapas.'

Bhrigu practised tapas: he thought and meditated deeply. He concluded: food is Brahman! From food beings are born, by food they live, and in the end they return to food, to the earth. He went to his father. Varuna said nothing except, 'Know Brahman through tapas.' Bhrigu understood that his answer was not yet complete.

Bhrigu meditated again and realised: prana, the life-force, is Brahman. He returned and got the same reply. Then he realised: mind is Brahman. Then: vijnana, understanding and intelligence, is Brahman. Each time his father sent him deeper. At last Bhrigu realised: bliss is Brahman. From bliss beings are born, by bliss they live, and into bliss they return. This time his father had nothing more to say.

Notice that these five steps are the same as what the Upanishad's second part calls the five koshas, or sheaths. Just as a sword rests in its sheath, the Self is wrapped in five layers. Outermost is the annamaya kosha, the body made of food. Inside it is the pranamaya kosha, breath and life-force. Then the manomaya kosha, mind and feelings.

Inside that is the vijnanamaya kosha, intellect and discernment. And innermost is the anandamaya kosha, deep bliss. The Self lies within all of these, lighting them up, rather like peeling the layers of an onion until you reach the centre. Bhrigu's story teaches that a true answer is not heard from someone else but discovered for yourself, and that a good teacher does not hand you the answer; he points you the right way.