Taittirīyopaniṣat 02.17
सैषानन्दस्य मीमागंसा भवति। युवा स्यात् साधुयुवाऽध्यायकः। आशिष्ठो दृढिष्ठो बलिष्ठः। तस्येयं पृथिवी सर्वा वित्तस्य पूर्णा स्यात्। स एको मानुष आनन्दः। ते ये शतं मानुषा आनन्दाः। स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य ॥१७॥
saiṣānandasya mīmāṁgāṁsā bhavati। yuvā syāt sādhu-yuvā'dhyāyakaḥ। āśiṣṭho dṛḍhiṣṭho baliṣṭhaḥ। tasyevaṁ pṛthivī sarvā vittasya pūrṇā syāt। sa eko mānuṣa ānandaḥ। te ye śataṁ mānuṣā ānandāḥ। sa eko manuṣya-gandharvāṇāmānandaḥ śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya ॥17॥
[सैषा (saiṣā) - this (feminine); आनन्दस्य (ānandasya) - of bliss; (ānanda, genitive singular) मीमागंसा (mīmāṁgāṁsā) - inquiry; (mīmāṁsā, nominative singular) भवति (bhavati) - becomes; (from root 'bhū') युवा (yuvā) - a youth; (nominative singular) स्यात् (syāt) - may be; (optative of 'as') साधुयुवा (sādhu-yuvā) - virtuous youth; (compound) अध्यायकः (adhyāyakaḥ) - student; (one who studies, nominative singular) आशिष्ठः (āśiṣṭhaḥ) - most aspiring; (superlative of 'āśis') दृढिष्ठः (dṛḍhiṣṭhaḥ) - most firm; (superlative of 'dṛḍha') बलिष्ठः (baliṣṭhaḥ) - most strong; (superlative of 'bala') तस्य (tasya) - of him; (genitive singular) इयम् (iyam) - this (feminine); पृथिवी (pṛthivī) - earth; (nominative singular) सर्वा (sarvā) - all; (feminine nominative singular) वित्तस्य (vittasya) - of wealth; (genitive singular) पूर्णा (pūrṇā) - full; (feminine nominative singular) स्यात् (syāt) - may be; (optative of 'as') सः (saḥ) - he; (nominative singular) एकः (ekaḥ) - one; (nominative singular) मानुषः (mānuṣaḥ) - human; (nominative singular) आनन्दः (ānandaḥ) - bliss; (nominative singular) ते (te) - those; (nominative plural) ये (ye) - who; (nominative plural) शतम् (śatam) - hundred; (nominative singular) मानुषाः (mānuṣāḥ) - humans; (nominative plural) आनन्दाः (ānandāḥ) - blisses; (nominative plural) सः (saḥ) - he; (nominative singular) एकः (ekaḥ) - one; (nominative singular) मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणाम् (manuṣya-gandharvāṇām) - of human gandharvas; (genitive plural) आनन्दः (ānandaḥ) - bliss; (nominative singular) श्रोत्रियस्य (śrotriyasya) - of the knower of the Veda; (genitive singular) च (ca) - and; अकामहतस्य (akāma-hatasya) - of one not overcome by desire; (genitive singular);]
This is an inquiry into bliss. Suppose there is a youth, a virtuous and learned student, most aspiring, most firm, most strong. For him, this entire earth filled with wealth may belong. That is one unit of human bliss. A hundred such human blisses make the one bliss of the human gandharvas, which belongs to the knower of the Veda who is not overcome by desire.
Taittirīya Bhāshya 02.17
Testimonial continues to reflect on the varied experience of bliss by various categories of beings, as stated in the Upanishads.
"... विदुषां नियमेन तु। स्यादेव मोक्षस्तत्रापि ह्यानन्दस्य विचित्रता॥
"... viduṣāṃ niyamena tu। syādeva mokṣastatrāpi hyānandasya vicitratā॥
[विदुषाम् (viduṣām) - of the wise; नियमेन (niyamena) - by rule; तु (tu) - but; स्यात् (syāt) - would be; एव (eva) - indeed; मोक्षः (mokṣaḥ) - liberation; तत्र (tatra) - there; अपि (api) - even; हि (hi) - indeed; आनन्दस्य (ānandasya) - of bliss; विचित्रता (vicitratā) - variety;]
"... However, for the wise, liberation is certainly attained by rule; yet even there, the experience of bliss is varied.
यस्तु साधुगुणैर्युक्तस्तस्यैवाप्यखिला मही। त्रेतायुगे चक्रवर्ती यदामुक्तस्तु संसृतेः॥ अधीतिफलपूर्णत्वादाध्यायक इतीरितः॥
yastu sādhuguṇairyuktastasyaivāpyakhilā mahī। tretāyuge cakravartī yadāmuktastu saṃsṛteḥ॥ adhītiphala pūrṇatvādādhyāyaka itīritaḥ॥
[यः (yaḥ) - who; तु (tu) - but; साधु-गुणैः (sādhu-guṇaiḥ) - with virtuous qualities; युक्तः (yuktaḥ) - endowed; तस्य (tasya) - his; एव (eva) - indeed; अपि (api) - even; अखिला (akhilā) - entire; मही (mahī) - earth; त्रेता-युगे (tretā-yuge) - in the Tretā age; चक्रवर्ती (cakravartī) - universal monarch; यदा (yadā) - when; अमुक्तः (amuktaḥ) - not released; तु (tu) - but; संसृतेः (saṃsṛteḥ) - from transmigration; अधीतिफल (adhītiphala) - fruit of study; पूर्णत्वात् (pūrṇatvāt) - due to completeness; अध्यायकः (ādhyāyakaḥ) - reciter; इति (iti) - thus; ईरितः (īritaḥ) - is called;]
He who possesses virtuous qualities truly owns the whole earth. In the Tretā age, even a universal monarch is not freed from the cycle of rebirth. Due to the completeness of the fruit of study, he is called a reciter, thus is said.
स एव विष्णुना युक्तो गच्छतीति युवा स्मृतः। एकानन्दस्वरूपोऽसौ मानुषो मुक्त इष्यते॥
sa eva viṣṇunā yukto gacchatīti yuvā smṛtaḥ। ekānandasvarūpo'sau mānuṣo mukta iṣyate॥
[स (sa) - he; एव (eva) - indeed; विष्णुना (viṣṇunā) - by Viṣṇu; युक्तः (yuktaḥ) - joined; गच्छति (gacchati) - goes; इति (iti) - thus; युवा (yuvā) - youth; स्मृतः (smṛtaḥ) - is called; एकानन्दस्वरूपः (ekānandasvarūpaḥ) - of the nature of singular bliss; असौ (asau) - that; मानुषः (mānuṣaḥ) - human; मुक्तः (muktaḥ) - liberated; इष्यते (iṣyate) - is considered;]
He who is united with Lord Viṣṇu and who proceeds thus is called a youth. That human, whose nature is singular bliss, i.e. one unit of bliss, is regarded as liberated.
तस्मात् शतगुणानन्दाः गन्धर्वा मानुषात्मकाः। मुक्ताः श्रुतिफलं प्राप्ताः ततः कामाहतास्तथा ॥१७॥"
tasmāt śataguṇānandāḥ gandharvā mānuṣātmakaāḥ। muktāḥ śrutiphalaṃ prāptāḥ tataḥ kāmāhatāstathā ॥17॥"
[तस्मात् (tasmāt) - from that; from there; शतगुणानन्दाः (śataguṇānandāḥ) - having hundredfold bliss; गन्धर्वाः (gandharvāḥ) - Gandharvas; मानुषात्मकाः (mānuṣātmakaāḥ) - having human nature; of human essence; मुक्ताः (muktāḥ) - liberated; released; श्रुतिफलम् (śrutiphalaṃ) - fruit of hearing; result of listening; प्राप्ताः (prāptāḥ) - obtained; attained; ततः (tataḥ) - from that; then; कामाहताः (kāmāhatāḥ) - struck by desire; afflicted by passion; तथा (tathā) - thus; in that way;]
Compared to that, Gandharvas of human essence are endowed with hundredfold bliss, having attained liberation and the fruit of hearing, after being afflicted by desire."
