Taittiriya Upanishad 1.1
beginner
शं नो मित्रः शं वरुणः। शं नो भवत्वर्यमा। शं न इन्द्रो बृहस्पतिः। शं नो विष्णुरुरुक्रमः। नमो ब्रह्मणे। नमस्ते वायो। त्वमेव प्रत्यक्षं ब्रह्मासि। त्वामेव प्रत्यक्षं ब्रह्म वदिष्यामि। ऋतं वदिष्यामि। सत्यं वदिष्यामि।
śaṃ no mitraḥ śaṃ varuṇaḥ | śaṃ no bhavatvaryamā | śaṃ na indro bṛhaspatiḥ | śaṃ no viṣṇururukramaḥ | namo brahmaṇe | namaste vāyo | tvameva pratyakṣaṃ brahmāsi | tvāmeva pratyakṣaṃ brahma vadiṣyāmi | ṛtaṃ vadiṣyāmi | satyaṃ vadiṣyāmi |
"May Mitra be bliss to us, may Varuna be bliss. May Aryaman be bliss to us. May Indra and Brihaspati be bliss. May Vishnu of vast strides be bliss. Salutations to Brahman. Salutations to Vayu. You alone are the visible Brahman. I shall declare You as the visible Brahman. I shall speak cosmic order. I shall speak truth."
What This Means:
The Upanishad opens with an invocation to the cosmic gods for blessings. It then declares that Vayu (air/life-breath) is the visible Brahman, and commits to speaking truth.
Going Deeper:
Air is the immediate, experienceable form of the Divine - we live by breath. The commitment to rita (cosmic order) and satya (truth) establishes the foundation for learning.
How To Apply This:
Begin any important undertaking with invocation and a commitment to truth. Let your words be aligned with cosmic order.
#invocation#Vayu#truth#cosmic order