The īyaBrāhmaṇ(Sanskrit , meaning 'Brāhmaṇa of the school of Tittri', abbreviated to 'TB') is a commentary on the Krishna Yajurveda. Considered by academics to be an appendix or extension of the Taittirīya Samhita, the first two books (ashṭakas) largely consist of hymns and Mantras to the Vedic-era Devas, as well as Mythology, astronomy, and astrology (i.e. the Nakshatras); the third book contains commentaries and instructions on Vedic sacrificial rites such as the Purushamedha, Kaukili-Sutramani, Ashvamedha, and Agnicayana.
Recorded around 300–400 BCE, it is prevalent in southern India in areas such in Andhra Pradesh, south and east of Narmada (Gujarat), and areas on the banks of the Godavari river down to the sea.
Nomenclature
The (Sanskrit ) can be loosely translated as 'explanations of the sacred knowledge of the school of Tittiri'.
(ब्राह्मण) means 'explanations of sacred knowledge or doctrine'. (तैत्तिरीय) is derived from the name of the sage Taittiri (or Tittiri, ). It is pronounced as 'tai-tee-re-yah'.
Taittiri
According to the Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary, the sage Taittiri was a pupil of Yaska (estimated 300-400 BCE). According to the Vishnu Purana, Yaska was in turn a pupil of Vaiśampáyana (estimated 500 BCE). Taittiri is also stated in the Mahabharata to have attended 'the Yaga [Vedic ritual sacrifice] conducted by Uparicaravasu' (Dvapara Yuga, before 3000 BCE).
H.H. Wilson states that 'the term Taittiríya is more rationally accounted for in the Anukramańí or index of the Krishna Yajurveda. It is there said that Vaiśampáyana taught it to Yaska, who taught it to Tittiri, who also became a teacher; whence the term Taittiríya, for a grammatical rule explains it to mean, 'The Taittiríyas are those who read what was said or repeated by Tittiri'.'
Summary
Relation to the YajurVeda
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) states that the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 'belongs to Krishna Yajurveda and [is] divided into three khandas [or ashṭakas, i.e. books]... It has both [a mixture] of Mantras and Brahmans [instructions or explanations] and [is] composed in poetic and prose manner'.
A.B Keith states that 'at a comparatively early period the formulae [i.e. mantras from the Samhitas of the YajurVeda] were accompanied by explanations, called Brahmanas, texts pertaining to the Brahman or sacred lore, in which the different acts of the ritual were given Symbolical interpretations, the words of the texts commented on, and stories told to illustrate the sacrificial performance... a mass of old material, partly formulae, partly Brahmana, which had not been incorporated in the Taittiriya Samhita was collected together in the Taittiriya Brahmana, which in part contains matter more recent than the Samhita, but in part has matter as old as, at any rate, the later portions of that text'.
M. Winternitz adds that the 'Taittiriya-Brahmana of the Krishna Yajurveda is nothing but a continuation of the Taittiriya-Samhita [hymns and mantras], for the Brahmanas were already included in the Samhitas of the Krishna YajurVeda. The Taittiriya-Brahmana, therefore, contains only later additions to the Samhita'. S. Shrava concurs, elaborating that 'This brahmana is an appendix to the Taittirīya saṁhitā. The main purpose of expounding the brahmana was to complete the incomplete portions of the main saṁhitā. It abounds with hymns... a subtle form of the story of Yama and Nachiketā is available in the brahmana [see Katha Upanishad of the Katha Shakha, also related to the Krishna YajurVeda]’.
Structure
Shrava states that the 'Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa has three ashṭakas [books]. The first two ashṭakas are named as pārakshudra and agnihotra. Portions of the third ashṭaka are individually named [i.e. after the sacrificial rites expounded, etc.]. These three ashṭakas have 28 prapāṭhakas [chapters]. Bhaṭṭa Bhāskara, in his commentary names these as praśnas. [His] edition published from Mysore enumerated 78 anuvākas [sections] in the first [ashṭaka], 96 in the second and 179 in the third ashṭaka, i.e. 353 anuvākas in all’.
R.L. Kashyap further elaborates while differing from Sharva slightly, stating that each ashṭaka of the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 'is divided into Prapāṭhakas which are divided into anuvāka-s. Each anuvāka is a long rhythmic prose passage without any punctuation. Ashṭaka 1 has 8 Prapāṭhakas, Ashṭaka 2 has 8 Prapāṭhakas, [and] Ashṭaka 3 has 12 Prapāṭhakas. All these 28 Prapāṭhakas (8+8+12) have 338 anuvākas [15 less than stated by Shrava]. The name Ashṭaka is given because each main part has 8 main parts or '.