The Pupil Who Gave Back His Learning

Yājñavalkya, the son of Brahmarāta, was a pupil of Vaiśampāyana. Vaiśampāyana had received the Yajurveda, the part of the Veda that holds the formulas spoken at the sacrifice, from Vyāsa, the sage who divided the Veda, and had made twenty-seven branches of it for his disciples. Yājñavalkya knew dharma, the right way of living, deeply, and served his teacher faithfully.

The sages had once made an agreement among themselves: if any sage failed to come to their assembly on great Mount Meru, the sin of killing a brahmin would fall on him within seven nights. Vaiśampāyana alone broke the agreement, and the sin fell on him: he killed his sister's little son with a touch of his foot. Then he said to his pupils, My pupils, all of you keep for my sake the vow that takes away the sin of killing a brahmin. Do not hesitate.

Yājñavalkya said, What is the use of these brahmins, sir? They are weak and have little power. I alone will keep the vow.

His teacher was angry. You insult these brahmins, he said. Give back everything you have learned from me. You call these bulls among brahmins powerless. I have no need of a pupil who breaks my command.

I said it out of devotion to you, Yājñavalkya answered. But I too have had enough of you. Here is what I learned from you. And he vomited up the formulas of the Yajurveda, in bodily form, stained with blood, and gave them back to his teacher, and went away where he pleased. The other pupils became partridges, tittiri birds, and picked up the formulas he had cast out, and so they were called the Taittirīyas.