---
type: Reference
title: "Taittirīya Upaniṣad"
description: "A Yajurveda Upaniṣad; the locus of the graduate's charge satyaṃ vada, dharmaṃ cara (1.11) and of svādhyāya-pravacana as standing duties (1.9)."
darshana:
  - Vedānta
  - pan-dharmic (sādhāraṇa-dharma)
tags:
  - primary-source
  - upanishad
  - shruti
timestamp: "2026-06-25"
okf_version: "0.2"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# Taittirīya Upaniṣad

## What It Is

An Upaniṣad of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, in three sections (vallīs). Its first section, the Śīkṣā Vallī, contains the famous convocation address to the departing student (1.11): satyaṃ vada, dharmaṃ cara, speak the truth, walk in dharma, followed by the instruction to follow only the good conduct of the teachers and not their lapses. Earlier (1.9) it names svādhyāya and pravacana (study and teaching) as duties to be upheld alongside truth, austerity, and self-control. It pairs ṛta and satya directly.

## Why It Matters Here

A primary witness for satya (the truthfulness charge), svadhyaya (study and teaching as paired duties), achara (follow only the good conduct of the noble), and rta (the ṛta-satya pairing). Its convocation address is the tradition's compact statement of dharmic ethics as truthful, conduct-embodied practice.
