What the invocation asks for
In plain translation: "May [Brahman] protect us both together; may he nourish us both together; may we work together with great energy; may our study together be brilliant/effective; may we not hate each other. Oṃ, peace, peace, peace." The threefold repetition of śāntiḥ at the close is a standard convention across nearly all śānti pāṭhas, traditionally understood as addressing three potential sources of disturbance: within oneself (ādhyātmika), from other beings (ādhibhautika), and from cosmic/divine forces (ādhidaivika).
How it is used
This invocation is recited before beginning study of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (and the three others it is shared with), and again upon concluding study, framing the entire study session within a request for successful, harmonious learning.
Word-by-word grammar
| सह | saha | indeclinable | "Together" — repeated three times across the verse. |
| नौ | nau | dual pronoun (accusative/genitive) | "Us two" / "of us two" — teacher and student. |
| अवतु | avatu | verb, 3rd sg. imperative | "May [it/he] protect." |
| भुनक्तु | bhunaktu | verb, 3rd sg. imperative | "May [it/he] nourish." |
| वीर्यं करवावहै | vīryaṃ karavāvahai | verb, 1st dual imperative | "May we two act/work with strength." |
| तेजस्वि | tejasvi | adjective | "Brilliant, energetic, effective" — qualifying the study. |
| अधीतम् | adhītam | past participle, nominative | "That which has been studied" — the subject of astu. |
| मा विद्विषावहै | mā vidviṣāvahai | negative + verb, 1st dual | "May we two not hate/quarrel with each other." |
| शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः | śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ | nominative, repeated 3x | "Peace, peace, peace" — the standard closing of śānti pāṭhas. |
Shared across four Upaniṣads
This invocation belongs textually to the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, and is also used, without alteration, to open the Kaṭha, Māṇḍūkya, and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣads — a practical arrangement reflecting these texts' shared use within particular schools of Vedic recitation rather than any claim that the four Upaniṣads share authorship or date.
The teacher-student relationship as content
Beyond its function as a ritual framing device, the invocation is notable for embedding a substantive ideal directly into its grammar: successful learning is here explicitly modeled as a shared, non-adversarial undertaking between teacher and student, protected and nourished together rather than pursued individually or competitively. Some commentators read this as reflecting the Upaniṣadic tradition's broader emphasis on the guru-śiṣya relationship as itself central to how knowledge (vidyā) is transmitted.