Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 65
Parīkṣit’s Final Absorption, Takṣaka’s Bite, Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice, and the Vedic Sound-Lineage
देवरातसुत: सोऽपि छर्दित्वा यजुषां गणम् । ततो गतोऽथ मुनयो ददृशुस्तान् यजुर्गणान् ॥ ६४ ॥ यजूंषि तित्तिरा भूत्वा तल्लोलुपतयाददु: । तैत्तिरीया इति यजु:शाखा आसन् सुपेशला: ॥ ६५ ॥
devarāta-sutaḥ so ’pi charditvā yajuṣāṁ gaṇam tato gato ’tha munayo dadṛśus tān yajur-gaṇān
弟子们因贪欲化作鹧鸪，拾取了那些夜柔咒；因此这支极其秀美的分支被称为“泰提利耶”。
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, it is improper for a brāhmaṇa to collect what has been vomited, and so the powerful brāhmaṇa disciples of Vaiśampāyana assumed the form of tittiras, partridges, and collected the valuable mantras.
FAQs
In this verse, Śukadeva explains that the Yajur mantras manifested as tittira (partridge) birds and were taken, leading to the establishment of the Taittirīya branch of the Yajur Veda.
The Bhagavatam uses a symbolic, Purāṇic narrative: the mantras are portrayed as taking a bird-form, and those eager to obtain them ‘seize’ them—explaining the name and lineage of the Taittirīya śākhā.
Scriptural knowledge should be received with discipline and purity; the tradition (śākhā/paramparā) matters, and sacred learning is meant for refinement and devotion, not mere acquisition.