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Kena UpanishadWith explanation on

Shankaracharya’s commentary

K. Aravinda Rao

AdvAitA AcAdemy

Kena UpanishadK. Aravinda Rao

First Edition :

July, 2014

Price : Rs: 50/- $ 2.99

Printers:Sai Likitha PrintersHyderabad

Published by :

AdvAitA AcAdemyPlot no 852/ARoad No 44, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad - 500033Tel: +91 40 67354130

Dedicated to

Pujya Swamiji

Sri Tattvavidananda Saraswati

With grateful regards

Publisher’s Note

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1. To reach out to spiritual seekers from around the world by providing access to -

a) Livewebcastsandrecordedaudio&videotalksby teachersfromdifferentsampradaya-s.

b) Articles&Blogswrittenbyteachersandfellowseekers

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4. To publish books on various texts

Over the last three years, we have made progress indeveloping our website into a premier platform for content relatingtoVedanta,withacollectionofmorethan1,500videos.Our live-streaming initiative of classes by various teachersacross the world has received tremendous support from spiritual seekers.

Through this book on Kenopanishad by Sri K. Aravinda Raoji,we are nowmaking foray into publication. It is indeedanhonour forus that thefirstbook tobepublished isbySri K.AravindaRao,aFellowBoardMemberandardentsupporterof all our initiatives. We are grateful to him for giving us this opportunity.Weareconfidentthathisanalysisandexplanationon Shankaracharya’s commentary would be of immense help to spiritual seekers.

Hari Kiran Vadlamani FounderAdvaitaAcademy

Contents

Part - I 11-56

1. PeaceInvocation 13

2. IntroductoryCommentarybySriShankaracharya 15

3. WhatImpelstheMindandSenses? 24

4. BrahmanConsciousnessistheImpellingEntity 28

5. ConsciousnessCannotbeObjectified 37

6. WhatYouWorshipisNottheAbsolute 45

Part - II 57-85

7. OnClaimingtoKnowBrahman 59

8. IKnowNotandIKnowToo 67

9. KnowerDoesNotKnow 70

10. BrahmanisRevealedinAllCognitions 73

11. Realization–HereandNow 83

Part - III 87-102

12. VaingloriousGods 89

13. StrangeManifestation 94

14. TestforGods 95

15. AppearanceofUma–TheGoddessofKnowledge 101

Part - IV 103-127

16. TheTeachingoftheGoddess 105

17. ContemplationatDivineLevel 109

18. ContemplationattheLevelofSelf 112

19. ConcludingWordsoftheTeacher 116

20. Self-Discipline–ThePedestalforKnowledge 121

Introduction

Kena Upanishad is among the ten principalUpanishads. It is one of the Upanishads under theSāmaveda.Withonlythirty-fivemantra-s it is tiny in size but very profound in its teaching.

AllmajorUpanishadsbroadly discuss four aspects– jīva (the being), jagat (the universe), Brahman (theSupreme Reality) and sādhanā (the means to attain Brahman). Kena, however, focuses merely on 1) thenature of Brahman, 2) to what extent the body mindcomplex is equipped to know it and 3) how to know Brahman.Thehumanmindishighlylimited,butwithallitslimitations,itistheonlyinstrumentthatwehaveinordertocontemplateonBrahman.

ThisUpanishadisinfourparts.Thefirstpartposesthe fundamental question that man has been askingsincelong.Arethesensesandmindthefinalauthorityonknowing things or is there anything else which is behind them,enablingthemtofunction?There isamorebasicprinciplewhichistheearoftheear,themindofthemindandwhichenlivensall.This iscalledBrahman,but thatBrahman cannot be known as an object of cognition.Whatever is objectified is, by definition, is inferior tothemind. TheUpanishadmakes radicalstatement thatwhatever the human mind has conceived in the form of god,inwhateverreligionitmaybe,isonlyaconceptionofmind and hence cannot be the absolute reality. It isalso ironical to note that though Brahman cannot beobjectified,itcanstillbeexperienced.ThisistheassertionofallUpanishads.Thisisvalidatedbytheexperienceofthe seers.

Part two attempts to explain the unexplainable through certain paradoxicalstatements characteristic oftheUpanishads.BrahmanisnotknowntothepersonwhoclaimsorthinksthatheknowsIt.ItisknowntothepersonwhothinksthathedoesnotknowIt.Brahmanissaidtobe known to a person who can notice it as the very self of every cognition and the very light which illumines every cognition. Such a person distances himself from everycognitive experience and becomes a witness for all such cognitions which come and go. He realizes his Self as theconsciousnessprinciplewhichisnotdistinctfromtheBrahmanconsciousness.Inotherwordshehasidentifiedhimself with Brahman. He has got over his limitedperception of self and expanded his self to the level of Brahman.Suchapersonissaidtobeimmortal,becauseconsciousness is eternal. TheUpanishad says that themindistheveryinstrumenttorealizeBrahman.

Thefirsttwopartsaremeantforasharpstudent.Ofcourse,wehavetokeepinmindthatitisnotintellectualsharpness alone that makes a person eligible for pursuit oftheknowledgeofBrahman.Thestudentortheseekershould have gone through the process of self-discipline throughthewellknownmethodsofkarma-yoga,upāsana,practice of yoga and so on. These are not specificallymentioned in the Upanishad, but these are essentialprerequisitesfordeliberationonBrahman.

Parts three and four address those who are not capable ofsuchfinediscriminativeability.TheUpanishadcomesdown to their level and suggests the path of upāsana,worship of a transactional level deity. This is otherwise called saguṇa upāsana,worshipofagodwithfunctions.We come across two words in Vedanta - saguṇa and nirguṇalevelsofBrahman.Whatisconceivedasgod–theomniscient,theomnipotent, judiciousgodwhopunishesthe evil and protects the good – is saguṇa,thegodwith

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some attributes. We have fashioned this god according toourownsocialneeds,ourownprejudicesandourownunderstanding of ethics. The nirguṇa Brahman, on theotherhand,refers to thepureexistence-consciousness-infinitudewhichdoesnothaveanyfunctionssuchasthecosmic super-cop that a saguṇa god has.

Hence,thelasttwopartssuggestthesaguṇa path of worshipasasteppingstone,orasaladdertomoveontothehigherlevelofattributelessBrahman.ThisportionoftheUpanishadtellsanallegoricalstory.

It seems that once gods had a victory over thedemons but they thought that the victory was due to their mightandnotbecauseofthepowerofBrahmanbehindthem. It means that they had forgotten Brahman. TheSupremeReality,outofcompassionforthem,manifestedthrough its power of māyāinordertodemonstratetothemthat their powerwas amanifestation ofBrahman Itself.GodssuchasAgni,Vayu,andIndrabecomepowerlessinfrontofthemanifestation.Atthisjuncture,māyā appears intheformofagoddessandexplainstoIndraaboutthenatureofBrahman.Indra,thusbecomesthefirstamonggods to receive theknowledgeofBrahman through thegoddessUma.

The battle between gods and demons is the battle betweengoodandevilineveryperson’smind.Thus,themoral of the abovestory is that one cannot find realityunless one has dissolved his ego, the notion of self.Even the gods failed in knowing Brahman because oftheir notion of ego. The Supreme Reality had to teach thema lessonout of compassion.The finalmantrasofthe Upanishad prescribe upāsana of a saguṇa deity in ordertograduallyachieveself-restraintandthusbecomeeligible for the ultimate enlightenment.

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Sri Shankaracharya has written two commentaries – pada-bhāṣya and vākya-bhāṣya–onthisUpanishad.Theformer is said to be a lucid interpretation of the text and the latter is said to be a detailed discussion of the non-dual doctrine.Notmuchdifference, however, is found in thetwocommentaries,exceptforsomeadditionaldiscussionat places. This text is an explanation of the pada-bhāṣya.

Translations,sometimes,canbeasabstruseasthetext and hence I have chosen to explain theShankaraBhashyam(SB)insteadoftranslatingit.ThewholetexthasnotbeengivenbutonlytheleadwordsoftheBhashyamhavebeenmentionedbythenotationSBandexplanationgiven to the whole passage following that line. One who wishestoskipSanskritmaydoso,andaseriousreaderwhowouldliketostudythewholecommentarywouldbeeasily able to compare the text with the leading lines given in the present book.

This book emerged as a byproduct of my teaching the same in the website www.youtube.com/user/KarnamAravindaRao.Iputitsimultaneouslyonpaperandhence thebook. Iam indebted to thenoteson the textby Swami Akhandananda Saraswati and talks in Telugu by Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati and Sri Yellamraju SrinivasaRaoonthetextformyunderstandingofcertainpassages. I amalso grateful toSriPuppala ofBrahmaVidya Kuteer and to Prof. Raghurama Raju of Hyderabad Central University for scrutinizing the book and forvaluablesuggestions.ThisbookwouldnothaveseenthelightbutfortheableassistanceofSriKrishnaMohanwithhiscomputerskillsbothinEnglishandinSanskrit.

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परथमः खणः Part - I

Peace Invocation

(Shanti Mantra):-

ऊ आपयानत ममयाङयानि वयाकपरयाणशचकतः शरोतरमथरो बलममननरियाणण च सवयावाणण । सवव बरहमौपनिषद मयाह बरह निरयाकत याव मया मया बरह निरयाकयाररोदनिरयाकरणमसतवनिरयाकरण मऽसत दयातमनि निर उपनिषतसत धमयावास मन सनत मन सनत ।

ऊ शयाननः! शयाननः!! शयाननः!!!

Om āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇaścakṣuḥ śrotramatho balamindriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi. sarvaṃ brahmaupaniṣadaṃ māhaṃ brahma nirākuryāṃ mā mā brahma nirākārodan-irākaraṇamastvanirākaraṇaṃ mestu tadātmani nirate ya upaniṣatsu dharmāste mayi santu te mayi santu .

Om śāntiḥ! śāntiḥ!! śāntiḥ!!!

ममाङानिmamāṅgāni–my limbs;वाकपाणशचकषःvākprāṇaś-cakṣuḥ-thesenseofspeech,vitalforce,senseofsight;शरोतरमअथरोśrotram atho–thesenseofhearingand;बलमइनदरियानणचसवावानणbalam indriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi – ability to retain knowledge andalsoall thesenseorgans;आपयायदषāpyāyantu – achieve their fullness; सवव sarvaṃ - all this (the world we see); बरहमऔपनिषदBrahmaaupaniṣadaṃ - theBrahmanrevealed in theUpanishads;अहahaṃ-I;माबरहमनिराकष यावmā brahma nirākuryāṃ -mayInotneglectBrahman;मामाबरहमनिराकाररोmā mā brahma nirākārot –may Brahman not rejectme; अनिराकरणमसषanirā-karaṇamastu–lettherebenorejection;अनिराकरणमऽसषanirā-karaṇaṃ me.stu–lettherebenorejectionforme;दातमनिनिरtadātmani nirate–inmewhoIamdedicatedtoknowatman;यउपनिषतसषधमावाःya upaniṣatsu dharmāḥ-thosevirtuespostulatedintheUpanishads;मनयसदषte mayi santuमनयसदषte mayi

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santu –may those (virtues) dwell inme,may those (virtues)dwellinme;ऊशानदः,शानदः,शानदः–Om śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ -Om,maythethree-foldobstaclessubsideandpeaceprevail.

Mayallmylimbs(organs)–speech(fiveorgansofaction),the vital airs (fivevital airs in thebody), eye,ear (fivesenseorgans)–achievetheirfullness,alongwiththementalstrengthtorestrainthem.AllthatisseenisBrahman.MayInotneglectBrahman.MaynotBrahmanrejectme.MayIhavenon-rejection,mayIhavenon-rejection.MayallthevirtuespostulatedintheUpanishadsdwellinme,dwellinme,whoamdedicatedtoknowAtman.Maythethreefoldobstacles–relatingtoself,relatingtoelements and relating to gods - subside and may peace prevail.

This is the mantra which is the peace invocation in Samaveda.ItiscommonforalltheUpanishadsassociatedwithSamaveda.

* * *

Introductory Commentary by Sri Shankaracharya

1.0. a. SB: किमषम इतयादया उपनिष परबरहनवषया...InthisintroductionSriShankaracharyagivesanoverview

of the philosophical debate of his day regarding the comparative meritsof ritualisticactionsversuspursuitof theknowledgeofBrahman.SriShankaracharyawasansweringtothecriticismofseveralofhiscontemporarydialecticians.Atfirstsightwemaythink that thisdiscussion isnot relevant forusnow,but ifweseecarefully,wenoticethatthistendencytopursueritualsattheexpenseofknowledgewasstronginhistime.Itisinhumannature and it is seen at all times.

It isnot inhumannaturetostayquiet,notdoinganyac-tivity. The human society as a whole needs some directions about what activities people can do or have to do and what they shouldnotdo.Thesearedo-sanddon’t-s,whicharedefinedinmostculturesbyseveralsagesandphilosophers.TheVedashave recognized the need to suggest certain activitieswhichcontribute to collective good and have prescribed them. The Sanskritwordofactioniskarma,whichhasenteredtheEnglishlexicon too. The word karma sometimes means the result or fruitofactionalso.Thishastobeunderstoodfromthecontext.

Some karma-s are to be done compulsorily (like daily prayers, honoring guests and elders, giving food to animals,studyingone’sprescribedbranchofVedaetc,)andsomearesuggestedasoptional,forapersondesiringmaterialprogressor some good after-life. There can only be two desires – well-beinginthisworldandwell-beingintheworldhereafter.SBis

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giving a brief overview of all such activity and also tells of the limitations of such human endeavor.

Shankaracharya starts his commentary by declaring theobjective of the Upanishad. The objective is to explain thenatureofBrahman.

This Upanishad forms the ninth chapter of the of theTalavakara branch of Sama Veda. The initial portions of the Vedas deal with several karma-s (rituals), including yajña-s,which are to be performed by all house-holders. The earlier portions also dealt with the meditation on Hiranyagarbha (the cosmic intellect) and meditations on Sama and Gayatri. All this,SBsaysiskāryam,somethingwhichhasbeenperformedor achieved by humaneffort and hence it is non-eternal andephemeral. It is ageneral rule that anything that is achievedbykarmaisnon-eternalinnature.Forinstance,apersongetswealthbut it isspentaway;apersonattainsheaven,but thedurationofstay inheaven is inproportion to themeritof thegood deeds done in this world.

Karma without desire and karma motivated by desire

1.0. b. SB: सववामद थरोक कमवा च जयाि च समगितमठि...Here the word karma refers to the desire-driven (kāmya)

actions mentioned in the Vedas. A person may perform yajña for material prosperity in this world or for achieving a heavenly world. (The word karma does not refer to the day to day actions like going to an office, taking a pay cheque etc, which areactionsrelatingtolivelihood.Itreferstodifferenttypesofritualslike yajña-s which are mentioned in the scriptures). The word jñānamintheSBdoesnotrefertotheknowledgeofBrahman(as it usually does) but to upāsanā,meditationsonadeity.

Karma-s are intended for the individual well being and social well being. These give result in two forms – seen and unseen.Thefirsttypeiswheretheperformerofritualsattainsthe desired fruit while being alive – like attaining prosperity,

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begettingachild,gettingsumptuousyieldofcropsandsoon.The unseen form is in the form of a positive merit called puṇya,whichissaidtotaketheperformertoheavenlyworlds.Itistheuniversallawofcauseandeffectinwhichagoodactionleadsto a good result and bad action to a bad result.

Worship of prāṇa, otherwise known as Hiranyagarbha,refers to meditation, (upāsanā). This is of the nature of contemplation on a god for getting some boons. All religions visualizeagodwithfunctionslikepunishingtheevil,rewardingthegood,grantingdesiredboonsandsoon.Thesearecalledfunctions and the deity is called god with attributes or functions. Vedanta calls it saguṇa, functionalgod.Vedantaseeks togobeyondthisfunctional,personalgodtoknowtheabsolutetruth.ThisisthesubjectmatteroftheUpanishads,which,beingtheendportionsoftheVedas,arecalledVedanta.

The result of all the above said rituals is attainment of desiresinthisworld,orachievingheavenlyworlds.Thisisnotapermanentattainment. It is timebound,beingproportionateto the quantumof effort in the ritual. Liberation, the result ofknowledge of the self, is said to be the ultimate goal for thehumans.

Inthecaseofonewhoperformskarma sincerely without desiringthefruit,alltheabovesaidritualsandworshipsresultinpurityofmind.Incaseofonewhoisinignoranceandisseekingthe fruit of action, these rituals mentioned in scriptures andethical texts will work out to achieving the south-ward journey and return to the world.

Upanishadstalkoftwowaysofperformingkarma(actions)– desiring the fruit of such action and not desiring the fruit of theaction. In the latter,apersonmerelyperforms themasaduty ordained by dharma (for the collective good). When karma is performed in this manner the result of such action does not accruetoaperson.However,karma-sofpreviousbirthswillbewaiting in balance to give their result. The only way to get rid of

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thepastkarma-s and thus get out of the cycle of birth and death is by attaining knowledge of the self.

Inthecaseofapersonwhoperformskarma desiring the fruit of action, the doer has to enjoy the fruit of actions andhencehastotakebirthagainandagaintoexhaustthekarma-phala (the fruit of actions). This is called the south-ward journey. Hecannotescapethewheelofbirthanddeath.Thiswheel,orcycle,iscalledsaṃsāra,whichmeansperennialrotation.

The one who performs karma without seeking the fruit (called niṣkāmakarma)willnotbeaffectedbythefruitofkarma.Instead, such action purifies his mind. It is only the purifiedmind that is eligible and capable of attaining the knowledge of Brahman.

On theotherhand, therewouldbedownfall for theoneperforming deeds disapproved by scriptures and for pursuing base natural pleasures. ‘They (the licentious persons) will not attain either of these paths, but will end up being unworthybeings repeatedly returning to worldly life, taking birth anddying’.Thisisthethirdpathasthescripturesays(Ch.U.5-10-8).Itisalsosupportedbyanothermantra–‘threetypesofbeingshave abandoned the path of virtuousness’ (Ait.Aran.2-1-1-4).

Scriptures have prohibited certain actions harmful for society. Those who indulge in such actions are destined toattainlowlyandodiousbirths,suchasanimals,plantsandsoon.‘Threetypesofbeings’refertothosebornofwomb,thosebornofeggandthosebornfromthesoil,saysAnandagiri,whohascommentedontheSB.

Only a pure mind is eligible to know Brahman1.0. c. SB: नवशतदधसतवस त निषकयामस एव बयाहयाद अनितया...

ThedesiretoknowtheindwellingBrahmanarisesonlyinhimwhosemindispure,isdevoidofdesires–forallexternal,ephemeral things which are in the nature of ends and means

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– whose passions have ceased (virakta) because of a unique saṃskāra awakened by actions done either in this life or in previous lives.

Here,theexpression‘meansandends’referstodifferenttypes of karma-s and the results attained by them. Human actionsproducecertainimpressionsonthemindwhichinfluencethe future conduct of a person. Such impressions are called saṃskāra-s. Good actions produce good impressions and bad actions produce bad impressions. Such latent impressions can manifestinthenextbirthalso,andcanproducedispassion.

1.0. d. SB: दद वसत परशन-परनवचिलकणया शरतया परदरवा...

Thisobservation that thedesire toknowBrahmanarisesonlyinapuremindisbeingpresentedbytheUpanishadintheformof questions and answers between thestudent and theteacher–startingwithwords‘keneṣitam’–‘bywhomdesired?’The question is about the senses and themind.Senses arealways outward bound, they observe external objects andprovide such information to the mind and it is the mind which processes such information. All great achievement in human knowledge is due to this.

But the Upanishads try to question the validity of theseinstrumentscalledsensesandthemindandtrytoseewhatisbehind them and what is impelling them. The human being has toknowthisthroughthemindonly,asthehumanmindistheonlyinstrumentbothforlookingoutorforlookinginwards.

Kathopaniṣad observes this correctly – ‘the self-evident Brahmanhashandicappedthesenseorgansbymakingthemoutwardlooking.Hence,(thebeing)seesonlyoutsideandnottheindwellingatman.Anexceptionalhero,desirousofeternity,turnshissenses inwardsandseeshisself’ (Katha.Up.2-1-1)and so on.

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1.0. e. SB: परीक लरोकयाि कमवाणचयाि बरयाहणरो निववदमयाया...

‘A brāhmaṇa (aseekerofBrahman)shouldgetdejectedafter assessing the (ephemeral nature of) loka-s attained by karma (rituals). He has to realize that the atman which is not producedbykarmacannotbeattainedbykarma. Inorder torealizeit,theseeker,withsacrificialfaggotsinhishand,shouldapproach a guru who is learned in scriptures and dwelling in Brahmanawareness(Mun.Up1-2-12)’.Here,twoprerequisitesare mentioned for a teacher. He should be well read in scriptures sothathecan logicallyanswerall thequeriesof thestudent.Secondlyheshouldbeapersonwhohas realizedBrahman.One who has merely read scriptures cannot enlighten the studentandguidehiminhisspiritualprogress.

1.0. f. SB: एव हह नवरकस परतगयातमनवष नवजयाि शरोत मनत...

It is only when a person becomes dispassionate in thismanner, thathewill attain theability tounderstand,meditateand experience the knowledge of the inner self – not otherwise. WiththisawarenessoftheindwellingselfasSupremeBrahman,ignorance which is the seed of saṃsāra (transmigrating existence) perisheswithout trace. Ignorance is the cause fordesire, action and pursuit of action. This is what prompts orgoads a person to action.

Forapersonwhorealizesatman,allworldlyactionsceaseand a person goes beyond the dualities like misery and delusion. Thisissupportedbythemantra–‘whereisdelusion,whereismisery,fortheonewhoseesoneness?’(Isa.Up.7).Itisalsosupported by more scriptural lines such as – ‘the knower of self overcomesgrief’(Ch.Up.7-1-3); ‘all theknotsinthemindgetresolved,allthedoubtsgetdestroyedandallkarma(thefruitofaction) vanishes when once the parāvara(thecausalBrahmanandthecreatorBrahma)isknown’(Mun.Up.2-2-8).

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Knowledge of Brahman cannot go with desire-driven action and worship

1.0. g. SB: कमवा सहहयादनप जयािया ए मसधन इन च?

Counterpoint: May it be contended that this state(realization) is attained by a combination of karma and upāsanā (meditationonadeity)?

This is an objection raised by the rival dialectician who prefersritualism.Heneverwantstoleavekarma-s.SB,however,refutesthissuggestion.

1.0. h. SB: ि, वयाजसिक स अनकयारणतववचिया...Answer: It is not so. Vajasaneyaka (Brihadaranyaka

Upanishad) clarifies that such combination of karma andupāsanāwouldbethecauseforadifferentresult.Commencingwiththeline–‘mayIhaveawife’,theaboveUpanishadgoeson to say – ‘this world is achieved by progeny, the world offorefathers by karma (rituals) and the world of gods by upāsanā (Br.U.1-5-16).Thusitshowsthatthecombinationofkarmaandupāsanā would be the cause for achieving three loka-s.These,however,aredifferentfromtheattainmentofatmanandhencefar inferior.

1.0. i. SB: तररव च पयाररवयाजनवधयाि हतः उकः...

Andalso,inthesameUpanishad,thereasonfortakinguprenunciationistoldthus–‘whathavewetodowithprogeny,wefor whom this atman is our loka(goal)’(Br.U.4-4-22).

The reasonmentioned implies this: ‘whathavewe todowith progeny or karma or combination of karma and upāsanā,whicharethemeanstoachievetheworldofhumans,worldofforefathers,andtheworldofgods,allofwhicharenon-atman.We do not wish to have the three-fold worlds – ephemeral andachievablebykarma–we forwhomthenatural,unborn,undiminishing,eternal, fearlessstate–notgainingor losingawee bit by any actions – is desirable.

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Itbeingeternal,theatmanisnotattainablebymeansotherthan eradication of false knowledge (avidyā).Hence,renuncia-tionofalldesires,precededbyrealizationoftheunityofindwell-ingselfandtheBrahman,iswhathastobedone.

1.0. j. SB: कमवासहभयानवतवनवररोधया च परतगयातमबरहनवजयािस...It is also because this (knowledge of the unity of atman

and Brahman) cannot coexist with karma. There cannot becoexistenceofkarma–thatwhichisofthenatureofacceptanceof dualities such as kāraka (the relation between the subject and verb in a sentence mentioning action) and the fruit of action – with the knowledge of the unity of the indwelling self withBrahman.ThisknowledgeofunityofatmanandBrahmanarises from cessation of knowledge of all types of duality.

Perception of duality is at the root of karma. I have adesireandhenceIpursuesomekarmatofulfillthedesire.ForthatIneedsomemeans.Theresultdependsonthenatureofaction.AllthishappenswhenIfunctionwithanotionofduality,that Iam thedoer, that Iamgettinga resultandsoon.TheknowledgeofBrahmandoesnothaveanysuchdualityinit.Itis not dependent on human action; it is a thing which is to be objectively known as it is (vastu tantra),withoutanyelementofsubjectivity of the perceiver.

HereSBuses theexpression–apuruṣatantratvāt. There are two words – vastu-tantra and puruṣa-tantra – which we notice in Vedanta. All karma-s are puruṣa-tantra,whichmeansthatthedoerhasthefreedomtodo,freedomnottodoandfreedomtodoinwhatevermannerhewants.ImaychoosewhateverritualIwant,ormaynotchooseatall.Itistotallydependentonme.Ontheotherhand,ifIhavetodescribeanobjectinfrontofme,Ihavetodefineitscharacteristicscorrectly.IhavenooptiontodescribeitinwhatevermannerIwant.Thisisdependentontheobject itself – what Vedanta calls vastu tantra. TheBrahmanhastobeknownasitisandthereisnooptiontounderstanditinadifferentmanner.

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1.0. k. SB: समयाद दरषयादरषभरो बयाहसयाधिसयाधभरो नवरकस...Hence, with the words ‘keneṣitam, the scripture is

presenting the intense desire of the seeker whose passions haveceasedfromalltheexternal,materialmeansandends–forseen(prosperityetc,)orunseen(heavenetc,)goals.

For easy comprehension, the narration is in the form ofa dialogue between amaster and a disciple, because of thesubtlenatureofthesubject.Itisalsoshownthatthisgoalisnotattainable by sheer logic.

1.0. l. SB: िरषया कक ण मनरयापिया (क।उ।1-3-9) इन...The scripture too says – ‘this understanding cannot be

attained by logic’ (Katha.U.1-2-9). Also, on the authority ofthe scripture and smṛti (secondary texts) such as – ‘one with aproper teacher canattain it’ (Ch.U.6-14-2); ‘this knowledgeattainsfruitiononlywhenreceivedfromateacher’(Ch.U.4-9-3);‘mayyouknowthatbysurrenderingtoateacher’(Bh.G4-34)–a seeker has to approach a teacher as prescribed – a teacher whoisestablishedinBrahmanawareness.

Hereitisvisualizedthataseeker,findingnootherrefugeapart from the knowledge of the indwelling self, desiring thefearless,eternal,auspicious,unchangingstate, requestedtheteacher –

* * *

What Impels the Mind and Senses?

Mantra 1

ऊ किमष पन परमष मिः । कि परयाणः परथमः पररन तकः । किमषया वयाचमममया वदनन चकतः शरोतर क उ दवरो तिणक ।। 1 ।।

keneṣitaṃ patati preṣitaṃ manaḥ. kena prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ .

keneṣitāṃ vācamimāṃ vadanti cakṣuḥ śrotraṃ ka u devo yunakti ..

किKena – bywhom; इनषम iṣitam – desired; (and also) पनषpreṣitaṃ – directed;मिःmanah – themind; पनpatati –jumpsforitsobjects?किKena–bywhom;यषकःyuktaḥ – en-gaged;पथमःपाणःprathamaḥ prāṇaḥ - the life force,which isthefirstone;परनpraiti–proceeds(towardsobjects)?किइनषमKena iṣitam–desiredbywhom;वदनदvadanti – people speak; इमा वाचम imāṃ vācam – this speech (refers to all organs of action)?कउदवःka u devaḥ-whichdivineentity;यषिनकyunakti – engages,directs;चकषःशरोतरcakṣuḥ śrotraṃ - the eye and the ear (refertoallsenseorgans)?

1. Bywhomdesiredanddirected,doesthemindspringintoaction (on its objects)? By whom desired and engaged,doesthelifeforce,whichisthefirst-born,proceed(towardsobjects)?Bywhomdesired,dopeopleutterthisspeech?Whichdivineentitydirectstheeyeandtheear?

Here we are visualizing a dialogue between the teacher and the student. The questions in the above mantra arepresumed to be by an eligiblestudent to a teacherwho hasrealized Brahman. Themind is as though jumping on to thesenseobjects,asweseefromthewordpatati,falls.Itfallson

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toobjects, thetextsays.Themindisdesiredanddirectedbysomeone,thetextsays.

1.1. SB: कि इमष कि कतरयावा इमषम इषम अभभपर सद मिः...Themind as though falls or pounces on its objects, the

Upanishadsays.Thestudentwondersas towhether there issomeoneelsedirectingthemind.Thestudentismatureenoughto know that the mind itself is not the knower but there is some other force behind it. Hence he asks the question about themotivating force behind the mind and the senses.

InthislinetheSanskritroot‘ish’ should be taken to mean ‘wish’,as the twoothermeanings(of theroot)– ‘repetitionofaction’ and ‘movement’ are inappropriate here. The expression ‘iṣitam’ (instead of ‘iṣṭam’) is a Vedic expression (some expressions in Veda do not follow the grammar of the later period). The same ‘iṣitam’withaprefix‘pra’ becomes ‘preṣitam’ in the sense of ‘directing’.

Ifitismerelytold‘directed’,itwouldgiverisetoexpectancyabout the sender and the objective (of such mission) – ‘sent bywhom’and ‘what typeof sending’.When it is qualifiedbyanotherword‘wished’(desired),thisexpectancyaboutbothisavoided. The decided meaning would be – ‘directed by whose mere wish’. The overall meaning would be that whoever is thedirectorhasmerelywishedittobesoandnotspecificallydirectedforaspecificpurpose.

1.2. SB: दनप एषः अथवाः अभभपरः सया किमषम इतयावरव...SBfurtherdiscussesthegrammaticalconstruction.Adoubt

canbe raised that if thiswere tobe the intendedmeaning, itwouldhavebeenenoughtosay,‘willedbywhom’.Thereisnoneedtosay‘directedbywhom’.Itwouldalsobepropertonotethatadditionalwordsaddadditionalmeaning–‘willed,whetherbyactionorbywords,anddirectedbywhom’–anditwouldbeproper to accept such a special meaning.

26 KenaUpanishad

SBexplainsthatitisnotso,aswemaynotefromthecontextofthequestion.Itisknownfromthecontextthatapersonwhosepassions for this ephemeral body-mind assemblage – a product of karma – have ceased, a personwho desires to know theimmutable,eternalentity,isaskingthequestion.If itwerenotso,itiscommonknowledgethatthebody-mindassemblageisthedirectorbymeansofwill,wordsandaction,andhencethequestionwouldberedundant.

The overall meaning is that the questions are asked bysomeone who is eligible. A person is said to attain eligibility if he has attained the discipline which is compulsorily required before embarkingontheknowledgeofBrahman.

Theword‘directed’isappropriatebecausethequestionisby one who is in doubt – ‘is this act of direction of mind and other organs to be attributed to the well known body-mind assemblage ortothemerewishofsomethingindependentanddifferentfromthe assemblage’?Hence, both the adjectives ‘bywhowilled’and‘bywhodirected’areemployedinordertodemonstratethismeaning.

Mind is not an independent entity1.3. SB: िित सवनतर मिः सवनवष सव पीन परमसदधम...

Thematerialistraisesadoubt.Well, it iswellknownthatthe mind is independent (agent of action) and goes over to its objectsonitsown.Howthen,dotheabovequestionsarise?

SBreplies.Ifthemindweretobeindependentwithregardtopursuitornon-pursuitofaction,thentherewouldbenohan-kering after undesirable objects. A person seeks undesirable thingsknowingly.Themindhankersaftermostperilousdeeds,evenwhilebeingadvisedagainst(byothers).Hencetheques-tion – ‘by who desired’ – is appropriate.

The Vedantic view is that the mind (antaḥkaraṇa) merely reflects the Brahman Consciousness and thus is able toperceive objects.

KenaUpanishad 27

1.4. SB: कि परयाणः तकः नितकः परररः सि पररन गचछन...The second question is about theprāṇa, the vital force.

The vital force is called prathama, thefirstone,because it ismore primary than the sense organs in the formation of the body. It issaid tobepresentevenprior to thesenseorgans.TheUpanishadshavecertainepisodesinwhichthesupremacyof thevital forceover thesenseorgans isshown.Hence, thewords‘firstone’becomeanadjectivetothelifeforce.

1.5. SB: कि इमषया वयाचम इमया शबदलकणया...The thirdquestionabout the speech,which is theorgan

of action.Mention of one organ suggests and includes otherorgans of action too. Similarly the reference to the sense of see-ingandthesenseofhearingcoversallthefivesenseorgans.

* * *

Brahman Consciousness is the Impelling Entity

Mantra 2

2.0. SB: एव परषव रोगया आह गतरः...

Tosucheligibleandquestioningstudent theteacher told–‘listenaboutwhatyouareasking–astowhoisthegod,thedirector,whosends themindandotherorgans towards theirobjects and what is the nature of direction.

शरोतरस शरोतर मिसरो मिरो दयाचरो ह वयाच स उ परयाणस परयाणः । चकतषशचकतरनमतच धीरयाः परतयासमयाललरोकयाद अमरया भवनन ।। 2 ।।

śrotrasya śrotraṃ manaso mano yadvāco ha vācaṃ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ .

cakṣuṣaścakṣuratimucya dhīrāḥ pretyāsmāllokād amṛtā bhavanti ..

यyat–because(theatmanissaidtobe);शरोतरसयशरोतरśro-trasya śrotraṃ-theearoftheear;मिसःमिःmanasaḥ manaḥ -themindofthemind;वाचरोहवाचमvāco ha vācam–indeed,thespeechofthespeech;सउsa u–thesameone;पाणसयपाणःprāṇasya prāṇaḥ-thelifeofthelifeforce;चकषषःचकषःcakṣuṣaḥ cakṣuḥ-theeyeoftheeye;(hence)धीराःdhīrāḥ - the wise per-sons;अनमषचयatimucya – having discarded the notion that they (theorgans)belongtotheself;पतयpretya – having departed; असमालरोकाasmāt lokāt– fromthisworld;अमाभवनदamṛtā bhavanti – become immortal.

2. Thisatman(Brahman)issaidtobetheearoftheear,themindofthemind,thespeechofthespeech,thelifeofthe

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KenaUpanishad 29

lifeforceandtheeyeoftheeye.Hence,thediscriminatingpersons,havingdiscardedthenotionofselfintheabove,become immortal after leaving this world.

Sense organs too get active by Brahman Consciousness

2.1. SB: शरोतरस शरोतर शरणरोन अिि इन शरोतरम, शबदस शवण परन...

The faculty of listening is otherwise called the sense ofhearing.Theorganofhearingistheear.Here,inreplytothequestionsposedinthefirstmantra,SBsaysthatwhathasbeenaskedbythestudentisindeedtheearoftheear.SBusestheword śabdābhivyañjakam,whichmeans ‘thatwhichmanifeststhesound’.Heretheword‘manifest’hastobereadintheactivevoice.Thesenseofhearingismerelythatwhichmanifestsorreveals thesound. It implies that it issomething like reflectorwhichneedssomelightonit,oritislikeagadgetwhichneedselectricity to make it function.

2.2. SB: असमौ एव नवभशषः शरोतरयादीनि नितङक इन...

Onemayquestionastowhythescripture isnotgivingadirect answer to the question. The reply given is at variancewiththequestion.Thescriptureoughttohavesaid‘thisistheguidingforcebehindtheear’,insteadofsayingthe‘earoftheear’. The text says – that divine being about whom you asked ‘who directs the eye and ear’ is the ear of that ear.

2.3. SB: िरष दरोषः, स अनथया नवशषयािवगमया...Answer:Nothingwronginit.Nootherdescription/adjective

is available to denote it (the director). Ifwewere to notice adirector – like a carpenter – having his own activities (role) distinctfromtheactivitiesofearetc,insuchacase,thereplywouldbesaidtobeatvariancewiththequestion.Buthereweseenosuchdirectorwhocanbedistinguishedlikeaharvesterholdingasickleandharvestingthecrop.Nosuchthingisseendirecting the ears and other senses.

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2.4. SB: शरोतरयादीियाम एव त सहयािया वयापयारण आलरोचि-सङकलप...The living beings are endowed with a body-mind complex.

Thisisanassemblageofvariousorgans.Becauseoftheactivities– such as thinking, desiring, deciding – of the assemblageof theears etc, andas indicatedby the fructificationof suchactivities,we infer that there isadirector–unconnectedwiththeassemblageofearsetc.Itisbecauseofsuchdirectorthatalltheactivityofearsetc.,isdirected.Weseeasimilardirectorbehind every work like a house or any such assemblage.

Here,SBreferstothecommonrule(whichismentionedinthe sāṅkhya-kārikāofIswaraKrishna)thatanyassemblageisfor the purposes of something apart from it. The presence of a maker or director has to be accepted. Hence the reply – the ear of the ear and so on – is surely appropriate.

2.5. SB: कः पतिः अतर पदयाथवाः शरोतरस शरोम इतयादः...Adoubtarises.Whatthen,isthemeaningof‘theearofthe

ear’andotherstatements?Therecannotbeneedofoneearforanotherear,justasonelightdoesnotneedanotherlighttoillumine it.

Answer:What issaid isnotwrong.Themeaning is thus:the ear is seen capable of leading to its object (sound). Butthat ability to reveal its object is possible only in the presence of consciousness – which is the light of the self (ātma-jyoti),eternal, distinct from theassemblageand indwellingall –butnot in the absence of it. Hence it is appropriate to say – ‘the ear of the ear’.

The ear, eye and other sense organs are merelyinstrumentswhichreflecttheconsciousness.Themindisalsosimilar. Vedanta does not agree with the logician’s view that consciousness is produced in the mind. Consciousness iseternal,itisneverproduced.Itistheilluminerofthemindandof the senses. The mind and the senses are like gadgets which function only when electricity passes through them. We may not

KenaUpanishad 31

physicallyseetheelectricity,butwenoticeitspresencewhenthe gadgets function. Similarly the presence of consciousness is noticed by the sense organs which go about doing their function of revealing the sense objects.

2.6. SB: थया च शततनरयाणण ‘आतमिरवया जरोनषयास’...In Vedanta, jyoti, light, does not mean physical light

but represents consciousness. The consciousness in all sentient things is no more than a reflection of the Brahmanconsciousness in several delimiting adjuncts like the body mind complex. Illustrating this,SBquotes from theBrihadaranyakaand the Katha Upanishads. The Brihadaranyaka says ‘It(Brahman)existsbythelightof itsownself’(Br.U.4:3:6).TheKathaUpanishadsays, ‘all thisshines (isknown)becauseofIts light’ (Kath.U.2:2:15, Sve.U.6:14, Mun.U.2:2:10). Anothertext says ‘the splendor by which the sun shines brilliantly’ (Tai.Br.3:12:9:7).AlltheselinesaffirmthatitistheBrahmanwhichisthesourceofmanifestationofconsciousnessinall.

TheGitatoosays–‘justasthebrillianceofthesunbright-ens up the whole world’ (Bh.G.15:12), and ‘likewise the in-dwelling consciousness (kṣetri) brightens up the kṣetram,field’(BG.13:33).

Kathopanishad says too – ‘the eternal among the eternal ones,theconsciousoneamongtheconsciousones’(2:2:13).

2.7. SB: शरोतरयादव सववास आतमभ चिममन परमसदधम, द इह... It is the common misconception that the ears (and the

aggregate) are the intelligent instruments of the self. Suchmisconception is being refuted here.

The scripture is proposing that there is an entity which is knowabletothewise,thatwhichindwellsall,immutable,unborn,unchanging,deathless,fearless–thatistheearoftheear–thatis the cause for the functioning of the senses. Hence the reply that it is the ear of the ear is very appropriate.

32 KenaUpanishad

2.8. SB: थया मिसः अनःकरणस, मिः । ि हह अनःकरणम अनरण...The above argument about the consciousness indwelling

all is being extended to other sense organs and also to the mind.Henceitissaid‘themindofthemind’.Itisbecause,themind,without getting illuminedby the light of consciousness,wouldnotbecapableofitsfunctionssuchasvolition,decisionand such. Hence it is said to be the mind of the mind.

Here the intellect (buddhi)and the indeterminatestateofmind (manas) are jointly referred to as ‘mind’.

Vedantic texts examine the functioning of mind at four levels. Initially, themindmerely sees an object but does notdecideas towhat it is.Suchstage is calledmanas. When it decidesaboutit,andhasopinionaboutit,itiscalledbuddhi,theintellect.Whenthepersonknows‘Ihaveseenthis’,itiscalledtheegostage(ahaṅkāra). When the same thing is recalled at a latertimeitiscalledmemory,(cittam).Intheaboveexplanation,the text is referring to the mind in general, not making anydifferentiationasabove.

2.9. SB: द वयाचरो ह वयाचम; चछबदरो समयादथव शरोतरयाहदभभः सववः समबध

In theexpression– ‘because it is thespeechof speech’– the word ‘yad’ should be taken to mean ‘because’ and it has connectionwithearandalltherest–‘becauseitistheearoftheear,becauseitisthemindofthemind’andsoon.

Invāco ha vācam,theword‘vācam’ has to be taken in the nominativecase(thoughitisfoundintheobjectivecase.Inallother places it is used in nominative case) because of the use ‘the life force of the life force’.

2.10. SB: वयाचरो ह वयाचम इतदितररोधि परयाणस परयाणममन...

Doubt:Whycannotthe latter takentobeintheobjectivecase(theword‘lifeforce’intheobjectivecase)?

KenaUpanishad 33

Reply:No,becauseit ispropertoseethepredominanceinusage.Insteadofvācam(objectivecase),itshouldbetakenas ‘vāk’ (nominative case); following the example of two words (‘that’ and ‘life force’) in –‘that indeed is the life force of the life force’.Inthisway,theinterpretationwouldbeproper,followingthepredominanceinusage.Moreover,itispropertodenotetheobjectinquestionbynominativecaseonly.

What is termed as the ‘life force’ ‘of the life force’ is (merely) the prāṇa-vṛtti,thefunctioncalledprāṇa– because the breathing ability of prāṇa is only due to that. The impelling force behind thisfunctioniswhatisinquestion.

Atman is the over-lord of the prāṇa

2.11. SB: ि हह आतमिया अिणधमठिस परयाणिम उपपद...

Life (breathing) is not possible in an assemblage which is not over-lorded (adhiṣṭhita) by the consciousness of the atman–asalsothescripturessay: ‘whowouldeven liveandwhowouldbreathe,ifthisblissintheintellect-spacewerenotthere’(Tai.U.2:7:1),‘ittakestheprāṇaupwards,andsendstheapānadownwards’(Kath.U.2:2:3)andsuch.Heretooitwillbetold, ‘know that asBrahman, bywhich theprāṇa is directed’ (Kena.U.1:8).

Brahman is theadhiṣṭhānam, thatwhich lordsover(adhi =above,sthā=tobe).ThelinefromtheTaittiriyaUpanishadisinasimilarcontext.It isabouttheover-lordingpresenceofBrahman,whichisapartfromtheassemblagebutdirectingit.Thislineisreferringtotheblissinthe‘intellect-space’.Intellectisfigurativelycalled‘cave’inwhichtheconsciousnessofBrahmanisreflected.Itiscalledcavebecauseitistheinnermostself.Thebodywithfleshandbloodcanbe takenas theoutershell.Aslightly deeper level is the respiratory level (prāṇa). Still inside isthemind,thecognitiveability.Insidestillisthebuddhi,theintellect. Hence it is compared to a cave.

34 KenaUpanishad

Sage Vidyaranya notes in Panchadasi – ‘within the physical sheathisthevitalsheath.Withinitisthementalsheathandstillwithinistheintellect,thedoer.Yetinsideistheenjoyersheath.This succession of sheaths leading to the enjoyer is thus a cave (Panchadasi3-2)’.Thissignifies theall-pervadingnatureofBrahman.

Counterpoint: It would have been proper to refer to thesense of smell when other sense organs like sense of hearing are mentioned.

Answer: You are right; but the scripture presumes thatby mentioning the prāṇa, the sense of smell is as good asmentioned. The purpose of the whole discussion here is to tell that the entity – impelled by which the activity of all these organs istakingplace–isBrahman.

Likewise,(Brahmanis)theeyeoftheeye.Theabilityoftheeyetoknowthelightis,infact,ofsucheyewhichispresidedoverbytheconsciousnessoftheatman.Hence,itistheeyeofthe eye.

Meaning of immortality

2.12. SB: परषत ः परषस अथवास जयातम इषतवया शरोतरयादः...SB says – “As the questioner would desire to know the

answerforhisquestion,andalsobecausetheresultofknowingisshownas‘theybecomeimmortal’,wehavetoconstruethemeaning of the mantra by adhyāhāra – borrowing a word (‘know-ing’) which is not there in the text – thus saying – ‘by knowing’ theBrahmanwhichisofthenatureofearoftheearandsoon.Itis well known that immortality is only by knowledge. The context too means that one gets liberated by knowing”.

Becauseof this identification (ātmabhāva) with senses a personmoveswiththatdelimitedself,identifieshimselfwiththat,takesbirthanddieswiththesame.ByknowingBrahmanwhichis of the nature of ear of the ear and by gradually withdrawing

KenaUpanishad 35

fromtheactivitiesofthesensessomerare,bravepersonrisesto immortality.

The word ‘atimucya’recursinVedanticliterature.Itmeansrejection of identificationwith the bodymind complex. Thosewhothusrejectidentificationareindeedbravepersonsbecausewithoutsuchsteadfastnessofmind it isnotpossible to rejectidentification.

Another word which recurs in the commentaries is ‘pretya’ whichmeans, ‘havingwithdrawn from thisworld’.Onehas todieinordertohaveeternallife,saystheUpanishad.Diefromthis world to become eternal. We are in a ‘death in life’ situation asT.S.Eliotwouldsay.Hence theUpanishadasksus to freeourselves and realize our eternal nature. Realizing the eternal nature of atman is to overcome death. Attachment with the world ischaracterizedbythenotionof‘I’and‘mine’insons,friends,wife and relatives. The word ‘pretya’ implies that the brave,discriminatingseekers,havinggivenupthenotionofselfintheabovethingsandhavingrealizedtheatman,becomeimmortal.

2.13. SB: ि कमवाणया ि परजया धिि तयागिरक अमरतवमयािशतः (कर वल 1-2)

Students familiar with ashrams and gurus may recall that this mantra is recited to welcome the teachers who are in the saṃnyāsa āśrama. The mantra extols the greatness of the knowledgeofBrahmanand the peoplewhohave renouncedthe world for such knowledge.

SBquotes the linewhichmeans– ‘notbykarma,notbysons,notbymoney,butitisbyrenunciationthatoneattainedimmortality’ (Kai.U.1:2). Another well-known line is from theKathaUpanishad–‘theself-evidentBrahmanhashandicappedthe sense organs by making them outward looking. Hence,(the being) sees only outside and not the indwelling atman. An

36 KenaUpanishad

exceptionalhero,desirousofeternityturnshissensesinwardsand sees his self’ (Katha.Up. 2-1-1); ‘when all the desiresdwellinginthemindaregivenup,suchpersonattainsBrahman’(Katha.U.2:3:14).

Alternatively,SBsays, renunciationofdesires isalreadyconveyed by the word ‘atimucya’,andhencetheword‘pretya’ can mean ‘having departed from this body’ – ‘having died’. 2

* * *

Consciousness cannot be Objectified

Mantra 3

ThismantradeclaresthatBrahmanisnotintherealmofthefivesensesandthemind.Whenthemindperceivesanexternalobject it is said to reach out to that object through what is called a vṛtti.ThemindispervadedbyBrahmanConsciousnessandtheexternalobjecttooispervadedbyIt.Whenwesaythatthemind reaches out to the object it is said to take the shape of that object.Thismodificationofmindiscalledvṛtti. This vṛtti is also enabledbythesameBrahmanConsciousness.

This vṛtti, which enables the mind to objectify all senseobjects in the world cannot objectify the very consciousness whichisbehindit.Brahmanisnotanobjecttobecomprehendedby vṛtti.

3.0. SB: समया शरोतरयादरनप शरोतरयादयातमभ बरह अः –

Because Brahman is the very self of the ear and othersenses –

ि तर चकतगवाचछन ि वयागगचछन िरो मिरो ि नवदरो ि नवजयािीमरो थरदितभशषया अनदव नदहदयाद अथरो अनवहदयादणध । इन शतशतम पववषया िसदवयाचचभकर ।। 3 ।।

na tatra cakṣurgacchati na vāggacchati no mano na vidmo na vijānīmo yathaitadanuśiṣyāt anyadeva tadviditād atho aviditādadhi . iti śuśruma pūrveṣāṃ ye nastadvyācacakṣire .

चकषः cakṣuḥ - the eye; ि चछन na gacchati – does not reach;तरtatra–there(withregardtoBrahman);वाकvāk – the

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38 KenaUpanishad

speech;िचछनna gacchati–doesnotreach(thatBrahman);िमिःna manaḥ-noteventhemind;िनवदःna vidmaḥ - we do notknow;ि नवजािीमःna vijānīmaḥ - we do not how to teach; यथाyathā–astohow;एदअिषनशषयाetad adanuśiṣyāt – one canteachthis;tat–that(Brahman);अदयएवनवददादanyat eva viditād – other thanwhat is known;अथatha – and also; अनवददादअनधaviditād adhi–beyondwhatisunknown;इनशषशषमiti śuśruma–thuswehaveheard;पववषाpūrveṣāṃ - (the words) ofpastmasters;यye–thosewho;िःnaḥ-tous;दवाचचनकरtad vyācacakṣire–toldaboutIt(Brahman).

3. The eye (denotes all sense organs) cannot reach it (Brahman), speech (denotes all motor organs) cannotreachitandthemindcannotreachit.Wedonotknow,wearenotaware,astohowonecanteachittothestudent.Itisdistinctfromwhatisknownandwhatisnotknown.Thuswehearfromthepastmasterswhohadexplainedittous.

3.1. SB: ि तर ससमि बरहणण चकतः गचछन, सवयातमनि...

The eye does not reach the Brahman, because, therecannotbeanymovementwithinone’sself,saysSB.Brahmanmeans the infiniteconsciousness inwhichwe,at the levelofreligiousbelief,visualizedifferentheavenlyworldslikeVishnuloka,Shiva loka and such. An ordinary devotee or the person engaged in rituals may attain these loka-s but the person who realizesBrahmanis inthatstateof infiniteconsciousness.Alltheworldswhichwevisualizearepracticallywithin It.Hencethere is no attaining any new world.

Likewise, the speech cannot reach It. Speech is said toreach out to an object (abhidheya) only when a word that is utteredsignifies theobject.Brahman isdescribed in termsofwhatitisnot.Itisdescribedas‘notthis,notthis’.

Brahman is the very self, both of the word and of thesense organ which employs the word (mouth). Hence it cannot

KenaUpanishad 39

comprehendBrahman,justasfire–thoughburnsandilluminesallotherobjects,cannotillumineorburnitself.

3.2. SB: िरो मिः मिशच अनस सङकलपनर अधवसयानर च सद...SimilarlytheveryselfofthemindisalsoBrahman.Hence

the mind – being the organ which thinks and determines another object – cannot think or determine about itself.

Any knowledge of objects is by the senses and the mind. BecauseBrahman isnot in theirpurview, it isnotpossible todesignatespecificallyastowhatBrahmanis.‘WedonotknowastohowtotellthisBrahmantostudents’,saystheUpanishad.

That which is in the purview of the senses can be taught to others by virtue of characteristics like its class (category),property,actionandattributes.Toelaborate,everyobjectcanbeclassifiedsuchashuman,animal,insectetc.Itspropertycanalsobedescribedasblack,white,sweetandsoon.Theactivityof such objects can also be described and their relationship with other objects can also be described.

Brahman isnotonewithanyof thesecharacteristics likeclassandhenceitisdifficulttoteachandconvincethestudents.ItimpliesthatgreatefforthastobemadeinordertoteachandtocomprehendBrahman.

Scriptures adopt different strategies to tell about thisincomprehensible Brahman. For instance they adopt thestrategyofadhyāropa and apavāda.Itmeansthatthescripturesattributetheactivityofcreation,sustenanceanddissolutioninBrahman in order to indicate that there is something calledBrahman.Thisattributioniscalledadhyāropa. Later the same scripturesretractfromsuchattribution,negateallsuchactivityinBrahmanandsaythatBrahmanhasnodoershipinIt.Thisnegation is called apavāda.

40 KenaUpanishad

Brahman can be known by the word of the scripture

3.3. SB: ‘ि नवदरो ि नवजयािीमरो थरदितभशषया’ इन अतनम एव...A contingency such as – ‘we do not know how one can

teach this with authority’ – has arisen. This is totally nullifying theveryprocessofinstruction,andhencethescriptureisgivingaremedy. It is truethatBrahmancannotbeconveyedbythemeans of valid knowledge such as perception; but It can beconveyed by the authority of the scriptural word. With this in view,thescripturegoesontosaythefollowing.

3.4. SB: अनदव नदहदयादथरो अनवहदयादणध इन । अनदव...ThisisasignificantassertionoftheUpanishad.Brahman

isdistinctfromwhatisknown(manifest)andwhatisnotknown(unmanifest).

The word ‘viditam’ means whatever that is known by the senses and the mind. The whole universe comes under this cat-egory. Whatever the human being visualizes or conceptualizes too comes under this category. All conceptions of god by the religions come under ‘known’.

The word ‘aviditam’, ‘unknown’ is the opposite of this. Itmeans something which is not knowable by the mind.

Brahmanwhichisheredescribedastheearoftheear–and so for all senses – and also as not the object of cognition by them,isdistinctfromtheknown.Anobjectwhichiscoveredbythe verb ‘vid’(toknow)willbesurelyknowablesomewhere,tosomeextent,tosomeone.

Allthatismanifestisthusknown,andBrahmanisdistinctfrom that.

Brahman – None other than the self

3.5. SB: अनवहदम अजया रहवा इन परयाप आह...SBnowexplainsastowhatis‘aviditam’.Itreferstowhat

Vedanta calls avyākṛta, theunmanifest.This is thesourcefor

KenaUpanishad 41

allmanifestworld.Itisotherwisecalledmāya.Ifit issaidthatBrahman is distinct from themanifest, itmaymean that It isthe unmanifest. The scripture refutes that and says that It isabove (adhi) the unmanifest too. Itmeans that the Brahmantranscendstheunmanifest.

In otherwords, the scripture is saying that theBrahmanis not known to the senses and the mind but at the same time it isnotunknowable. It isalsosayingthatBrahmanisdistinctfromtheunmanifestalso.Itisnotanobjectforknowledgebutyetitexists.Ifweexcludewhatisknownandwhatisunknown,thatwhichisleftoutistheself,theobserver,theknower.Thescripture is implying that the seeker who is the knower of the manifestandunmanifestisBrahman.

Vedanta here relies on the experience of the seers who have earlier experienced Brahman. Experience cannot berejected. It is the norm in Vedanta that scripture, logic andexperience (śrṛti, yukti and anubhava) are all accepted for the purposeofunderstandingBrahman.

3.6. SB: द नवहद द अलप, मतव दःखयातमक च इन हम...Whatever is ‘known’ is delimited, mortal, sorrowful and

hence heyam,somethingtoberejected.Hence,whenitissaidthatBrahmanisdistinctfromthe‘known’,itsaheyatvam,non-rejectability,istold.ItmeansthatItsexistencecannotbedenied.

Thewholeuniverse,aswenoted, is somethingwhich is‘known’bythesenses.Itisdifferentfromtheperceiver.Allthethingshave the three-fold limitation – time, spaceandobject(deśa-kāla-vastu pariccheda).Theydieintime,theyarelimitedtoaplace,andhavelimitedidentity.Apersonisalsothesame.This impermanence and inadequacy is the cause of sorrow.

Onecanrejectsomethingwhichisdifferentfromone’sself.Aseeker,intheVedanticenquiry,startsrealizingthatthebodyisnottherealself,thatthevitalforceisnottherealself,thatthemind,whichisinsentient,isnothisrealself,andsoon.Allthese

42 KenaUpanishad

are, in away, rejected by him.Atman is somethingwhich isnon-rejectable,becauseitistheveryself.Atmanisconscious-ness,andjustaspot-spaceisnotdifferentfromspace,itisnotdifferentfromtheSupremeConsciousness.Henceitisinfinite.Hence the scripture too says that atman is all-pervading. That which is all pervading cannot remove or discard anything from it.

Here SB uses a word ‘anupādeyatvam’. Upādeyatvam of an object means that it is something external to a person and that it can be acquired externally. Anupādeyatvam is the oppositeofthis,implyingthatatmanisnotexternaltooneself.

HenceSBsays thatwhen it (atman) issaid tobeabovethe‘unknown’,itsanupādeyatvam,non-externality,istold.Non-externality here means that Atman is not a thing to be attained from outside. An object becomes an upādeyam,somethingtobeacquired,onlywhenisexternaltoaperson.Whenthereisnothingexternal, there isnothing tobeacquired.There isnoupādeyam and hence anupādeyatvam, non-externality. It isyour own self.

3.7. SB: कयायावाथव हह कयारणम अनद अनि...

If one has a specific purpose, one borrows something(which one does not have already) from someone else. Here – because the atman is non-rejectable and non-external – in the caseofaknower,thereisnoacceptanceofanobject(cause)for any purpose.

3.8. SB: एव नवहदयानवहदयाभयाम अनद इन हरोपयाद...

Thus, by excluding anything to be rejected or added,becauseofthepostulationthatit(Brahman)isdistinctfromthe‘known’ and the ‘unknown’, it implies that It is somethingnotdifferentfromatman,theself,andthusthequestofthestudentforBrahmanisfulfilled.

KenaUpanishad 43

It isnotsomethingwhichcanberejected,notsomethingwhich can be seen as external to oneself. Similarly, it is notsomethingwhichhastobegotfromoutside,asthereisnothingoutside it.

3.9. SB: ि हह अनस आतमिरो नवहदयानवहदयाभयाम अनतव...SBmakes the point specifically. For an object which is

different from one’s self, it is impossible to be distinct from‘known’ and ‘unknown’. Hence, the sentence (of Upanishad)meansthatatmanisBrahman.Inotherwords,itisonlytheselfwhichisdistinctfromtheknownandtheunknown.SBquotesfrom other scriptures in support of this.

‘अमयातमया बरह’(Mand.Up.2) ‘ThisAtmanisBrahman’.

‘ आतमयापहपयापमया’(Ch.U.8-7-1)

‘That atman which is devoid of pāpam’. Pāpam is the result of unrighteous conduct. Atman is said to be untouched by the result of either the righteous or unrighteous deeds.

‘ सयाकया अपररोकयाद बरह’(Br.U.3-4-1)‘ThatBrahmanwhichisimmediateanddirect’

‘ आतमया सवयावानरः’(Br.U.3-4-1)‘That Atman which is the indweller of all’.

All these lines show that the self of the seeker is the Brahman.

3.10. SB: एव सवयावातमिः सववानवशषरहहस णचनमयातर...The text starting with words ‘iti śuśruma’ tells that the

purport of the sentence relating to attainment of knowledge of theunityofatmanandBrahman–oftheOne(Brahman)whichistheindwellerofallbeings,oftheOnewhichisdevoidofallattributes and which is the light of pure consciousness – has to beunderstoodthroughagoodteacher-studentlineage.

44 KenaUpanishad

3.11. SB: बरह च एवम आचयायोपदशपरपरया...Brahman has to be known only from a teacher-student

tradition but not by logic, lecturing, intellect, eclectic study,penance, yajña and such other means. All these are means for the purification ofmind, but do not constitute deliberationonBrahman. ‘Thuswehaveheard thewordsof the teachersofpast–thosewhohadexplainedtous,inotherwords,taughtclearly’.

* * *

What You Worship is not the Absolute

Mantra 4

4.0.a. SB: अनदव नदहदयाद अथरो अनवहदयादणध इतिि वयाकि आतमया...

Weareaccustomedtoduality.HencewhentheUpanishadsaysthattheselfisBrahman,weareunwillingtoaccept.TheSBdiscussessuchasituation.

‘’When,bythesentence‘itisdistinctfromtheknownanddistinct from theunknown’ it hasbeenpostulated that atmanistheBrahman,adoubthasariseninthemindofthelistener–howcan thisatmanbeBrahman?Atman is theonewho isenjoined to perform certain karma and upāsana and a transmi-gratingperson.Byperformingkarmaorupāsana he would like toattainsomedivinebeinglikeBrahma(creator)orheaven’’.

4.0.b. SB: समया अन उपयासरो नवषणतरीशवर इनरिः...‘Hence,thatBrahmanhastobesomeother–onewhois

worshiped,suchasVishnu,Iswara,IndraorPrana,butnottheself,asitwouldcontradicttheexperienceofall’.

We are comfortable with the dualist mode of worship,seeking boons and seeking forgiveness for all our acts of indiscretion.

4.0.c. SB: थया अन यारकवा कयाः ईशवरयादन आतमया इतयाचक...‘JustasthelogicianssaythatIswaraisotherthantheself,

others too – those following the path of karma – say that ‘worship this’,‘worshipthis’andworshipsomeoneotherthantheself’.

45

46 KenaUpanishad

Logicians are dualists, whose arguments were lateradopted and developed by several acharyas. The reference about worship is to the followers of the mimamsa school who arediehardadvocatesofkarma-s,andheavenlyworlds.Theearlier portions of the Vedas prescribe a variety of rituals for a variety of desires.

‘Hence it is proper that what is known and worshiped ought tobeBrahmanandtheworshiperisdistinctfromhim’.

‘Noticingsuchdoubtfromthelooksofthedisciple,orbyhisquery,theteachertells–mayyounothavesuchdoubt’

दयाचयािभतहद ि वयागभतद । दव बरह तव नवददध िद हददमतपयास ।। 4 ।।

yadvācānabhyuditaṃ yena vāgabhyudyate. tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate.

यyat–thatwhich(Brahman);वाचाvācā – by the speech; िअभयषददमna abhyuditaṃ-notexpressed;यिyena–bywhich,वाकvāk–thespeech,अभयषदयabhyudyate – gets expressed;

दएवtad eva=thatonly;बरहमBrahma–theBrahman;तवनवनधिtvam viddhi–mayyouknow;िइदमna idam–notthis;यदइदमyad idam–thiswhich;उपासupāsate – (people) worship.

4. May you know that alone as Brahman which is notmanifested by speech but by which the speech getsmanifested.Brahmanisnotthiswhichpeopleworship.

4.1. SB: चरनमयातरसतयाकम, वयाचया वयानगन भजहयामलयाहद...Yat,referstoBrahman,whichiscaitanyamātra-sattākam,

thatwhich is of thenatureofmere consciousness-existence.ExistenceandconsciousnessareinseparableinBrahman.ItisthisBrahmanwhichimpelsthesenseorgansandtheorgansofaction.Here,vāk,theorganofspeech,isbeingdiscussed.

‘Vākistheinstrument(indriya),engagedorattachedwitheightpartsofthevocalsystem–suchasthepharynx–inspired

KenaUpanishad 47

by the (presiding deity) Agni and which is the articulator of sounds’.

Anandagirinotestheeightparts inthevocalsystemofaperson–chest,throat,head,rootofthetongue(pharynx),teeth,nose,thelipsandthepalate.

4.2. SB: वणयावाशच अथवासङकपररचचछनया एयावन एव...

‘Andthelettersarethosewhicharedefinedbynotationofmeaning,thismanytobeutteredinthissequenceandsoon.The sound which expresses all these letters is called ‘word’ and ‘speech’.

4.3. SB: अकयाररो वर सवयावा वयाक सरषया सपशयावानःसथ...

As the scripture says, ‘the sound ‘a’ encompasses thewholespeech.Thisverysamebecomesmany,takingdifferentshapes,bygettingexpressedastheconsonants,semi-vowelsandaspirates’(Ait.Aran.2-3-6-18).

Themostprimary soundwhich emergeswhen a humanbeing opens his mouth and allows his vocal chords to vibrate is ‘a’. All other sounds are by changing the position of the lips and otherorgansofthevocalsystem.Hencethesound‘a’iscalledsarvā vāk,encompassingthewholerangeofsounds.

‘Sparśa’means touchor contact.Consonants are called‘sparśa-s’, thosewhicharedeliveredwhenthetonguecomesintocontactwithdifferentpartsofthepalateandmouth.Thus,thesound‘a’,wheninterferedbythetonguewhichtouchesthemouth,formstheconsonants.Othersoundsarealsosimilarlyformed.

‘Brahman is that which is not expressed by speech –speechwhichhasmodificationssuchasmitam,amitam,swara,truthand falsehood;which is limited inscopeasaword,andaffectedbythequalitiesoftheorganofthespeech’.

48 KenaUpanishad

TheRigvedahasmetricalhymnswhicharefixed insize.Hence Rigveda is called mitam. Yajurveda has the hymns from Rigveda and several prose passages. Hence it is known as amitam.SamaVedaissungintheforestsandhenceknownasswara. All these are but assemblage of letters and words.

4.4. SB: ि बरहणया नववभक अथव सकरणया वयाग अभतद...That which is described as ‘the speech of the speech’ is the

lightofBrahman,thelightofconsciousness.The sense of speech is limited where as the consciousness

knownasBrahmanisunlimited.Thelimitedsenseorgancannotilluminetheinfiniteconsciousness.Ontheotherhanditisitselfilluminedbythatconsciousness.HenceBrahmanissaidtobethe‘speechofthespeech’.Consciousnessiscalledvāk when it is behind the sense of speech; it is called eye when it is behind thesenseofseeingandsointhecaseofotherorganstoo,saystheBrihadaranyakaUpanishad.

‘The vāk which is present in all beings (puruṣa-s) is pres-ent in the letters (ghoṣa-s) and the wise one would know that’ says SB. It is the consciousnesswhich is expressed as vāk śakti, inextricably linkedwithsounds,symbolizedby letters inan alphabet in a language. The Sanskrit poet Kalidasa wrote in a similar context about the consciousness and its expressive power through words – vāgarthāviva saṃpṛktau vāgarthapratipattaye.

jagataḥ pitarau vande pārvatīparameśvarau ... (Raghuvamsa 1-1)

The poet salutes Shiva and his consort Parvati who are regarded as the parents of the whole universe. Shiva represents consciousness and Parvati represents the śakti, the creativepowerofIswara.Thispoweristhroughspeechinthepresentcontext. Shiva denotes artha,meaningofawordandParvatidenotes the vāk,thespeechandtheyareaninseparablepair,says the poet.

KenaUpanishad 49

Vāk is not merely the tongue but the consciousness behind it.Even if the tonguewere tobecutoff thevākexists in themind.Itexistsinthedreamtoo(enablingapersontospeakina dream to another dream friend) but it withdraws in suṣupti,deep sleep.

Thesenseofspeechismanifestinthesoundsweutterandthe seeker has to meditate on the impelling agency behind it.

The eternal atman is never devoid of the sense of speech atanytime,saystheBr.U.(4-3-26).

4.5. SB: दव आतमसवरप बरह निरनश भमयाख...TheAcharyacontinues.“Mayyourealizethatyourownself

asBrahman,–thatwhichisunsurpassable,whichisalsoknownas bhūmā,forthereasonthatitisbṛhat,allencompassing.Allthosetentative(empirical)statementssuchas–thespeechofspeech,theeyeoftheeye,theearoftheear,themindofthemind,agentofanaction (kartā),enjoyer (of its fruit),knower,controller, governor, that which enjoys by knowledge ofobjectsandsoon–arealldue todifferentupādhi-s such as speech.AllthesearecurrentintheBrahmanwhichisbeyondallsuchempiricalstatements(asaṃvyavahāra),devoidofanydistinguishing feature, supreme and equal to all (sāmya, likethesunequallyshiningonall).Bydiscardingallsuchdelimitingfactors,mayyourealizeyourselfastheunqualifiedBrahman–this is what is meant by the word ‘eva’,alone”.

The word upādhineedsexplanation.Ifwevisualizespace,we realize that it is a homogeneous entity without any parts in it. However,ifyouwetakeanemptyjar,thejarissaidtocontainspace. It can be called jar-space.We can similarly notice aroom-space,abuilding-spaceandalso the largespace itself.Thoughspaceitselfcannotbecontainedinsmallplaceslikejar,it is appearing as though it is limited in a small place. All these small places are delimiting the space. Such delimiting factors are called upādhi-s.

50 KenaUpanishad

Another example can be theSun, shining uniformly andgettingreflectedinthousandsofwaterbodies.Inallthesewaterbodiesthereflectionofsunisaffectedbythenatureofthewaterbody.Thesunbeingthesame,thereflectionsaremanyandareofdifferentnature.Thismultitudeofreflectingsurfacesaretheupādhi-s for the sun.

Brahman isdevoidofanysuchupādhi-s,delimiting fac-tors.Butyetsomanystatementsaremade,suchasspeechofspeech, themindof themind, thedoerofkarma, theenjoyerofthefruitofkarma,theruler,thecontrollerandsoon–allatempiricallevel–aboutthatBrahman.Allthesearebyvirtueofthe upādhi-s,whichareilluminedbythesameconsciousness.Theinstructionbyword‘(tad) eva’ – ‘(that) alone’ by the text is to reject all such delimiting factors and to know one’s self as Brahman.

4.6. SB: िद बरह हददम इततपयाणधभदनवभशषम अियातमया ईशवरयाहद...ThiswhichpeopleworshipisnotBrahman.Peopleworship

athingwhichisdistinguishedbydivergentupādhi-s.Itisnon-atmansuchasIswara,butnotBrahman.

This is a revolutionary statement.Upanishadsunwittinglyencounter the contemporary question of religious rivalry. Allreligions propose a god, which is essentially a projection ofmind of the thinkers who have created the religion. Whatever is a projection of mind comes under the category of ‘idam’,whichmeans an object which is conceived. The human mind may think of god or heaven or hell in a highly impressive manner but allthatisonlyanobjectification.Whateverisknowntothemindis subordinate to the mind. The present mantra says that all these visualizations are unreal. They may have some practical valueofinstillinggoodethicsandasenseofdisciplineamongthefollowersbutthatisallaboutit.Itisnottheabsolutereality.

Vedantaisstructuredonphilosophicalenquiryandnotonreligiousbeliefs.Itcannotendorseaparticularpropositionputforth by the religion.

KenaUpanishad 51

Further,asSwamiTattvavidanandamentionsinoneofhistalks,Vedantatravelsalongwayalongwiththeatheistwithhisopinions.Theatheistalsosaysthatwhatisworshippedisnotthe ultimate. Vedanta too is saying the same – that what you worship as god is not the ultimate.

What is the difference then? The atheist stops afterrejectingwhatisworshipped,butVedantamovesaheadtofindout the reality beyond what we worship. Another great principle is enunciated indirectly by Vedanta here. It is that human mind can conceive of any god-form and worship and get the desired results.This,ofcourse,ismadeclearbyKrishnaintheGita.

One should not misunderstand that the Upanishad isdenouncingthegodpostulatedbyreligion.Anyreligionismeantto purify the mind and make a person eligible for self enquiry. TheUpanishadisaskingtheseekertogobeyondreligionandtogobeyondtheirstructureofgod,heavenandhell.Thisappliesto all religions and all types of worship – whether it is a god with form or a god without form (as in the case of Semitic religions).

We may also note here that Vedanta has not objected todivergent formsofworshipofdeities,because theyareallessential for answering the prayers of humans. This is the reason why we have several deities in Hinduism and also the reasonwhywerespectallotherreligions.Here,onemayrefertoa tinyUpanishadknownasBhavanopanishad toknow thephilosophyofvisualizingadelimitedBrahmanforthepurposeof worship.

The crux of the above discussion is that whatever is ‘idam’ isathingmentallyobjectifiedandhencedelimited.Thiscannotbe atman and hence Shankaracharya calls it anātmā,thenon-self.HealsoaddsthatIswaratoo,whichistheconsciousnessdelimited by māyā,isanātmāandhencenotBrahman.Māyā is the upādhiforIswara.

52 KenaUpanishad

4.7. SB: दव बरह तव नवददध इततक अनप िद बरह...

The SB continues. “Though it has been told, ‘may youknow that alone tobeBrahman’, the fact that thenon-self isnotBrahmanisbeingreiteratedbywords‘notthis’.ItiseithertoserveasarestrictiveinjunctionortoserveasanexclusiveinjunctiontoexcludetheideaofBrahmaninnon-self”.

Thestatement–‘mayyouknowthatalonetobeBrahman’–isitselfenoughtoconveythatnon-selfisnotBrahman.However,thescriptureisrepeatingitforthesakeofemphasis,saying‘thisisnotBrahman’.Theword ‘niyama’ isa term fromMimamsadiscipline,whichrestrictsthepossibilityofonealternativewhentwo options or alternatives are present. The word parisaṅkhyā is also a term from the same discipline, which specificallyprecludes one of the two options. (4)

Mantra 5

नमिसया ि मित ियाहमवािरो मम । दव बरह तव नवददध िद हददमतपयास ।। 5 ।।

yanmanasā na manute yenāhurmano matam. tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate ..

यyat–thatwhich;िमिषna manute – one cannot know (objectify);मिसाmanasā –by themind;यिआहःyena āhuḥ - (but)bywhichpeoplesay;मिःममmanaḥ matam – the mind is known;

दएवtad eva=thatonly;बरहमBrahma–theBrahman;तवनवनधिtvam viddhi–mayyouknow;िइदमna idam–notthis;यदइदमyad idam–thiswhich;उपासupāsate – (people) worship.

5. MayyouknowthataloneasBrahmanwhichonecannotobjectifyby themindbutbywhich,peoplesay, theminditselfisknown.Brahmanisnotthiswhichpeopleworship.

KenaUpanishad 53

5.1. SB: नमिसया ि मित; मि इतनःकरण बतददधमिसरोः एकतवि...

The four-fold division of what we generally call ‘mind’ was discussedabove.HeretheSBsaysthatbytheword‘manas’,the four-fold inner organ including intellect has to be taken. The mind contemplates and hence it is called so etymologically. It encompasses all thoughts, concepts and moods. As thescripture says – ‘desire, deliberation, doubt, (śraddhā) trust,lackoftrust,resolve,lackofresolve,modesty,analyticalability,fearandallsucharemindonly’(Br.U.1-5-3).Allthesethoughtprocesses in the mind are called vṛtti-s,differentmodificationsof the mind.

This whole apparatus cannot express the Brahman,because the very apparatus is illumined (enabled) by the light of consciousness (caitanya-jyoti).

5.2. SB: सववानवष परन परतगव इन सवयातमनि ि परववा अनःकरणम...

Atman is the very inner-self of the mind. Hence the mind cannotconceiveofit.ItistheconsciousnessofBrahmanwhichpervades and illumines it. The pervading principle is known as vyāpaka,andthepervadediscalledvyāpya.Here,itisthemindalongwithitsmodificationsthatisthepervaded.Contemplateon that pervading principle, says the Upanishad. What youworshipnowas‘this’isnottheUltimate.5.

Mantra 6

चचकतषया ि परन ि चकमष परन । दव बरह तव नवददध िद हददमतपयास ।। 6 ।।

yaccakṣuṣā na paśyati yena cakṣūṃṣi paśyati . tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate .

य yat–thatwhich;ि पशयनna paśyati – one does not see; चकषषाcakṣuṣā –by theeye;यिyena – (but)bywhich;चकनष पशयनcakṣūṃṣi paśyati – knows the eyes;

54 KenaUpanishad

द एव tad eva=thatonly;बरहम Brahma–theBrahman;तवनवनधि tvam viddhi–mayyouknow;ि इदम na idam–notthis;यद इदम yad idam–thiswhich;उपास upāsate – (people) worship.

6. MayyouknowthataloneasBrahmanwhichonecannotsee by the eye but by which the eyes themselves are known.Brahmanisnotthiswhichpeopleworship.

6.1. SB: चकतषया ि परन ि नवषीकररोन...

Onecannotknoworobjectify theBrahmanby thesenseofsight;onecannotmakeitapartof themodificationsof theintellect (what we earlier noted as vṛtti).Butontheotherhand,thesenseofsight,andallthemodificationsofmindconnectedtothatareilluminedbyBrahman.Theyarepervaded(vyāpta) by the light of consciousness.

Mantra 7

चछरोतरण ि शरणरोन ि शरोतरममद शतम । दव बरह तव नवददध िद हददमतपयास ।। 7 ।।

yacchrotreṇa na śrṛṇoti yena śrotramidaṃ śrutam . tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate .

य yat – that which; ि शणरोन na śrṛṇoti – one does not (cannot) hear; शरोतरण śrotreṇa – by the sense of hearing; यि yena–bywhich;शरोतरम इदśrotram idaṃ - this sense of hearing; शषमśrutam – is heard;

द एव tad eva=thatonly;बरहम Brahma–theBrahman;तवनवनधि tvam viddhi–mayyouknow;ि इदम na idam–notthis;यद इदम yad idam–thiswhich;उपास upāsate – (people) worship.

7. MayyouknowthataloneasBrahmanwhichonecannotknow by the sense of hearing but by which the sense of hearingitselfisheard(illumined).Brahmanisnotthiswhichpeople worship.

KenaUpanishad 55

7.1. SB: शरोतरण ि शरणरोन...

OnecannotknowBrahmanbythesenseofhearing,theoneover-lordedbythedivinemanifestationcalled‘dik’,direction.(IntheVedicsystem,eachofthesenseorganandeachoftheorganofactionisover-lordedbysomedivineforceormanifestation.Here,SBreferstothegodofdirections).Thissenseofhearingis derived from the sāttvika aspectofthespace.(Eachsenseorgan is said to have evolved as a pariṇāma,modification,ofone of the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and space.Themind,whichisacombinationofallthefivesenses,istheproduct of the collective sāttvika aspectof thefiveelements).Such sense generates a vritti,amodificationof themindandobjectifieswhatithears.However,thissensecannotobjectifyBrahman.

Mantra 8

तपरयाणि ि परयाणणन ि परयाणः परणी । दव बरह तव नवददध िद हददमतपयास ।। 8 ।।

yatprāṇena na prāṇiti yena prāṇaḥ praṇīyate . tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate .

य yat–thatbywhich;ि पानणनna prāṇiti – one does not know by prāṇa,thesenseofsmell;पाणिprāṇena – by the sense ofsmell;यिyena–(but)bywhich;पाणः पणीयprāṇaḥ praṇīyate – the sense of smell is enabled;

द एव tad eva=thatonly;बरहम Brahma–theBrahman;तवनवनधि tvam viddhi–mayyouknow;ि इदम na idam–notthis;यद इदम yad idam–thiswhich;उपास upāsate – (people) worship.

8. MayyouknowthataloneasBrahmanwhichonedoesnotknow by the sense of smell but by which the sense of smell itselfisenabled.Brahmanisnotthiswhichpeopleworship.

56 KenaUpanishad

8.1. SB: परयाणि घयाणि पयारथवावि ियामसकयापतटयानरवचसथि...

Here,SBusesthewordprāṇa to mean the sense of smell. Intheothercommentarycalledthevākya bhāṣyam,SBcallsitthelifeforce,whichenablesallactivityinthebody.

In thepresentcommentary it is referring to thesenseofsmell,whichisamodificationoftheearth(pārthiva).Itdwellsinthenostrilsandcoordinatesthemodificationofmindwheneveritsmellsanobject.ButonecannotobjectifyBrahmanby thissenseofsmelltoo.Ontheotherhand,thissenseisenabledbythelightofconsciousness,asdescribedintheabovesections.MayyoumeditateonthislightasBrahman,saystheUpanishad.

इन पथमः खणः

Thus ends the first part

नदीः खणः Part - II

On Claiming to Know Brahman

1.0. a. SB: एव हरोपयाद नवपरीः तवम आतमया बरहन...Atman isequatedwithBrahmanhereand it isdescribed

as heyopādeya- viparīta,whichmeansthatitisinfiniteinnaturelike Brahman. Heya means something to be rejected and upādeya is something which has to be added. Atman here is called heyopādeya viparīta,athingdifferentfromtheabove,athing to which nothing need be added and from which nothing canbetakenout.Whenyouareinfinite,thereisnothingtobeadded to that infinityandnothingcanbe takenoutof infinity.Something which is different from you can be given up andsomething which is separate from you can be added to you. This is not so in the present case. You are also satyam, theeternalexistenceandwhateverwemayconceiveasinsideandoutsideinfinitywillbethatexistenceonly.

Having heard so from the teacher, there is the dangerthat the student could feel over confident and could claimto know Brahman well. The student may be objectifyingBrahman,visualizingitasanyotherobject.ThisisnotacorrectunderstandingofBrahman.

1.0. b. SB: िित इषरव सतवदयाहम इन निनशचया परनपणतः...ShouldwenotbehappyifthestudenthasknownBrahman

well?Surely,weshouldbe,butnotwhenheknowsitanobject.Anything which can be known as an object can be said to be clearlyknown.Fire,whichcanburnthings,candosoincaseofallinflammableobjects.Itcannotburnitself.

AllthetextsofVedantaassertthatBrahmanistheveryselfofwhatweconsiderastheknower.Iftheintellectissaidtobetheknower,Brahmanistheveryselfofthatknowingintellect.

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Eveninthepresenttextitissaidinthemantras–itistheearoftheear,themindofthemindandsoon.ItisalsospecificallymentionedthatBrahmancannotbeexpressedbywords.Thevenerable tradition of teaching has also been told in the words –‘Itisotherthanwhatistoldandotherthantheunknown’.ThetextisalsogoingtosaythatBrahmanisnotknowntothosewhoclaim to know and it is known to those who do not claim to know.

All this discussion is to tell that in Vedanta we do not merely talkaboutknowingBrahmanbuttalkaboutbecomingBrahman.Youare the very self of knowledge, existenceand infinitude,says Vedanta. You cannot objectify yourself. You can only claim to know an object in front. You are then the knower and the objectiscalledknowable.IntheknowledgeofBrahmanthereisnoknower-knowable relationship. If someonesays ‘I knowBrahman’, he is claiming tobe theknowerandhe ismakingBrahmananobjectforknowing.ThisisnotcorrectinthecaseofBrahman.

1.0. c. SB: ि हह वहदया वहदतः वहदत शकः अमनः दगधतररव दगधतमनः...Justasthefirecannotburnitself,theknowercannotknow

himself. There cannot be a knower for Brahman because ifsomeonesaysthatheknowsBrahmanheismakingBrahmanafinitething.IfheconsidershimselfapartfromBrahman,heismakinghimselfanon-entitybecausenothingcanexistoutsideBrahman.TheBr.U.(3-8-11)refutesthepossibilityofanyotherknowerthanBrahmanandassertsthatthereisnoknowerapartfromtheBrahman.

Hencetheapprehensionoftheteacheraboutthestudent’sunderstandingisappropriate.Tosay‘IknowBrahmanwell’ ismerelyaspeciousunderstanding.

Mantra 1:

हद मनस सतवदन दहरमवयानप ििम तव वतथ बरहणरो रप दस तव दस दवषवथ ित मीमयासमव मन नवहदम ।। 1 ।।

KenaUpanishad 61

yadi manyase suvedeti daharamevāpi nūnam tvaṃ vettha brahmaṇo rūpaṃ yadasya tvaṃ yadasya deveṣvatha nu mīmāṃsyameva te manye viditam .

यददमदयसyadi manyase–ifyouthink;सषवदइनsuveda iti – ‘Iknowitquitewell’;दहरमएवअनपdaharam eva api – very little indeed;ििमnūnam–surely; तववतथ tvaṃ vettha – you know; बरहमणरोरपमbrahmaṇo rūpam–thenatureofBrahman;यदसयतवyadasya tvaṃ-ofthat(Brahman)whichisyourself;यदसयदवषषyadasya deveṣu–ofthat(Brahman)whichisatthedivinelev-el;अथिषatha nu – thatbeingso; नवददम te viditam – what isknowntoyou;मीमासयमवmīmāṃsyameva – requires further analysis;मदयmanye–Ithink.

1. If you think – ‘I know It (Brahman) quitewell’, very littleindeeddoyouknowthenatureofBrahmanwhichisinyourselfandwhichisatthedivinelevel.Thatbeingso,Ithink,what is known to you needs further analysis by you.

1.1. SB: हद कदयाणचद मनस सतवदन सतठित वदयाह बरहन...Brahmanmaybe inscrutable, theSBsays,butsomeone

withapuremindandclearthinkingcanrealizeIt.Otherscannot.HenceisthedoubtfulattitudeoftheteachertowardsthestudentclaimingtoknowBrahman.

1.2. SB: दरष च ‘ एषरो अभकणण पतरषरो दरर एष आतमन...Here SB is referring to a well-known passage from the

Chandogya Upanishad (8-7-4). Indra, the king of gods andVirocana, the king of demons are sons of the same fatherPrajapati, from two wives. They learn that the knowledge ofBrahmanwouldmakethemimmortalandhencetheyapproachtheirfatherandrequesthimtoteachthatknowledge.Prajapatiasks them to undergo brahmacarya, self-purifying discipline,and then come to him. They do so and to them Prajapati says in a cryptic way – ‘the puruṣawhoisseenintheeyeistheself,itistheimmortal,fearlessBrahman’.Understandingofanyteaching

62 KenaUpanishad

depends on our own ability and preparedness. Knowledge of Brahmanneedsapuremindbut the lordofdemonswasnotprepared so. Hence he misunderstood the teaching of hisfather because of his own sensual nature and tendencies built upbysuchnature.Heunderstoodthebody-mind-complexasBrahmanandwashappywiththat.

Indra,beingamorededicatedstudent,deliberatedonwhathis father said. He could not decode the cryptic teaching. Again he went to his father and sought guidance. He spent some more time in tapas as advised by his father and with several examples about the waking, the dream and the deep sleepsates,progressivelylearntabouttheconsciousnessunderlyingthemallandexistingbeyond.

Even in ordinary cases, though students learn from thesame teacher, someonemay understand correctly, someonemaynot understandand someoneelsemayunderstand in atotallycontraryway.Whatthen,canwesayaboutthedifficultnatureoftheknowledgeofBrahman?

1.3. SB: अतर हह नवपरनपनयाः सदसदयाहदिः यारकवा कयाः सवव...DifferentschoolsofIndianphilosophyhavegivendifferent

causes for the universe. This subject is called the theory of causation. The most ancient question for mankind is whocaused thisuniverse.Philosophersanalyzed thecause-effectrelationshipandgavedifferenthypotheses.Someheldthattheuniverseisnotnewlyproduced,butithasalwaysbeenthereinitscause. This is called satkāryavāda,theargumentoftheSankhya school. Others held that the universe is newly produced from thecause.Thisistheargumentofthelogicians,thematerialistsandalsotheargumentofonebranchofBuddhists.

Vedanta holds that the universe is an appearance in Brahman, or in other words, it is a manifestation of māyā. Creation is attributed to Brahman only figuratively. Thisattribution is retracted (apavāda as we saw above) to show that nothingexistsapartfromBrahman.

KenaUpanishad 63

SB here is referring to such dialecticians who claim toknowthetruthaboutBrahman.Suchclaimscannotbecorrectbecause Brahman cannot be visualized or objectified by thehumanmind.Hencetheteacheriscautioningthestudentthatifheweretomakeaclaim,itwouldbeanincorrectclaim.Whatcanbeknownbythemindwillbeanobjectofthemind,whichBrahman cannot be. Hence he says that the student knowsmerelyapaltryversionofBrahman.

Several apparent forms of God – due to divergent upādhi-s

1.4. SB: हकम अिकयानि बरहणरो रपयाणण महयानतभवाकयाणण च...Whentheteachersaysthatthestudenthasonlyvisualized

adelimitedversionofBrahman,itwouldimplythattherecanbeseveralsuchforms.Hencethequestionwhethertherearesomanyforms–mightyandtrivial–ofBrahman.

Yes, we have to admit so, says SB, noticing what ishappeningintheworld.Wegivedifferentnamesandformstowhat we visualize as god and create several gods. Hundreds of religions in the world have their own versions of god and all these are hit by the same limitation that they are all human conceptions,andgetnegatedbytheline–‘notthiswhichpeopleworship (1-4)’.

The real nature of Brahman is as described in theKathopanishad – ‘It is soundless, touchless, formless,undiminishing, tasteless, smell-less, beginning-less, endless,beyond the Hiranyagarbha, and Supreme’ (Kath.U.1-3-15).In other words, it is beyond the five senses and the fiveelementstoo.It isbeyondthecauseofthefiveelements,theHiranyagarbha.Itisthusbeyondanydescriptionbasedonanycharacteristic.

All such names and forms are negated in Brahman. 1.5. SB: िित िरव धमवण द रप दव स सवरपममन...

A subtle counterpoint is raised here by the rival theoristwho objects to the idea that Brahman does not have any

64 KenaUpanishad

characteristic.HepointsouthowBrahman isoftendescribedasconsciousness.Severalscriptural linesassociateBrahmanwithconsciousness.Itisagreedthatconsciousnessisnotthedharma, property, of any of the five elements or any of theirderivatives (including the body-mind complex) we see. Butthe scriptures say that Brahman is consciousness. Hencethe questioner suggests – the attribute by which a thing isidentifiedcanbe takenas itscharacteristic,andby that logicconsciousnesscanbetakenasthecharacteristicofBrahman.

Thereareseveralscriptural linessaying thatBrahman isof thenatureofconsciousness.TheSBcitessuch lines fromdifferentUpanishads.

1.6. SB: सतमवम, थयानप दनःकरणदहननरिरोपयाणधदयारणरव...It istruethatconsciousnessisdescribedasthesvarūpa,

theveryself,ofBrahman.WhenwesaythatBrahmanhasnorūpam,characteristic,wemeanthatBrahmancannotbedirectlyseenbutItisindicatedthroughupādhi-s(likebody,sensesandthemind)only.WeknowBrahmanbecauseofItsmanifestationin thesedelimitingadjuncts. In fact,consciousnessfollowsusthroughallstagesoflife,startingfromchildhoodtilloldageandinallphysicalconditions,butdoesnotundergoanychange.Itisexpressedinallthementalmodifications(vṛtti)likesounds,butitisnotthosemodifications.

Here Anandagiri, the commentator on SB gives furtherclarification.Aquestionmayarise,hesays, thatanupādhi is always connected with the upahita,anobjectonwhichitimpartsitsproperties.HowcanBrahman,whichis(asaṅga),unattachedwithanything,canhavebody-mindcomplexastheupādhi?Heanswersbygivingtheexampleofsunreflectinginwater.Thesunhasnophysicalrelationshipwiththewater,butappearstogetdisturbedwhenthewatersurfaceisdisturbed,orappearsas divided when the water bodies are many.

HowtoexperienceBrahman?Anandagiriconcludeswiththeexpression viśhayānuparakta citsphuraṇaṃ brahmānubhavaḥ

KenaUpanishad 65

–whichmeansthattheexperienceofBrahmanistoremainaspure consciousnesswith total absence ofmind-modificationsrelatingtoobjects.Itismereawarenessunconnectedwithanyobject.

Scriptural statements such as – ‘consciousness, blissis Brahman’ – and such others are verbal ālambana-s, aidememoires, for understanding Brahman. These are vṛtti-s. Itis only when the vṛtti-s cease that a person remains as pure consciousness,andthatisBrahman.Thusthetextualline–‘Itis known to theunknownandunknown to theknown’standsestablished.

1.7. SB: दस बरहणरोरपममन पववण समबनधः...

The expression ‘yadasya’ connects to ‘brahmaṇo-rūpam’. It means, ‘whatever form you have visualized for Brahman’.TheUpanishadrefers to the two levelsofupāsanā which the human mind can conceive of. One is at the level of the human body itself. Several upāsanā-sareinUpanishadswhereintheseekerworshipsBrahmaninsomeupādhi – such as the right eye,thespaceintheintellect(daharākāśa) – in the human body itself.Thesearedelimitedconceptions,saysthetexthere.Ontheotherhand,whateverformyouarevisualizingatthedivinelevel (adhidaiva)isalsodelimited,becauseBrahmanisbeyondthedivinelevelwhichthehumanmindcanthinkof.Upanishadcalls it daharam,petty,(dabhram,insometexts,whichmeansthe same). They are called petty because they are delimited by upādhi-s. It implies that it is not easy to realizeBrahmanwhich isdevoidofanydelimitingadjuncts, tranquil (devoidofthe dualities which affect all beings), infinite, non-dual entitywhich is otherwise called bhūmā.

1.8. SB: एवम अथ ित समया मन अदयानप...

Asitappearsthatyourunderstandingisshaky,whatyouknow should be subject to further inquiry (mimamsya),Iguess.

66 KenaUpanishad

Havingthusbeentoldbytheguru,thestudentsatinsolitude,deliberated on Brahman with a tranquil mind, ruminated onthe scriptural statements which were explained by his guru,got validated them by logic and having assimilated and having brought it all intopersonal experience, he re-approached theguruandsaid–‘Iguess,IhaverealizedBrahman’.

* * *

I Know Not and I Know Too

2.0. SB: कथममन, शरणत...You may hear as to how is it internalized –

Mantra 2:

ियाह मन सतवदन िरो ि वदन वद च । रो िसदद दद िरो ि वदन वद च ।।2।।

nāhaṃ manye suvedeti no na vedeti veda ca . yo nastadveda tadveda no na vedeti veda ca ..

अहिमदयahaṃ na manye–Idonotthink(hold);सषवदइनsuveda iti–thatIknow(It)well;िna -not;िवदइनna veda iti – thatIdonotknow;वदचveda ca–Iknowtoo;यःिःyaḥ naḥ - he amongus;दवदtad veda–whoknows(asIknow);दवदtad veda–knowsItwell;िna–not;िवदइनna veda iti – that he doesnotknow;वदचveda ca – he knows too.

2. I do not think that I know Brahman as an object of myknowledge.Not that I do not know it too. I do know (donotknowtoo).HeamonguswhoknowswhatIsayknowsBrahman.Itisnotthathedoesnotknow.Heknowsit(andalso does not know).

2.1. SB: ि अह मन सतवदन, िरवयाह मन सतवद बरहन...Vedic mantras sometimes talk in paradoxical sentences.

This is one such. Thestudent here says – ‘I know and alsodo not know’. The teacher had said earlier that if someone says that he knowsBrahmanwell, hemerely knowsa lowerformofBrahmanand not Its real nature.He had said that ifthestudentknowsBrahmanatthelevelofself(adhyātma) or

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68 KenaUpanishad

among gods (at the adhidaivalevel),botharethelowerformsonly. It isbecausewhatever isobjectifiedbythemindcannotbeBrahman.Havingdeliberatedonthis,thestudenthasnowcomewithanunderstanding thathecannotsay that It iswellknownnorcanhesaythatItisnotknownatall.Hecannotkeepquiettoo.Heisinastrangesituation.

2.2. SB: िित नवपरनमषदध ियाह मन सतवदन, िरो ि वदन...

SBsays:Whenapersonsaysthatheknowsanobjecthehimselfcannotsaythathedoesnotknowitcorrectly.Itisaselfcontradiction unless it is a case of doubtful knowledge or wrong knowledge.NoritcanbemandatedthatBrahmanisanobjectwhich has to be known as a doubtful entity or that it has to be wrongly known.

Thestudent, though tested by the teacher in the abovemanner,isunshakeninhisunderstanding.HehasunderstoodtheimplicationofBrahmanbeingotherthanwhatwasdescribedas known (viditam) and unknown (aviditam). All that is known is a prameya, an object and unknown is somethingwhich istheunmanifest,thecauseoftheknown.Atmanisbeyondthecause-effect cycle.But it isa thingwhich is knowableas thescripture repeatedly says. If atman is not an object and yetknowable it means that it is none other than the knower himself. Thestudenthasalsorealizedthatatmancanbeknownthroughthe upādhi-s.

HereSBusesthreeexpressions–saṃpradāya(tradition),upapatti (logic) and anubhava (experience). This is the common approachofVedanta inunderstandingBrahman.What is toldis in the scripture is validated by logic and is brought into one’s personal experience.

Withthisfirmrealization,thestudentdeclares–‘whoeveramongusunderstandswhatIsay,knowsBrahman’.

KenaUpanishad 69

2.3. SB: कक पतिः दचिम इतआह िरो ि वदन वद च इन...What is it thathe realized?Hesaid,as themantrasays

– ‘not that I donot know, but I know It too’.Hehas realizedtheBrahmanwhichisbeyondtheknownandunknown,andbylogicalvalidationandexperience,hecamebacktotheteacher.He told the above words to indicate that he grasped the purport of his teacher’s warning and also to exclude the impression that it isnotanimproperunderstandingofadullstudent.Thewords anumāna and anubhava inSB refer tomananam and nididhyāsanam. Mananam is the process of contemplating on the logicality of the scriptural statement and to establishthe meaning firmly in the mind without leaving any doubt.Nididhyāsanam is the process of internalizing and bringing such understanding topersonalexperience.These two,when theyfructify,arecalledtherightunderstanding.HenceSBsaysthattheassertivenessofthestudentisjustified.

* * *

Knower Does not Know

Mantra 3

3.0. SB: भशषयाचयावासवयादया परननिवरत सवि रपण शतनः...Departingfromthewordsof thestudent, thescripture, in

itsownwords,summarizestheaforesaiddiscussion.Thewordsareparadoxical:

सयाम स म म स ि वद सः । अनवजया नवजयािया नवजयामनवजयाियाम ।।3।।

yasyāmataṃ tasya mataṃ mataṃ yasya na veda saḥ . avijñātaṃ vijānatāṃ vijñātamavijānatām .

यसय अममyasya amatam–theonewhorealizesthatBrah-mancannotbeknownasanobject;सय म tasya mataṃ - it isdeemedthatheknowsBrahmanwell;म यसयmataṃ yasya – thepersonwhopresumes thatheknows It (knows itasanobject);ि वद सःna veda saḥ-heknowsnot;नवजािाvijānatāṃ - forthepersonwhothinksheknows;अनवजाavijñātaṃ - it is not known;नवजाम vijñātam–itisknown;अनवजािामavijānatām – to the one who does not know it as an object.

3. Brahman isknown to thepersonwhoholds that It isnotknown. It is not known to the person who has merelyconceptualizeditbymind.Itisunknowntothosewhoknowand known to those who do not know.

3.1. SB: स बरहनवदः अमम अनवजयाम अनवहद बरहन...The word matamisfromtheSanskritroot‘man’(मि) which

means‘tothink’,‘tovisualize’or‘toconceptualize’.Matam(मम)

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is something which has been conceptualized at an intellectual level, somethingwhich is known as an object of knowledge.SBsaysthat therealizedpersonwhosaysthat it isamatam,not ‘known’ (who knows that it cannot be known by the body-mindcomplex),knowsBrahman.Hisunderstandingistherightunderstanding.Ontheotherhand,theunrealizedpersonwhosaysthatheknowsBrahmanhasmerelyconceptualizeditbythemind,madeitanobjectofthemind,andhencehisunder-standingiswrong.

The second line restates the same in different words –‘अनवजा नवजािा’.

3.2. SB: नवददनवदषरोः थरोकमौ पकमौ अवधयारन...

The two points of view of the realized and unrealized per-sonsarefurtheraffirmedbythescriptureinthewordsavijñātaṃ vijānatāṃ.SBsaysthatthosewhoknowitwell thinkthat it isnot known to them. Those who do not know it think that they do know it.

Anandagiri explains the paradoxical words in slightly different terms.Thepersonwhoknows (vijānatāṃ) the nacre (śukti),(thereality)doesnotknow(avijānatāṃ) the silver (the world) which is superimposed. Silver is avijñātaṃ,unknown,tohim. We know well that the superimposed silver (the world) is known (vijñātaṃ) to the ignorant (avijānatāṃ) only. Thus, fortherealizedperson,thesuperimposedworldisunknown,asheseesBrahmaneverywhere.

ThosewhosaythattheydoknowBrahmanarethosewhotrytoseeatmaninthesenseorgans,themindandtheintellect.Theydonotknowthedifferencebetweenconsciousnessandupādhi.TheyareinadelusionthattheyknowBrahmanthroughthe delimiting factors like intellect.

We can understand upādhi-s by taking the example of electricity. All the gadgets like bulb, fan etc., are indicating

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the presence of electricity. They are the upādhi,thedelimitingadjuncts.Fanmanifestselectricitybutbyitselfcannotbecalledelectricity. Similarly the sense organs and the mind indicate the presenceofconsciousness,buttheyarenotconsciousnessbythemselves.

* * *

Brahman – Revealed in All Cognitions

Mantra 4

This isoneof themost importantmantra-s in theUpani-shad.

4.0. SB: अनवजया नवजयाियाम इतवधरम । हद बरह...Inthepreviousmantra,itwaswellsettledthatatmanisnot

knowntothepersonwhotendstoobjectifyit.IfBrahmanweretobesomethingwhichistotallyunknown,thentherewouldbenodifferencebetweenanignoramusandthewiseperson.HowthencanthatBrahmanbeknownorexperienced?

Whenweusetheword‘experience’,wearealsoinferringanexperiencer. I seea flowerandexperience it. I say that Ihave experienced it. This formula does not apply in the case ofBrahman.InthecaseofknowledgeofBrahmanthereisnosuchexperiencer.Weuse thewordexperience inadifferentsense,thatis,inthesenseofbeing in that state of Brahman.ItispossibletorealizeBrahmanasyourownself.Thatisbeingtold in the next mantra.

परनबरोधनवहद मममरतव हह नवनद । आतमिया नवनद वीव नवदया नवनदऽमरम ।।4।।

pratibodhaviditaṃ matamamṛtatvaṃ hi vindate . ātmanā vindate vīryaṃ vidyayā vindatemṛtam ..

ममmatam– it is (said tobe)wellknown;पन-बरोध-नवददprati-bodha-viditaṃ - when it is realized (as the very self) in everycognition;नहhi–because;अमतवamṛtatvaṃ - immortality; नवदद vindate – attains; आतमिा ātmanā – by the (knowledge

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of)self;नवददvindate–attains;वीयवामvīryam-strength;नवदययाvidyayā–bytheknowledge(oftheself);नवददvindate – attains; अममamṛtam – immortality.

4. Brahman issaid tobecorrectly knownwhen it is knownas the very self of everymental cognition.Because, (bysuchunderstanding), oneattains immortality.Strength isattained through one’s own self and immortality is attained (realized)onlythroughknowledgeofBrahman.

4.1. SB: परनबरोधनवहद बरोध बरोध परननवहदम...Averydetailedofdiscussionisseenonthefirstlineofthis

mantra. The word prati-bodha-viditaṃ is a compound word in Sanskrit and it can be interpreted diversely. Prati means ‘every’; bodha means ‘cognition’ and viditam means ‘known’. The three wordshave tobeconnected togiveacoherentmeaning.SBexplains it as ‘that which is known as the very self of every cognition’.Cognitionrelatestoanobjectoranideaorafeeling.Iseeapeninfrontofmeanditiscognition.Irecallsomethingfromthepastanditiscognition.Ialsocognizemyfeelingsoflove,angerandsoon,whicharealsocognitions.WhenIhavethesecognitions,Inormallynoticenothingelsebutthem.TheUpanishad, however, says that behind every cognition thereis the presence of consciousness which is illuminating it and that Ihavetonotice thatconsciousness. It isonlywhenIamalwaysawareofthatconsciousness;Icanbecalledapersonwho knows the self.

Inotherwordsallcognitionsbecomeobjectsforconscious-ness.Themindandtheorgansaremerely instrumentswhichreflectconsciousness,चरदय अनभवञजक as the text Vedanta Par-ibhasha says. It means that they are mere indicators of thepresence of consciousness.

4.2. SB: सववापरतदशशी णचचछणकसवरपमयातरः...SB says Atman is सववापतययदशशी, that which illumines or

enables all cognitions. The word darśī literally means one who

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sees,but there isnoactofseeing inBrahman.Hence ithastobeunderstoodastheilluminerofallcognitions.Thoughitispureconsciousnessitappearsasthoughmixedupwithdifferentcognitions. These cognitions are not the nature of atman but are onlytheindicators.SBsaysthereisnootherwaytoattaintheknowledge of atman except through the cognitions.

Inorder tounderstand this,wemay take theexampleofclear,stillwaterwhichcannotnormallybeseenunlessthereisamovementinit.Someonedropsastoneintoitandweobservethe ripples caused in it. The pattern of the ripples indicates the fact that something has been dropped into the water. If thewater is pure and cannot be seen, the pattern of thewavesindicates the presence of water. Similarly the cognitions which appear in the mind indicate the presence of something which is the source of such cognition.

Cognitions of objects can be understood as names andforms.Ifthesenamesandformsareignored,whatremainsispureconsciousness,asSriVidyaranyasaysinPanchadasi.

‘ससमि ससमि असस लरोक बरोधसतदपकण । द बरोध मयातर द बरह’.......(Panchadasi 3-21). When the names and forms are ignored in whatever

cognition that takes place, what remains is pure awarenessonly.

Thus the expression पनबरोधनवददम means this. When youhavetheknowledgeofapot,youarenotonlyhaving(orrather rejecting) the pot-knowledge but also the knowledge of Brahman.Youhavetoonlydismissthenameandformofthepot and observe mere consciousness.

4.3. SB: अः परतपरतगयातमया नवहद बरह दया...

Itmeans that Brahman is the inner self and illuminer ofeverycognition.Whenthisisunderstood,itiscalledthecorrectunderstanding of Brahman. Such a student understands

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Brahman as something devoid of any change (increase ordecrease),whichisthenatureofwitnesstoeverything,eternaland unconditioned. It is something like space which cannotbe conditioned or defined. There is no change in the natureofspacewhetheritisdelimitedbyapotoracave.Justasthespace cannot be broken into parts, the consciousness too ispart-less,andunchanging.

TheSBquotesalinefromtheBrihadaranyakaUpanishad,whichsaysthatatman is theseerofallseeing, thehearerofhearing and the knower of all knowing.

4.4. SB: दया पतिः बरोधहरियाकवन बरोधहरियालकणि...Another school interprets the compound word prati-bodha-

viditaṃinadifferentway.Ifweseeanactionbutdonotseetheactor,wecanvisualizeorknowthepresenceofanactor.Thisanalogycanbeextendedforcognitiontoo.Inthisinterpretation,the compound word is interpreted to mean that ‘the self is known as the doer in the act of cognition’.Itisthroughthisactthatthedoerisknown.Itislikeweknowthepresenceofwindwhenthebranches of trees swing.

SB refutes this, saying that atman, in such case wouldbecomeamere substancehaving the capacity to cognize. Itwouldnotbeconsciousnessitself.Cognitionswouldbearisingand dying. When cognitions arise atman is distinguished orknownbythatandwhencognitionsarenotthere,itwouldbeameresubstanceunnoticed.Insuchacaseatmanwouldalsobeachangingentity,adelimitedobject(sāvayava), impermanent and interacting with other substances. All these are defectscannot be avoided if this interpretation were to be accepted.

4.5. SB: दनप कयाणयादयाियाम आतममिःसरोगजरो बरोध...SB also refutes the arguments of the logicians. Kanada

(kāṇāda) was the exponent of the Vaiseshika system ofphilosophy. This school is very close to another school called Nyaya school, propounded byGautama. According to

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these schools, consciousness (knowledge) is not eternal butsomething which is a product of the combination of atman and the mind. They hold that atman comes into (saṃyoga) contact withthemind,themindcomesintocontactwithanobjectandthus the cognition of that object takes place. Such cognition exists in atman in a relationship known as inherence by thelogicians.Whenabook is placedon the table, theyare saidto be having relationship called contact (saṃyoga).IfIseetherednessofaflower,therelationshipbetweenrednessandtheflower is known as inherence. Logicians say that knowledgeresides in atman in this relationship.

There are defects in this argument too. The first defectwouldbethatatmanwouldbeameresubstanceandinsentient.Itcontradictsallscripturalstatementssuchas–‘Brahmanisofthenatureofknowledgeandbliss’(Br.U.3-9-28),‘consciousnessisBrahman’(Ait.U.5-3).

4.6. SB: आतमिरो निरववतवि परदशयाभयावया...The second defect is as follows. Atman is niravayavi,that

which does not have any parts in it. An example of niravayavi is thespace,whichcannotbeslashedintoparts.Nodifferentiationcanbemadebetweenapot space,a roomspaceoracavespace.Ifsuchatman,whichisniravayavi,weretogetintocontactwith the mind (which is having parts in it and which belongs to a totallydifferentclass),suchcontactwillhavetoenablethemindto cognize all things all the time and not forget anything. There willbenorhymeorreasonformemory,becausememorywillalwaysbethere.Itwillbethereevenatthetimeofcognizinganewobject.Thiswillleadtoachaoticstate.Butwedonotreallysee such a situation.

4.7. SB: ससगवाधरमवातव च आतमिः...The third defect is like this. Atman will be categorized as

an object which is of interacting nature. This too contradicts the statementsfromscriptureandsmṛti such as – ‘the unattached

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selfdoesnotengagewithanything’(Br.U.3-9-26),‘unattachedbut supporting all’ (Gita 13-14).

4.8. SB: नयाशच – गतणवद गतणवया ससरज...Thefourthdefectisatthelogicallevel.Logicallyspeaking,

an object which has some characteristics can contact orinteract with another object of similar nature. Atman has no characteristicsandhencecannothavecontactwithanobjectofa dissimilar nature.

Hence, the idea thatBrahman isof thenatureofun-de-cayingconsciousnesswillstandestablishedonlywhenitisthewitness of all cognitions.

We may note that the acharya has refuted the logicians on thestrengthofscripture,logicandalsoexperience.

4.9. SB: तपतिः सवसवदया परनबरोधनवहदममतस...SB is now talking about the scriptural sentences which

say‘heseesatmanintheatman’(Br.U.)and‘youknowyour-selfthroughyourself’(Gita10-15).Herethetextssaythatonesees the self with the help of the self. They are referring to the stageofsādhanāwhereaseekertriestounderstandBrahmanthrough the process of śravaṇam,mananam and nididhyāsan-am. Realization is possible only through the intellect. Hence it isalsosaid thatonecanattainBrahmanthrough the intellectonly. The Gita too says some seekers realize atman through the mindbytheprocessofdeliberationonBrahman(Gita13-24).Wehavetounderstand it thisway.Duringsādhanā,practice,anartificialdistinctionismadeintheatmanbyreferringtotheintellectalsoasatman.Intheprocessofdeliberationonatman,the brahmākāra-vṛtti,(athoughtprocessinthemindthatoneisBrahmanhimself)arisesandstabilizesinthemind,becauseofconstantdeliberationonthescripturalsentencessuchas‘thatyouare’,‘IamBrahman’andsoon.Astheseekerprogressesinhisunderstanding,thisthoughtframe(vṛtti)toodropsoffandthe seeker remains in his own nature as pure consciousness.

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4.10. SB: ि त निरपयाणधकस आतमिः एकतव सवसवदया...

SBcautionsthatinreality,thereisnoknowingoftheselfbytheselfinBrahmanwhichisunconditionedconsciousness,whichisoneinnature.Tomakeanartificialdistinctionwithintheatman is only to facilitate the seeker. A practice in the duality mode leads to realization of the non-dual self. In truth, thereisnosuchdistinction.Justasalightdoesnotrequireanotherlighttoillumineit,consciousnessdoesnotrequireanothercon-sciousness to know it.

4.11. SB: बमौदधपक सवसवदयाया त कणभङतरतव...

SBisnowreferringtotheargumentofthevijñānavāda school ofBuddhism.TheBuddhistsalsousethewordsvasaṃvedyatā,knowingoneselfbyoneself.TheBuddhistssaythatknowledgeis born in themind and that it is momentary. If I look at anobject,myknowledgeof it ismomentary. Inthenextmomentthere is another cognition (knowledge) of the same object. Thus there is a continuousstream ofmomentary cognitions.The cognitions arise and die. Vedanta does not accept this but saysthatconsciousnessiseternal,thatitisnotbornandthatitnever dies. There is no time of origin of consciousness because in order to note that point another conscious entity would be needed. The concept of time itself is within consciousness. The SBcitessentencesfromdifferentscriptures–‘theactofknowingisneverlostfortheknower,becauseitneverceasestoexist’(Br.U.4-3-30),‘theeternal,thelord,theomnipresent’(Mun.U.1-1-6),‘thatgreatatman,isunborn,undecayingandimmortal’(Br.U.4-4-25)andsuchothers.ThesewordsofscriptureswouldbenegatediftheBuddhisttheoryweretobeaccepted.

4.12. SB: तपतिः परनबरोधशबदि निरिवाममतरो बरोधः परनबरोधः...Hereweseea totally different interpretationof theword

pratibodha. It means waking up, as though from sleep. A

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personwhoissleepingiswokenupbyanotherone.It issaidto be pratibodha. Here this waking up is from the darkness of ignorancerunningthroughseveralbirthsanddeaths.Insomecases like the sageShukaand sageVamadeva, thiswakingupcanhappeneffortlesslybecauseofthepracticedoneintheearlier lives. This is called nirnimittaintheSB.Inanothercase,apersoniswokenupbytheteacherfromhisignorance.TheSBalsoreferstoknowledgeoccurringinaflash-sakṛd vijñānam.

4.13. SB: निरिवाममतः सनिममतः सकर दया...SBdoesnotdismiss thisviewbutclarifies thatwhatever

maybethetypeofwakingup–whetheritisaneffortlesswak-inguporasuddenflash–theprocessismerelybyknowingtheatmanastheselfofeverycognition.Itismerelybyknowingso,a person attains deathlessness.

4.14. SB: अमरतवम अमरणभयाव सवयातमनवसथयाि मरोक...We readstoriesabout thenectar, thedivinedrinkwhich

is taken by the gods, whichmakes them immortal. The realmeaning of it is that the gods become immortal by realizing the self and not by drinking a potion. SB here says that theseeker has attained deathlessness; and this is due to the proper understandingofcognitions.Itislikesayingthattheproofofthepudding is in the eating of it. The fact that the seeker has attained deathlessness shows that the right way of understandingcognitions is to know Brahman in all cognitions. Wheneverthereisacognition,itisnotthecognitionoftheobjectbutitisthecognitionof theunderlyingBrahmanwhich is responsiblefor that. Such ability leads to deathlessness.

SBusesthewordsvātmani-avasthānaṃ,whichmeanstoabideinone’sownself.Itimpliesthatonewhohasnotrealizedthe self does not abide in one’s self. Where else does he abide in?Heabidesinthebody-mind-complexorinanegocreatedbythesociety.ItislikeRousseausayingthatamanisbornfreebuteverywhereheisboundinchains.Assoonasapersonisborn,

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hebecomesaBrahmin,aHindu,aChristian,anIndianandsoon. He also has a social identity depending on the job he does. Heisadoctor,anengineerorsomeoneofsuchdescription.TheUpanishadsaysthataperson’srealselfisnotthis.Therealselfis of the nature of pure consciousness. One who abides in this notion abides in one’s self. This is also called mokṣa,liberation.Itisliberationfromallotherdefininganddelimitingidentities.Itisnotdestructionoftheself,butexpansionoftheselftobecomeBrahman,bydestroyingthedelimitingidentities.

4.15. SB: ि हह आतमिरो अियातमतवम अमरतव भवन...Perceiving the atman as non-atman cannot be called

deathlessness. The question is as to what is non-atman(anātmā). Vedanta says that what all the human being achieves in this world or in the form of heavenly worlds is anātmā. All human achievement is related to this world. This is covered by what we call kāma and artha. Similarly the performance of righteousdeeds,calleddharma,alsoleadstoheaven.Thistoois impermanent. One has to come back to earth after the expiry ofthestockofgooddeeds.Hencethistooisanātmā.SBsaysthat such a situation is not deathlessness. You may be a highly virtuousperson,butyouarestillinthecycleofbirthanddeath.

SBheresaysthatdeathlessnessistheveryselfofatmanand hence it is not caused or created by anything but it is only realizedbyrightunderstanding.Mortalityordeathistoseecon-sciousness as anātmābecauseoftheinfluenceoftheprimordi-alignorance,comingthroughaseriesofbirths.

4.16. SB: कथ पतिः थरोकया आतमनवदया अमरतव नवनद...How then does a person attain deathlessness by the above

saidknowledgeofself?Thisisbeingexplained.Hitherto,SBhasexplainedthefirstlineofthemantra.Now

we are entering the second line. The second line says that one attainsstrength,vīryam,becauseoftheknowledgeofself.Thisstrengthleadstoimmortality.

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Remaining as one’s own self is to realize one’s nature as existenceandconsciousness (sat and chit) leaving aside the names and forms of the objects of cognition. Strength means the ability to abide with this notion and not to waver from this. SBsaysthatthestrengthderivedbyanyothermeanscannotanswer death. Other means include charitable activities,performanceof rituals, chantingofmantras,meditation, yogaand so on. All these are ephemeral in nature. The strengthderived from the knowledge of self is not such.

4.17. SB: आतमनवदयाकर त वीवाम आतमिरव नवनद...Aswehaveseeninaboveparagraph,theknowledgeofthe

self has to be known through the self only. We have seen how atentative,artificialdistinctionismadeinatmanbytentativelycalling intellectasatman.Thiswas thestageofpractice inadualitymode. In this process one attains the amṛtam, whichenlightens a person about his real nature which is deathless. ThestrengthneededforthisrealizationisalsocommendedintheMundakaUpanishad–‘thisselfisnotattainablebyapersonofweakmind’(Mun.U.3-2-4).

* * *

Realization – Here and Now

Mantra 5

5.0. कषया खलत सतरिरनवाकपरयाहदषत...

SBissympathizingwiththehumanpredicamentofgettingintovariouswombs–suchasdivine,human,demonicorghost-ly–whicharemerelyfilledwithahostofmiseries.Themiser-iesareintheshapeofbirth,growingup,old-age,diseaseanddeath. All this is due to the ignorance about one’s own self.

इह चदवदीदथ सतमसस ि चहदहयावदीनमही नविमषः । भषत भषत नवणचत धीरयाः परतयासमयाललरोकयाद अमरया भवनन ।। 5 ।।

iha cedavedīdatha satyamasti na cedihāvedīnmahatī vinaṣṭiḥ . bhūteṣu bhūteṣu vicitya dhīrāḥ pretyāsmāllokād amṛtā bhavanti..

इहiha–inthishumanlife;अवदीचavedīt cet – if it (atman) isknown;अथसतयमनसatha satyam-asti–thereisfulfillmentforhumanlife;इहiha – in this human life; िअवदीचna avedīt cet – if it (atman) is not known; महीनविनटःmahatī vinaṣṭiḥ - it is a mightyloss;भषषभषषbhūteṣu bhūteṣu–inallbeings,sentientandinsentient;नवनचतयvicitya – having found (realized oneness of atman); धीराः dhīrāḥ - the wise persons; पतय असमा लरोकाpretya asmāt lokāt – having departed from this world; भवनदbhavanti–theydobecome;अमाःamṛtāḥ - immortal.

5. Ifapersonhasrealized(atman)inthislife,thatisfulfillment(ofhis life).Ifapersonhasnotrealizedinthis life, it isamighty loss. Having realized atman in all beings the wise persons become immortal after having departed from this world.

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Human life is karma bhūmi – the plane of action

5.1. SB: इह एव चद मितषरो अणधकर ः समथवाः सि...The scripture says that a person can make or mar his life

inthishumanlifeonly.Thisistheonlyplacetoperformgood,bad, noble or ignoble deeds.Byperforminggooddeedsonemay achieve heavenly worlds. On the contrary, he may bedesignated to the nether-worlds if he does bad deeds. However if he acquires the four-fold sādhanā-s mentioned in Vedanta and also does the three-fold activity of śravaṇa,manana and nididhyāsana,hewouldbereadytorealizehisself.Thiswouldfreehimfromthecycleoftransmigration.Thisisthefulfillmentof human life.

Here SB gives different meanings for the satyam. Itsays that theword can refer to something that is eternal, ormeaningfulnessinlife,orgoodness,orabsoluteness.

A point of interest here is that the human life is calledkarma bhūmi inVedanta.MythologyandliteraturetellsusthatIndia(BharataVarsha)iscalledkarma bhūmi, in which all our prayers and rituals would yield result. Some even go to the extentofsayingthattheritualsarenoteffectiveoutsideIndia.This isameremisconception.Mythologyhasmerelyextolledthe greatness of the land but it does not mean that prayers andritualsarelimitedtotheboundariesofIndia.Weareawarethatthephysicalboundarieshavechangedalotinthelastonethousandyearsduetovariousconquests.AstudentofVedantahas to be clear in his mind that the human life is the plane of actionbutnotheavenandhell,whicharetheplanesinwhichone has to reap the fruit of action.

5.2. SB: ि च इह अवदी इन...The scripture warns that if one has not realized the self in

thishumanlife,itisamightyloss.Heisboundtocontinueinthecycleof transmigration,characterizedbybirth,old-age,deathand so on. He would not break away from that.

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5.3. SB: समयादव गतणदमौषमौ नवजयािनरो बरयाहणयाः भषत भषत....Hencethewisepersonswhoknowthemeritsanddemerits,

thosewhocandistinguishbetweenwhatiseternalandwhatisephemeral, would realize Brahman in thewhole universe. Inall things, sentient and insentient, they seeBrahman.This isthe meaning of prati-bodha-viditam,knowingBrahmanas theunderlyingprinciple ineverycognition,whichwasseenintheearliermantra.HenceSBcallsthemdhīrāḥ. The word actually means–thosewhoseetheirmentalmodifications(vṛtti) not as modificationsbutasthe indicatorsof theunderlyingBrahman(नधयम=बषनधि वतत,रान=हान इन धीरः).

Suchpersonswillhavenoideaof‘I’and‘mine’,orrather,they have transcended such idea. They have got over ignorance. They see the non-dual consciousness everywhere and remain insuchstateofnon-dualself.Forthemthedeathofthebodymindcomplexisnotdeath.SBsaysthattheybecomeBrahmanItself.

इन नविीयःखणः

Thus ends the second part

रीः खणः Part - III

Vainglorious Gods

1.0.a. SB: ‘अनवजया नवजयािया नवजयामनवजयाियाम’ इतयाहदशवणया...

In part two of the Upanishad we saw that Brahman isknown to him who does not see it as an object of cognition. It is not known to one who says that he knows it. Brahmancannotbeobjectifiedorconceptualizedbythemind.Whateveris conceptualized by the mind falls under the category ‘idam’,‘this’. When such a statement is made, the skeptic or thedull-witted personmay think that if at all something exists, itwill be known by the differentpramāṇa-s that the science of logichasprovided.Logictalksofdifferentpramāṇa-s,variousvalidmeansof knowledgesuchasperception, inferenceandcomparision. Hence a logician would think that if it is not known by any pramāṇa,itdoesnotexistatall.Whateverdoesnotexistisunknown.Itislikethehornofahare,availableonlyinwordsbutnotinreality.Lettherebenosuchdelusion,saysSBandtellsastorytoconveythatidea.

The first two parts spoke at the Absolute level, thepāramārthika level, as Vedanta calls it. They told about thenature of Supreme Reality and the way to attain it. But thisteaching is for an uttamādhikārī,a top-levelstudent,whohasattained the requisite discipline of mind and who has done deliberationonBrahman.However,theUpanishadfindsthatallarenotofthesameclass.Peoplehavetostartfromtheordinarymode of worship in a duality mode and gradually come to the higher level. The duality mode is called vyāvahārika level in Vedanta.ThustheUpanishadiscomingdowntoalowerlevelfor the sake of the ordinary person.

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WeseethattheUpanishadwhichhadearliersaid-nedaṃ yad idam upāsate (1-5)anddisapprovedtheideaofobjectifyingBrahman, is nowsuggesting the very same.Vedashave thestrategyof conveyinga concept directly andalso throughanallegorical tale. In fact the emergence of purāṇa-s is due to this.SageVyāsā, in the very beginning ofMahabharata hadlaiddowntheformula–इनहासपषराणाभया वद समषपबहय–thatthephilosophical concepts have to be conveyed to common people throughallegorical tales.Thepresent tale is an illustrationofthis.

Godsanddemonsarenotsomecelestialfiguresupabovethesky,wagingwarwitheachotherwithsomedivineweapons;they are the good and evil in the human mind. Shankaracharya explicitlytellsthisintheSBonChandogyaandtheBrihadaran-yaka Upanishads. devāḥ śāstrodbhāsitā indriya vṛttayaḥ….. asurāḥ tadviparītāḥ, hesays.Godsareourown thoughtpro-cessed illumined by thestudy of scriptures, and the demonsareoppositeofthis.Thefightbetweenthemisourowninternalconflictbetweengoodandbad,ādhyātmika saṅgrāmaḥ,asSBsays.

Thus,thestoryismeanttoprescribecertainprovisoslikerestraint of mind, restraint of senses, subduing the ego etc.EventhegodsfailtoattaintheknowledgeofBrahmanbecauseof their ego.

1.0.b. SB: दव हह बरह सववापरकयारण परशयासर दवयाियामनप...

SriShankaracharya,inhisvākya bhāṣyam has discussed more elaborately in this context, refuting the agnostics andatheists. However, it is briefly mentioned by him that theforegoing passages would show that Brahman is indeed theruleroftheuniverse,thegodofgodswhofavorsthegodsandachieves victory for them over the demons.

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The use of word Brahma

InSanskritliteratureandmythologytheword‘Brahma’referstowhatwecallBrahman inVedanta.Anotherword ‘Brahmā’referstothecreatorBrahma,thegodwithfourheads,consortofgoddessSaraswati. InVedasandalso inMahabharatawefind that only oneword ‘Brahma’ is used to denote both theSupremeBrahmanandalso the creator ‘Brahmā’. It appearsthatintheVedictimesthedistinctionwasnotyetmade.Hencewe have to take the meaning depending on the context.

In the present context, the word Brahma refers to the creator, otherwise known as Iswara, the Lord of the created universe. Vedanta visualizes four levels of understandingBrahman – Brahman, Iswara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat – aswesee intheMandukyaUpanishad.TheSupremeBrahman,being attribute-less, cannot be the one favoring gods anddisfavoring the demons. The tussle between the good and evil forcesisonlyatthetransactional level,atthelevelofIswara.VedantadefinesIswaraasmāyāvacchinnaṃ caitanyam. Māyā isthecreativepowerwhichmanifestsinBrahman.Thisisnotdevoid of consciousness. The consciousness associated with thismayaiscalledIswara.ThecosmicsubtlemindisknownasHiranyagarbhaandthemanifestationofgrosscosmosisknownas Virat. We need not get into details of these here.

1.0.c. SB: अथवया बरहनवदयायाः सत । कथम? बरहनवजयािया...

The narrative may be to extol or eulogize the knowledge of Brahman.Why?ItisonlybythisknowledgethatgodslikeAgniattainedeminence.Indrawasthepre-eminentamongthemandexcelled them all.

1.0. d. SB: अथवया दरववाज बरह इत...

AnotherreasonforthestoryistosaythattheknowledgeofBrahmanisverydifficulttoattain.Eventhegodsfailedthere

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initially and attained with great effort. It may be a matter ofconsolation and encouragement for mortals like us to pursue this knowledge.

1.0. e. SB: वकमयाणरोपनिषद नवणधपर वया सवव बरहनवदया...

Anotherreasonfortheallegoricaltalecouldbetoillustratethat all human ego and sense of achievement are merely mithyā, unreal.Mithyā does not mean absolutely unreal but thatitisunrealinrelationtorealityofBrahman.Eventheself-congratulatory position of the gods comes under this false sense of ego.

Mantra 1

बरह ह दवभरो नवभजग स ह बरहणरो नवज दवया अमहीन । ऐकनयासमयाकमवया नवजरोऽसमयाकमवया महहमन ।। 1 ।।

brahma ha devebhyo vijigye tasya ha brahmaṇo vijaye devā amahīyanta . ta aikṣantāsmākamevāyaṃ vijayo’smākamevāyaṃ ma-himeti ..

बरहमहbrahma ha – It iswell known thatBrahma; नवनजगयvijigye–achievedvictory;दवभयरोdevebhyo–forthegods.सयहtasya ha–ofthat(victory) it isalsoknownthat;बरहमणरोनवजयbrahmaṇo vijaye–inthevictoryofthatBrahma;दवाःdevāḥ – thegods;अमहीयदamahīyanta–feltmighty;ऐकदte aikṣanta – theyviewed (like this);असमाकमएवअय नवजयःasmākam eva ayaṃ vijayaḥ–thisvictoryisindeedours;असमाकमएवअयमनहमाइनasmākam eva ayaṃ mahimā iti – this greatness is really ours.

1. Theepisode iswellknown thatBrahmaachievedvictoryfor gods. The gods feltmighty in the victory of Brahma.Theyviewedit(lookedatit)so–itisindeedourvictory,thisgreatness is indeed ours.

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1.1SB: बरह थरोकलकण पर ह हकल दवभरो अथयावा...Brahma, as described above (the creator Iswara, in the

presentcontext,andnotSupremeBrahman),broughtvictoryforthegods,asthestorygoes.Iswaraensuredthatthedemons,theviolatorsoftheuniversalnormsandharmony,werebeatenback and the righteous forceswere given victory. The gods,such as Agni and others gloated in that victory.

They did not know that the victory was due to the lord who illuminestheinner-self(pratyag-ātmā).Thatall-knowinglordisthedispenserofthefruitofactionforallbeings,thesustainerof the universe and what all happens is a divine dispensation. Thegodsfailedtoknowthis.Eventherighteouspersonstendto forget the inner self at times.

1.2. SB: दवयाः ऐकन ईभकवनः...Thegods viewed their victory as their own, achievedby

theirowndelimitedselvessuchasAgni,Indraandothers.Theygloated–‘itisourvictory,itisourgreatness.Weareenjoyingthe fruit of our victory’. They did not realize the inner self which is the illuminer of all.

* * *

Strange Manifestation

Mantra 2

दधरषया नवजजमौ भरो ह परयादबवाभव न वजयाि हकममद कममन ।। 2 ।।

taddhaiṣāṃ vijajñau tebhyo ha prādurbabhūva tanna vyajānata kimidaṃ yakṣamiti

tat – that (Brahman); नवजजञौ ह vijajñau ha – it is well known that Itcame toknow;एषाम eṣām – (the arrogance) of these(gods);भयःtebhyaḥ-forthem(infrontofthem);पादषबवाभवprādurbabhūva–manifested,appeared; tat–thatBrahman;िवजािna vyajānata–(thegods)didnotknow;दकम इदम kim idam–whatthis;यकमइनyakṣam iti–aweinspiringBeingwas.

2. That Brahman perceived the egotism of the gods. Itappeared in front of them. They did not know what that being was.

2.1. SB: एव ममथयाभभमयािकणवया द ह हकल एषया...TheallknowingIswaranoticedthegodsgloatingwithfalse

pridewhichwastheresultoffalseunderstanding.Iswara,beingtheimpellingforcebehindallsensorycognitionsofallbeings,knew the false pride of the gods. Out of compassion for them lesttheyshouldsufferignominylikethedemons,heappearedinfrontoftheminaninexplicableform.Thatform,manifestedbyhis power of yoga was bewildering and spell-binding. The gods couldnotcomprehendwhatthatgreat,venerableformwas.2.

* * *

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Test for Gods

Mantra 3

ऽमनमबरवि जयावद एनदजयािीहह हकममद कममन थन ।। 3 ।। te’gnimabṛvan jātaveda etadvijānīhi kimidaṃ yakṣamiti

tatheti

अननिम agnim–toagni; अबवि te abṛvan–theytold;जावदjātaveda–ohknowledgeableone;एदनवजािीनहetad vijānīhi – (goand)knowwhatthisis;दकम इद यकम इनkim idaṃ yakṣam iti – whatthisaweinspiringbeingis;था इन tathā iti – (Agni said) yes(Iwilldoso).

3. ThegodstoldAgni–ohknowledgeableone!FindoutwhatthisYakshais.Hesaid,‘yesIwilldoso’.

3.1. SB: दजयािनः दवयाः सयानभवायाः द नवभजजयासवः अमनम...Thegods,withfear intheirhearts,persuadedAgnitogo

andfindoutwhatthataweinspiringbeingwas.Agniissaidtobethe purohita,thechiefpriestifwecansayso,amonggods.Alloblationsofferedduringtheyajña-sbythehumansarecarriedbyAgni to be delivered to different deities.He is also calledJataveda,whichmeansapersonfromwhomalltheknowledgeflows.HenceSBcallshimsarvajñakalpa,equaltoomniscientIswara.Thegodshenceencouragedhimsaying–‘youarethemostbrilliantamongus,goandfindoutwhatthisbeingis’.3

Mantra 4

दभरिव मभवद करोऽसीन अमनवयावा अहमसमीतबरवी जयावदया वया अहमसमीन ।। 4।।

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tadabhyadravat tamabhyavadat ko’sīti agnirvā ahamasmītyabravīt jātavedā vā ahamasmīti दअभयरिवtad abhyadravat–(Agni)rushedtowardsIt;म

अभयवदtam abhyavadat–theBeingaskedhim;करोऽनसइनko’si iti–whoareyou?;अननिःवाअहमअनसमagniḥ vā aham asmi–IamthewellknownAgni;जावदावाअहमअनसमइनjātavedā vā aham asmi iti–IamotherwiseknownasJataveda,thewiseone.4. AgnirushedtowardsIt.Itaskedhim–‘whoareyou?’He

said–‘IamthewellknownAgni,otherwiseknownasJata-veda,thewiseone’.

4.1. SB: थया असत इन द कम अभभ अरिव तपरन गवयािमनः । च गवन...

Agni said – ‘may it be so’. He rushed towards the great being. He was keen to address but he became too scared and speechless in front of that being. That being itself asked Agni – ‘whoareyou?’HavingthusbeenquestionedAgnisaidflatteringhimself–‘IamtherenownedAngi,alsoknownasJataveda’.4

Mantra 5

ससमनसतवन कक वीवाममन अपीद सवव दह हदद परणथवयाममन ।। 5 ।।

tasminstvayi kiṃ vīryamiti apīdaṃ sarvaṃ daheyaṃ yad-idaṃ pṛthivyāmiti ..नसमि तवनयtasmin tvayi – in such (well known person like)

you;कक वीयवाम इन kiṃ vīryam iti–whatisthepower(inyou);दहयdaheyaṃ-Icanburn;इद सववाम अनप idam sarvam api – all this; पनथवाम इन pṛthivyām iti – all that is present on earth. 5. TheYakshaasked– ‘what is thepower inawell known

personsuchasyou’?Agnisaid–‘Icanburnwhatallthatison this earth’.

5.1. SB: एवम उकवन बरह अवरोच ससमि एव...Insucharenownedpersonsuchasyou,whatisthemight

andvalor?Agnireplied–‘Icanburnandturnittoasheswhat

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allisthereonearth’.Thementionofword‘earth’issuggestiveofthewholeuniverse.ItmeansthatAgniwasindicatingthathecouldburnthewholeuniverse.(5)

Mantra 6

समर रण निदधयावददहन । दपपरया सववाजवि न शशयाक दगधत स एव निववर िरदशक नवजयात ददकममन ।। 6 ।।

tasmai tṛṇaṃ nidadhāvetaddaheti . tadupapreyāya sarva-javena tanna śaśāka dagdhuṃ sa tata eva nivavṛte nait-adaśakaṃ vijñātuṃ yadetadyakṣamiti

समरtasmai–tothatAgni;निदधञौ nidadhau – kept (in front); णtṛṇaṃ-abladeofgrass;ए दह इन etat daha iti – (and said) burnit;दउपपयायtad upapreyāya–approachedItfast;सववा-जविsarva-javena–withallspeed;दगधषि शशाक dagdhuṃ na śaśāka –couldnotburn; tat–that(bladeofgrass);स sa–he; एवtata eva–fromthereitself;निववnivavṛte – retreated; (and told)ि अशकम na aśakam–Icouldnot;ए नवजाषetat vijñātuṃ - knowwhatthiswas;यद एद यकम इनyad etad yakṣam iti – what this Yaksha was.

6. (Brahman) placed a blade of grass (in front of him) andsaid – ‘burn this’. He approached it with all his energy but couldnotburn it.He returnedand toldgods ‘I couldnotknow what this Yaksha is’.

6.1. SB: समर एवम अभभमयािव बरह रण निदधमौ पतरयानः...In frontofsuchvaingloriousAgni, Iswaraputabladeof

grass and said – ‘you may burn it and show your might in my presence.Ifyoufailtodoso,youhavetoshedyourvainnotionofstrength’.Agniwenttowardsthegrasswithgreatspeedandenthusiasm but failed to burn it.

Agnifeltcrest-fallen,ashamedhavingfailedinhisbravadoandreturnedtothegods.‘Icouldnotknowwhatthisbeingis’,he reported to the gods. (6)

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Mantra 7

अथ वयातमबरवि वयावनदजयािीहह हकमदकममन थन ।। 7 ।। atha vāyumabṛvan vāyavetadvijānīhi kimetadyakṣamiti tatheti

अथ atha – thereafter; वायषम अबवि vāyum abṛvan – (the gods)toldVayu;वायरो vāyo – oh! Vayu; एनविजािीनह etadvijānīhi – (goand)knowwhatthisis;दकम ए यकम इन kim etad yakṣam iti –whatthisYakshais;था इन tathā iti–yes,Iwilldoso.

7. Thegods toldVayu– ‘oh!Vayu,goandknowwhat thisYakshais’.Hesaid–‘yes,Iwilldoso’

Mantra 8

दभरिव मभवद करोऽसीन वयातवयावा अहमसमीतबरवीनमयाररशवया वया अहमसमीन ।। 8 ।।

tadabhyadravat tamabhyavadat ko’sīti vāyurvā ahamasmītyabravīnmātariśvā vā ahamasmīti

दअभयरिवtad abhyadravat–(Vayu)rushedtowardsIt;मअभयवदtam abhyavadat–theBeingaskedhim;करोऽनसइनko’si iti–whoareyou?;वायषःवाअहमनसमvāyuḥ vā ahamasmi–IamwellknownasVayu;अहमनसममाररशावाahamasmi mātariśvā vā-IamalsowellknownasMātariśvā.

8. Vayurushedtowards it.Thebeingaskedhim– ‘whoareyou’?He replied – I amwell known asVayu, I am alsoknownasMātariśvā.

Mantra 9

ससमनसतवन कक वीवाममतपीद सववामयाददी हदद परणथवयाममन ।। 9 ।।

tasminstvayi kiṃ vīryamityapīdaṃ sarvamādadīya yadidaṃ pṛthivyāmiti

नसमितवनयtasmin tvayi – in such (well known person like) you;ककवीयवामइनkiṃ vīryam iti – what is the power (in you); इदसववामअनपआददीय idaṃ sarvam api ādadīya–Icantakeholdof

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all;यदइदपनथवामइनyad idaṃ pṛthivyām iti – whatever is there on earth.

9. TheBeingasked–‘whatisthepowerinsuchwellknownpersonlikeyou?’Hereplied–‘Icantakeholdofallthatisthere on earth’.

Mantra 10

समर रण निदधयावदयादतसवन दपपरया सववाजवि न शशयाकयादयात स एव निववर िरदशक नवजयात ददकममन ।। 10 ।।

tasmai tṛṇaṃ nidadhāvetadādatsveti tadupapreyāya sarvajavena

tanna śaśākādātuṃ sa tata eva nivavṛte naitadaśakaṃ vijñātuṃ yadetadyakṣamiti.

समरtasmai–tothatVayu;निदधञौnidadhau – kept (in front); ण tṛṇaṃ-abladeofgrass;एआदतसवइनetat ādastva iti – (andsaid)takeitup;दउपपयायtad upapreyāya – approached It fast; सववा-जवि sarva-javena – with all speed; आदाष ि शशाकādātuṃ na śaśāka–couldnotlift itup;tat – that (blade of grass); स sa – he; एव tata eva – from there itself; निववnivavṛte–retreated;(andtold)िअशकमna aśakam–Icouldnot;एनवजाषetat vijñātuṃ-knowwhatthiswas;यदएदयकमइनyad etad yakṣam iti – what this Yaksha was.

10. The Yaksha kept a blade of grass in front of him and said – ‘hold it up’. Vayu approached it with all speed and energy butcouldnotliftitup.Hereturnedandtold(gods)–‘Icouldnot know who this Yaksha is’.

7-10. SB: अथ अिनर वयातम अबरवि ह वयारो...There after gods persuaded the strongest one among

them,Vayu.Theysaid–‘Vayu,goandfindoutwhatthisbeingis’.Vayuisknownforhisgreatstrength.Hecanblowawayevenmighty trees. He is otherwise calledMatarisva, the onewhomoves in the intermediate space between the earth and the sky.

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Heboasted–‘Icangraspanythingonearth’.However,hisfail-ureandignominywassimilartothatofAgni.(7-10)

Mantra 11

अथनरिमबरवि मघवि एनदजयािीहह हकमदकममन थन दभरिव समया नररोदध ।। 11 ।।

athendramabṛvan maghavan etadvijānīhi kimetadyakṣami-ti tatheti tadabhyadravat tasmāt tirodadhe .

अथatha–thereafter;इदरिमअबविindram abṛvan – the gods told Indra;मघविmaghavan –oh! Indra; दकमएदयकनमनkim etad yakṣam iti –what this Yaksha is; एद नवजािीनहetad vi-jānīhi–knowabout this;थाइन tathā iti–sobe it;दभयरिवtadabhyadravat – he rushed towards it; समा tasmāt – from him;नररोदधtirodadhe – (the Yaksha) disappeared.

11. Thegods then told Indra – ‘oh!Maghavan,proceedandknowwhatthisYakshais’.Hesaid–‘sobeit’,andrushedtowards it. The Yaksha disappeared from him.

11.1. SB: अथ इनरिम अबरवि मघवि एद नवजयािीहह...Thegodsthenrequestedtheirkinghimselftofindoutwhat

itwas.SBrefers tohimfigurativelyasParameswara, thesu-premelord.IndraisalsocalledMaghavan,apersonwhohasperformed several yajña-s and attained a lot of power. EvenasIndratriedtoapproach,themightybeingdisappearedfromthere.SBexplainsthereason.Indrawastheonewithgreatestsenseofpride.Thegreatertheego,thefartherIswaramovesaway from a person. Greater the pride less is the divine grace. IswaradidnotevengiveaninterviewtoIndratodemolishhispride of being the overlord of the gods. (11)

* * *

Appearance of Uma – The Goddess of Knowledge

Mantra 12

स ससमनवयाकयाश दरिमयाजगयाम बहशरोभमयाियामतमया हरमवी या हरोवयाच हकमदकममन ।। 12 ।।

sa tasminnevākāśe striyamājagāma bahuśobhamānā-mumāṃ haimavatīṃ tāṃ hovāca kimetadyakṣamiti .

सः saḥ-He(Indra);नसमि एव आकाश tasmin eva ākāśe – in thesamespace(whereYakshadisappeared);आजाम ājagāma –approached;नरियम striyam–awoman;बहशरोभमािाम उमाba-huśobhamānām umāṃ-(knownas)Uma,whoshonebrilliantly;हरमवीhaimavatīṃ-alsoknownasHaimavati;ा ह उवाच tāṃ ha uvāca–askedher;दकमदयकनमनkimetadyakṣamiti – what this Yaksha is.

12. Inthesamesky,Indraapproachedabrilliantlysplendorouswoman,Uma,alsoknownasHaimavatiandaskedher–whatisthisYaksha?

12.1. SB: द क ससमि आकयाश आकयाशपरदश आतमयाि...Indra stood for long, in that very place where the great

beingmanifestedandwithdrew,andstartedmeditatingonthesituation. His pride vanished and he became the seeker of truth now. He did not give up the pursuit like Agni and Vayu.

12.2. SB: स इनरिस क भकक बतदधवया नवदया उमयारनपणी...TheknowledgeofBrahmanissymbolizedhereasgoddess

Uma.SheappearsinfrontofIndra,havingrealizedhissenseof

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devotion.Shewasinagreatsplendorousform.Indeedthemostsplendorous thing in the universe is knowledge and hence the descriptionthatshewassplendorousismostappropriate,saysSB.AnothernameforherisHymavati,whichliterallymeansonewho is bedecked with gold ornaments. Such simple meaning maynotbeappropriateandhenceSBsuggeststhatHymavatimayrefertothedaughterofHimavan,theconsortofShiva.SheisalwayswithIswara,theomniscient,andhenceabletoknowandguideIndra.HenceIndraapproachedandaskedherastowhat that mighty being was.

इन ीयःखणः

Thus ends the third part

चतथवाः खणः Part - IV

The Teaching of the Goddess

Mantra 1

सया बरहन हरोवयाच बरहणरो वया एनदज महीधवममन रो हरव नवदयाञचकयार बरहन ।। 1 ।।

sā brahmeti hovāca brahmaṇo vā etadvijaye mahīyadhvamiti tato haiva vidāñcakāra brahmeti .

ह ha–asitiswellknown;बरहम इन Brahma iti–‘itisBrahma’;सा उवाच sā uvāca–shesaid;महीयधवम mahīyadhvam – you are becominggreat;बरहमणःवा एद नवजय brahmaṇaḥ vā etad vijaye – inthisvictorywhichindeedbelongstoBrahma;ः ह एव tataḥ ha eva–fromthat(teachingofUma)only;नवदाञचकारvidāñcakāra –(Indra)cametoknow;बरहम इन Brahma iti–thatitwasBrahma.

1. Astheepisodeiswellknown,shetoldIndra–‘itisBrahma.You are becoming great in the victory which indeed belongs toBrahma’. From suchwords only, Indra came to knowthatitwasBrahma.

1.1. SB: सया बरहन हरोवयाच ह हकल बरहणरो वर ईशवरसरव...

‘It was Brahman’, she said. The demons were in factvanquishedbyIswara;youweremerelyincidentalinthatcosmicscheme. You are gloating in the victory without knowing about thegraceofIswara.Yoursenseofprideisinvain,sheadded.GodsthenknewthatthemightybeingtheysawwasBrahman.The words ‘tato haiva’ mean that it was only from her words that godscametoknow,notindependently.(1)

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SBusestheexpressionnimittamātram, which means that gods were merely incidental in the event of over powering the bad forces in the universe. This is similar to what Krishna says in Gita –‘ohArjuna,yourfoeshavealreadybeenvanquishedbyme,youbemerelyincidentalinthewar’(Gita11-33).

A subtle point which has to be noted here is that the text is nottalkingaboutdeterminismandfreewill.Itisnotsayingthatwhat all we do is pre-determined. The point under discussion is abouttheSupremeConsciousnesswhichisbehindthesensesand the mind – prati-bodha-viditam (2-4). The intellect is merely a reflecting medium for the consciousness and all sensoryperceptions or enabled by consciousness only.

Mantra 2

2.0. SB: समयाद अमनवयायवनरिया ए दवया बरहणः ......

ThetextcomplementsthegodsAgni,VayuandIndraastheywerethefirstamonggodstogetclosetoBrahman.Hencethetextsays:

समयादया ए दवया अनरयाममवयानयानदवयाि दमनवयावातररनरिस हिनहदठि पसपरशतस हितपरथमरो नवदयाञचकयार बरहन ।। 2 ।।

tasmādvā ete devā atitarāmivānyāndevān yadagnirvāyurindraste hyenannediṣṭhaṃ paspṛśuste hyenatprathamo vidāñcakāra brahmeti .

यद अननिः वायषः इदरिः yad agniḥ vāyuḥ indraḥ te – because these(gods)Agni,VayuandIndra;ह एिद िददष पसपशषः ha enad nediṣṭhaṃ paspṛśuḥ - went closest and contacted it; नह te hi–becausethey;एि पथमः नवदाञचकार enat prathamaḥ vidāñ-cakāra–knewthisfirst;बरहम इन Brahma iti–asBrahma;समाद वा tasmād vā–becauseofthat;ए दवाete devā – these gods; अनराम इवatitarām iva–excelled;अदयाि दवािanyān devān – other gods.

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2. Becausethesegods,Agni,VayuandIndra,wentclosesttoBrahman,contacted Itandknew ItfirstasBrahman–hence they excelled all other gods.

2.1. SB: समया सवरः गतणरः अनरयाममव शणकगतणयाहदमहयाभयागरः...

Fortheabovereason,thethreegodsmentionedaboveex-celledtheothergodsbytheirvalor,characterandsuchgreatqualities.TheywentclosesttoBrahmanandinteractedwithIt.TheywerethefirsttoknowthatitwasBrahman.(2)

3.0. SB: समयाद अमनवया अनप इनरिवयाकयादव...

BecausethetwogodsAgniandVayucametoknowaboutBrahmanonlybythewordsofIndra,andbecauseIndrahearditdirectlyfromUma–

Mantra 3

समयादया इनरिरोऽनरयाममवयानयानदवयाि स हिनहदठि पसपशवा स हि परथमरो नवदयाञचकयार बरहन ।। 3 ।।

tasmādvā indro’titarāmivānyāndevān sa hyenannediṣṭhaṃ pasparśa sa hyenat prathamo vidāñcakāra brahmeti

समाद वा tasmād vā–becauseofthat;इदरिः indraḥ - the god Indra; अनराम इवatitarām iva – surely excelled; अदयाि दवािanyān devān–othergods;सः saḥ-he;िददषपसपशवा nediṣṭhaṃ pasparśa – contacted in nearest range; एि enat – this one (Yaksha);स नह sa hi–onlybecausehe;एि enat – this one (Yaksha); पथमरोनवदाञचकारprathamo vidāñcakāra – knew for the firsttime;बरहम इन Brahma iti–thatitisBrahma.

3. Becauseofthat,Indrasurelyexcelledothergods;becausehewentclosesttoBrahman,contactedItandhewasthefirsttoknowthatItwasBrahman.

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3.1. SB: समयाद वर इनरिः अनरयाममव अनशर इव अनयाि दवयाि...Indeed,itisduetotheabovereason,Indraattainedpre-em-

inenceamongallothergods.HewentclosesttoBrahmanandhewasthefirsttoknowIt.(3)

* * *

Contemplation at Divine Level

Mantra 4

सरष आदशरो दनददतरो वदतदया 3 इीनमीममषदया 3 इतणधदरवम ।। 4 ।। tasyaiṣa ādeśo yadetadvidyuto vyadyutadā 3

itīnnyamīmiṣadā 3 ityadhidaivatam .

सय tasya–ofthat(Brahman);एष आदशरोeṣa ādeśo – the way to teach is by analogy; यद yad – that; ए yetat – this (Brahman); नवदयषरोवदयषद आvidyuto vyadyutad ā – as though theflashofalightning;इन iti–itisso;इ it–and;दयमीनमषद आnyamīmiṣad ā–asthoughcloseditseye;इन अनधदरवमiti adhid-aivatam – (it should be so meditated) at the divine level.

4. ThewaytoteachthatBrahmanisbyanalogy.Itissimilartotheflashofalightningorliketheflappingoftheeyelid.Such (meditation has to be done) at the divine level.

Realization is like a flash

4.1. SB: स परकर स बरहणः एष आदश उपमरोपदशः । निरपमस...

Brahman is beyond words. It cannot be described.However,theUpanishadhastoteachBrahman.Howcanthatbedone?TheUpanishadtellsabouttheincomparableBrahmanthroughacomparison.How?Itgivestheanalogyof lightning.Thelightningflashesinafractionofasecondandlightsupalargearea.LikewisetheknowledgeofaBrahmanhappensasthoughinaflash.Itislikerealizingthattheropeisaropeandnotthesnake.Inaflashallotherfearsandattemptsdisappear.Freedomandhappinessareonlythroughknowledge.

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HereSBtriestoexplainthegrammaticalconstructionofthemantra. The words vidyuto vyadyutadāwouldmeanthatBrah-manflashedthroughlightning.Thiswouldnotbeprobablebe-causeitwouldmeanthatBrahmanhadtoborrowhisbrilliancefromthelightning.Hence,SBreadsthewordstomean–‘liketheflashofalightning’.Theelongatedāinthewordvyadyutadā denotes comparison.

SBtakesthereferencefromtheBrihadaranyakaUpanishadwhichsaysthattheappearanceofBrahmanisliketheflashofalightning(Br.U.2-3-6).

SBagainsaysthattheabovetwowordscanalsomean–‘like the brilliance of the lightning’. The word vidyutaḥ should be taken in the possessive case and not in the ablative case.

4.2. SB: अ च अपरः स आदशः । कः असमौ? नमीममषद थया चकतः...AnotheranalogygivenbytheUpanishadisclosingofthe

eyelid. This too takes place in a fraction of a second. This also referstotheSupremecompetenceofIswarainthecreationofthe universe and also in the manner in which he reveals himself.

Anandagiri,whohascommentedontheSBhasexplainedthe two analogies given in the above mantra. The flash oflightning takes place in a second but it drives the darkness away. Similarly the knowledge of Brahman drives ignoranceaway and all the cobwebs of themind get solved. The flashof lightning lightens up the whole world with its unsurpassed brilliance. It indicateshow theSupremeBrahmancreates thewhole universe in a flash. The flapping of a eyelid similarlyshowstheswiftnessofBrahmanincreatinguniverse.

This is comparable to the description of Lalita in the Lalita-Sahasranama – unmeṣanimiṣotpannavipanna- bhuvanāvaliḥ – that the mere opening of eyes by the goddess is the creation of the universe and the closing of the eye is withdrawal of the universe. This is the process of creation and dissolution of the universe.

KenaUpanishad 111

Thus we see that the above two analogies are interpreted tomeanthattheknowledgeofBrahmanoccurslikeaflashoflightning. They are also interpreted to indicate the omnipotent natureandswiftnessofIswarainthecreationofuniverse.

Whenwesay that theknowledgeoccurs likeaflash,wehave to remember that it can happen only in the person who has already disciplined his mind through the process of karma-yoga ordevotionorbythemethodsofselfrestrainttoldinPatanjali’ssutra-s.Itisonlyatrainedandpreparedmindthatcanreceivetheflashofinstructionbutnotanundisciplinedmind.(4)

* * *

Contemplation at the Level of Self

Mantras5and6relatetomeditationofagodwithattrib-utes,saysAnandagiri,thesubcommentatoronSB.

Mantra 5

अथयाधयातम दद गचछीव च मिरोऽिि चरदपसमरतभीकण सङकलपः ।। 5 ।।

athādhyātmaṃ yadetad gacchatīva ca mano’nena caitadupasmaratyabhīkṣṇaṃ saṅkalpaḥ .अथअधयातमatha adhyātmaṃ-nowatthelevelofself;यद

एद मिः yadetad manaḥ - that thismind; चछन इवgacchati iva – as thoughattaining (Brahman);अििचanena ca – and bythis(mind)only;उपसमरनupasmarati – meditates proximate-ly;अभीकणसङकलपःabhīkṣṇaṃ saṅkalpaḥ - continuous (intense) meditation.5. TheUpanishadnowgivestheanalogyatthelevelofself.

The seeker should pursue it as though his mind is attaining the Brahman (as though the mind is objectifying theBrahman).It isbythemindthatBrahmaniscontinuouslymeditated upon and continuously kept as the object of meditation.

5.1. SB: अथ अिनरम अधयातम परतगयातमनवषः आदशः उच...Having told about the analogies at the divine level, the

Upanishadgivestheanalogyattheleveloftheindividualself.The seeker has to pursue Brahman as though his mind isattainingitandgettingclosetoBrahman.

Aswenotedearlier,wearetalkingaboutaseekerwhohasdonesufficienteffortintheprocessofśravaṇam,mananam and nididhyāsanam and who has kept his mind continuously soaked

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inthecontemplationonBrahman.OnlysuchpersoncanattainBrahman.AstheKathopanishadsays–yamevaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ (Katha1-2-23)–theBrahmanisattainedonlybyhimwhoseeksitintenselyandconfidently.

It isonlybythemindthataseekercanrealizeBrahman.He has to meditate as though the mind is visualizing it,reaching it and capturing it. The word upasmarati is the same as upāsanā. Mind is the upādhi, the medium through whichBrahmangetsmanifested,asthoughitbecomestheobjectofcognition (viṣayīkriyamāṇamiva). The thoughts and memories (ofBrahman)inthemindaretheindicatorsofBrahman.

5.2. SB: नवदतणनमषणवद अणधदरव दरपरकयाशिधरमवा...The two analogies given at the divine level are that of

lightningandflappingofeyelid.Theswiftnessof light inbothexamplessignifiestheswiftnessofrealization.ItisBrahman’snaturetorevealItselfinaflash,asthough.Theanalogygivenatthelevelofselfisalsosimilar.Brahmanissaidtobeknownin every pratyaya,cognition,asandwhensuchcognitiontakesplace in the mind. The manifestation is simultaneous to thecognition. This statement is similar to the earlier statementprati-bodha-viditam(2-4)oftheUpanishad.Heretheseekerisadvised to meditate on the nature of cognitions. This is how even adullwittedpersonwillbeabletograduallyrealizeBrahman.This is by rejecting the names and forms in all cognitions and seeing the aspects of existence and consciousness in them.Without the help of this upādhi called mind and without the help ofcognitionsitwouldbedifficulttocomprehendBrahman.(5)

Mantra 6

दध दि ियाम दिममततपयामसव स एदव वदयाभभ हरि सवयावाणण भयानि सवयाञछनन ।। 6 ।।

taddha tadvanaṃ nāma tadvanamityupāsitavyaṃ sa ya etadevaṃ vedābhi hainaṃ sarvāṇi bhūtāni saṃvāñchanti .

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द हtad ha–It(theBrahman),weknowwell;विि िामtad-vanaṃ nāma–has thename tadvanam;उपानसवupāsitavy-aṃ-ithastobemeditatedupon;वििम इन tadvanam iti – as tadvanam;सःयःsaḥ yaḥ-hewho;एद एववदetad evaṃ veda –knowsthis(Brahman)inthisway;सवावानण भानिsarvāṇi bhūtāni –allthebeings;अनभसवाञछनदabhi saṃvācchanti – adore him.

6. ItisknownthattheBrahmaniscalledtadvanam.Ithastobe meditated upon as tadvanam. All the beings adore the personwhoknowsBrahmaninthismanner.

6.1. SB: द बरह ह हकल दि ियाम स वि दि स परयाणणजयास...

Anewnamewhichwedonotfindinanyoftheonethousandnames (sahasranāma-s of Vishnu, Shiva or Lalita which arepopular)isgivenbytheUpanishadhere.TheUpanishadshaveahabitofcoiningnewwords.WeseeChandogyaUpanishadgiving a name tajjalān and directing the seeker to do upāsanā on that. Here the meaning of tadvanam is tasya vanam,whichmeansthatthemostadorableandlovableaspectofallbeings.This is nothing other than the inner self, what Vedanta callspratyagātma. Brahman is the source for the existence andconsciousness in all beings and that is called pratyagātma. Names and forms may change but the essence of all beings is Brahman.Aseeker isadvised tomeditateon this.Thenametadvanam is coinedbasingon the characteristic that it is themostadorableaspectinallbeings.

All the names of Brahman, which we find in texts likesahasranāma-s,canbeunderstoodinasimilarmanner.TheyarenotspecificnamesgiventoindividualsbutnamesdescribingaparticularaspectorcharacteristicofBrahman.Forinstance,Vishnushouldbeunderstoodas ‘allpervading’,Shivashouldbeunderstoodas‘auspicious’andsoon.ThisiswhatSBcallsguṇābhidhāna,namebasedonacharacteristic.

KenaUpanishad 115

6.2. SB: अिि ियामया उपयासिस फलमयाह स ः कनशचद...One who does such upāsanā gradually loses his individual

self into the Supreme self of Iswara and sees all beings asnothing other than Iswara. He extends the same love to allbeingswhichheextendstoIswara.Henceallotherbeingstoo,reciprocate that love and behave as they adore him.

The above upāsanā is close to the bhaktiyoga described in the Gita. Though it is mentioned as upāsanā, it is in factclosertothepathofknowledgeshowninpartsIandIIoftheUpanishad.(6)

* * *

Concluding Words of the Teacher

Mantra 7

7.0. SB: एवमितभशषः...Havingbeeninstructedbytheteacherintheaboveman-

ner,thestudentraisesthisquestion–

उपनिषद भरो बरहीततकया उपनिषद बरयाही वयाव उपनिषदमबरमन ।। 7 ।। upaniṣadaṃ bho brūhītyuktā ta upaniṣad brāhmīṃ vāva ta

upaniṣadamabrūmeti .भरोbho –Ohsir!; उपनिषदबरनह इन upaniṣadaṃ brūhi iti –

tellme theUpanishad;उकाuktā – itwas told (already);बराहमी वाव brāhmīṃ vāva – relating to the Brahman only; उपनिषदम upaniṣadam - theUpanishad;अबरम इनabrūma iti – we have told already. 6. (Thestudent)‘Ohsir!TellmetheUpanishad’.(Theteach-

er)‘Upanishadhasbeentoldtoyou.WetoldyoutheUpan-ishadrelatingtoBrahmanonly’.

7.1. SB: एवमतकवन भशष आह आचयावाः उकया अभभहहया...Here the discussion is on whether the knowledge of

Brahman should also be associated with any other activitylikekarma,worship,yogaetc.,foritsfulfillmentorwhethertheknowledgedoesnotneedanysuchactivity.HerethestudentwantstoknowwhethertheknowledgeofBrahmanisdependentonsuchmeans.He,however,doesnotpose thequestion inthis manner but he merely asks the teacher to tell further about thesecretteaching.ThewordUpanishadalsomeansa‘secretteaching’andhereSBreferstothatmeaning.

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The teacher clearly says that what all had to be told has been told. He further clarifies that what was told was aboutBrahmanonlyandnotaboutanythingelse.

7.2. SB: परमयातमनवषयाम उपनिषद शतवः उपनिषद भरो........SBtriestoexplaintheintentionofthestudenthavingheard

theteachingoftheUpanishadabouttheSupremeself,whydidheagainasktheteachertotellhimthesecretteaching?Ifitisaboutwhathehasheardalready, itwouldbemererepetitionand hencemeaningless. SB calls itpiṣṭapeṣaṇam,making apasteofwhatisalreadyapaste.IfsomethingwasleftoverbytheUpanishad,itwouldnothavetoldthephala-śruti (the result ofteaching),thatthepersonwhoknowsBrahmanwouldattainimmortality after leaving the body (2-5). Hence, the questionwould not be about something which was left incomplete by theUpanishad,becausenothingwasleftoutbytheUpanishad.What,then,istheintentionofthestudent?

SB here uses two words śeṣa and sahakāri. The commentatorAnandagiri,whohascommentedontheSBhasgiven the meanings of these words. The word śeṣa refers to an integral part which is needed for achieving the result. The word sahakārireferstoathing,which,thoughsecondary,deservestobeassociated.ThequestioniswhetherkarmashouldbeanintegralpartofknowledgeofBrahman.There is thenotionofdoership inapersondoingkarma,whereas there isnosuchnotioninarealizedperson.Thesetwocannotcoexist,asweseein several places in Vedanta. Karma cannot even be a sahakāri,an activity which deserves to be associated with knowledge of Brahman.

Thestudent’s intention seems to be to know for certainwhether karma and other activities are needed either as integral parts of knowledge or as associates of knowledge. He wants to know,asinPrasnaUpanishad(6-7)wheretheteacherasser-tively says – ‘there is nothing beyond this’. Here too the teacher hastold–‘Upanishadhasbeentoldtoyou’.

118 KenaUpanishad

7.3. SB: िित ि अवधयारणममदम ः अनद वकवम आह ‘सर परो...’

HereisanobjectionbythediehardMimamsakawhodoesnotwanttogiveupkarmaunderanycircumstance.Hencehereferstothefollowingmantra(4-8) inwhichtheUpanishadisgoing to tell that austerities, self restraint and karma are thesupportingstructureforknowledge.Hencehesaysthatkarmatoo should be associated with action.

7.4. SB: सतम, वकवमतच आचयावण ि त उकरोपनिषद...

It is true that the Upanishad is talking about austerity,restraintandkarmabutnotinthesensethattheyareanintegralpart of knowledge. Knowledge is an outcome of deliberation on theUpanashadicstatementswhich tell about the unity ofself andBrahman. This is achieved by śravaṇam,mananam and nididhyāsanam as we have seen already. These are not partofkarmaorausterity.Karmaandausterityareneitheranintegral part of knowledge nor do they deserve to be necessarily associatedwithknowledge.Itistruethatinthefollowingmantrathey have been read along with and on par with the Vedas and the subsidiary branches of Veda but they have to be taken as means for purification ofmind and not as directly connectedwith knowledge.

Vedanta does not dismiss karma and austerity. It doesrecognize their importance in achieving the purity of mind for the seeker. Without niṣkāma-karma and austerities in theinitialstage, theseekercannotattainpurityofmind.Vedantacompares it to the cleaning of a glass surface in order to get thereflectionofsunlight.Cleaning,nodoubt,isrequiredbutitissunlightthatisneededforreflection.Knowledgeiscomparableto sunlight whereas karma and others are like mere cleaning process. They do not directly contribute to knowledge but remotely contribute to knowledge.

KenaUpanishad 119

7.5. SB: सहपठियाियाम अनप थयारोग नवभज नवनिरोगः सया...Theritualistmaystillarguelikethis.Thoughausterityand

othersarereadtogether,theymayallnothaveequalimportanceorstatus. Theymay have differentstatus. Austerity, restraintand karma have to be practiced along with the knowledge of Brahman depending on the context and suitability. In theperformance of yajña-sorritualstoo,asimilarpracticeisseenwhileinvokingdifferentgodsafterchantingthemainmantra.(Avery familiar example for Hindus is the Satyanarayana vratam). Differentdeitiesareinvokedinyajña-sfordifferentbenefitsbutthe appropriate mantras are chosen while bidding farewell to them.Similarly,adistinctioncanbemadeaboutthenatureoftheaccessories.Hence,thoughtheknowledgeofBrahmanisthemainpointhere,otheraspectslikeausterityandkarmacanalsobe practiced simultaneously. The Vedas and their subsidiaries (Vedanga)doillustrateandelaboratethemeaningsofmantrasandhenceareusefultoattaintheknowledgeofBrahman.Thusitisappropriatetoviewausterityetc.,asintegralandessentialpartsoftheBrahman.

Knowledge is the notion of unity – karma is the notion of duality

7.6. SB: ि अतकः । ि हह अ नवभयागरो घटिया परयाञचन...SB refutes the above argument of the ritualists. The

present discussion does not allow any other associates for the knowledgeofBrahman.KnowledgeofBrahmanisknowledgeof unity, where all notions of duality have been discarded.Karmacanonlybedoneinadualitymode.Thereisasubject,an object and predicate in all karma-s. There is a result too. All this is possible in the plane of duality only. When such notion of dualityhasbeendiscarded,thereisnoneedforanykarmaoranyotherassociateactivityliketapas.KnowledgeofBrahmanpresupposes rejection of all attachment with the worldly objects and concerns only with the inner self. The result of such enquiry is liberation.

120 KenaUpanishad

7.7. SB: ‘मरोकममचछि सदया कमवा तजदव’...

SBquotestheauthorityofanothertextwhichassertsthatthe person who desires liberation has to give up all karma along with its associates. The person who can so relinquish can attain his inner self which is the ultimate to be realized. Hence the analogy with the mantras used in the context of yajña isnotapplicablehere.TheUpanishadclearlyassertsthattheknowledgeofBrahmandoesnotrequireanytypeofassociateactivity.(7)

* * *

Self-Discipline – The Pedestal for Knowledge

Mantra 8

सर परो दमः कमवन परनठिया वदयाः सवयावाङयानि सतमयािम ।। 8 ।।

tasyai tapo damaḥ karmeti pratiṣṭhā vedāḥ sarvāṅgāni satyamāyatanam .

सयरtasyai–forthatknowledgeofBrahman; परो दमः कमवाइन tapo damaḥ karma iti–austerity,restraint,ritualsandsuch;वदाः सवावाङानिvedāḥ sarvāṅgāni – the four Vedas and the six limbs ofVedas;पनषाpratiṣṭhā–thepedestal;सतयम आयिमsatyam āyatanam – truth is its abode.

7. Austerity, restraint, rituals and such others and also theVedasandthesixlimbsofVedasarethepedestalfortheknowledgeofBrahman.Truthisitsabode.

8.1. SB: यामममया बरयाहीम उपनिषद वयाग अबरम इन...

TheUpanishadisansweringthestudent.ThereareafewstrategieswhichareneededtoattaintheultimateimportoftheUpanishadwhichhasbeenexplainedtoyousofar.Theyareausterityandothers.Anabsolutecontrolandsteadinessofthebody,mindandsensesisausterity.Withdrawalfromtheobjectsof the world is called dama,restraint.Karmareferstoactivitieslike yajña.It isanestablishedprincipleintheVedantathatallthesedisciplinescontributetothepurificationofmind,whichisneededfordawnoftheknowledgeofBrahman.It isalsowellestablishedandseeninseveralinstances–suchastheepisodeof Indra and Virochana – that a seeker whose mind is not

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purifiedwillnoteitherunderstandcorrectlyorwillunderstandinatotallycontrarysenseevenwhenthisknowledgeofBrahmanis imparted to him.

8.2. SB: समयाद इह वया अीषत वया बहषत जनमयानरषत...

This is a tough requirement. Purity of mind cannot be achieved easily, says SB.One should have done austeritiesand others over long periods of time in a continuous manner. Not only in this life but in earlier births too. Such an effortwill engender knowledge. The scripture says – ‘knowledge is revealedtothatrefinedseekerwhofollowsthepathofdevotiontoIswara,besideshavinganequaldevotiontohisguru’(Sweta.U.6-23).ThisUpanishademphasizestheneedfordevotionbothfor Iswaraandalso to theguru.TheMahabharata toosays–‘knowledge arises in the mind of a person only when all the bad karmasarenullified’ (MB.Shanti.204-8).Neutralizationofallkarmacan takeplaceonlywith longperiodsofausterity.Wehave seen that the desire free action (niṣkāma karma) can ward offbothgoodandbadresultsofone’saction.Thepastkarmacan be neutralized by various good deeds recommended by the scriptures. It is also theassertion inVedanta that knowledgeeradicates all karma.

8.3. SB: इन शबदः उपलकणतवपरदशवाियाथवाः । इन एवमयाहद अनदनप...

The word iti in the present mantra is used in the sense ‘etcetera’, tosuggestsomemoremeans.Itmeansthattherearesomemoreactivitiesorcharacteristicswhichcontributetothe purification ofmind and prepare themind to receive theknowledgeofBrahman.ForinstanceGitatalksabouthumility,unpretentious nature and such others (BG. 13-7) as usefuldisciplineforthedawnofknowledge.InhiscommentaryonGitaSri Shankara explains the word pretentiousness as dharma-dhvajitvam – to hold a flag and proclaim that one is highlyvirtuous,advertisingone’sownrighteousness.

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The above accessories are compared to the feet or the pedestal for theknowledgeofBrahman.Astrongpedestal isneededforanyedificetostand.Austerityandothercharacteristicsarelikethepedestalwhichgivesastrongbasetoknowledge.The Vedas and their six auxiliaries (Vedanga-s)alsoconstituteinthebase.Itisbecausetheyrevealandillustratekarmaandknowledge. The six Vedanga-s are meant for protection of the Vedas. Hence they are deemed as the feet supporting the edificecalledtheknowledgeofBrahman.

There are six subsidiary and complementary subjects for the Vedas. They are the Vedanga-s referred to above. The six subjects are – linguistics, the Vedic grammar, prosody,etymology, astronomy and the mathematical/engineeringproceduresforconstructionof thedaisforyajña-s. These are compulsorilystudiedbytheVedicscholarsforacomprehensiveunderstandingofVedas.

8.4. SB: अथवया, परनठियाशबदस पयादरपकलपियाथवातवया वदयासत इरयाणण सवयावाङयानि...

Becauseofthecomparisonwithapedestal,anotherwaytointerpret the line is to consider the Vedas as the head and the Vedangas as the limbs of such body (called the knowledge of Brahman).Herethesix limbsoftheVedas(notedabove)arealso to be considered. The limbs (aṅga-s) have to be necessarily considered once the main body (aṅgi) is taken, because thelimbs depend on the main body.

8.5. SB: सतम आि तर नठिततपनिष दयािम...

Thewhole teaching isstructuredontruth.HerethewordtruthisnotusedintheabsolutesenseofreferringtoBrahman,butusedinthecolloquialsense.SBelaboratesthisbysayingthat it refers to innocence and absence of crookedness in thought,wordsandaction.Thisisknownaspurityofthethree

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limbs, trikaraṇa-śuddhiḥ. The knowledge of Brahman dawnsonlyinsuchpious,innocentmindsbutnotinthecrookedmindslongingforsensualpleasures.ThelinefromPrasnaUpanishad(1-16) asserts this.Hence truth is visualized as the pedestalonwhich thewholestructure of Brahman-knowledgestands.Austerityetc.,arementionedasthefeetandtruthismentionedas the abode. This ismerely to emphasize that truthstandsaboveallothers.Itisthehighestmeans.

TheSBquotesaversefromVishnu-smriti–‘ifonehastoweigh truth on one side and a thousand aśvamedha yajña-s on theothersideofabalance,thebalancewouldshowthattruthoutweighs the thousand yajña-s ’.Truthfulness is thehighestvirtue.(8)

Mantra 9

रो वया एयामव वदयापहत पयापमयािमिन सवगव लरोक ज परननठिन परननठिन ।। 9 ।।

yo vā etāmevaṃ vedāpahatya pāpmānamanante svarge loke jyeye pratitiṣṭhati pratitiṣṭhati .

यरो वाyo vā–theonewhoreally;एाम एव वद etām evaṃ veda – knows this knowledge (of Brahman) in this manner;अपहतय पापमािम apahatya pāpmānam – having got rid of sins; अिद anante – the infinite; सवव लरोक svarge loke – heaven-lyabode;जयय jyeye– theSupremeone;पननषनpratitiṣṭhati पननषनpratitiṣṭhati–getsestablishedinit–getsestablishedin it.

8. TheonewhorealizesBrahmaninthemannertold intheUpanishad, having got rid of all the sinful deeds, getsestablishedintheinfiniteSupremeheavenlyabode.Getsestablishedinit.

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9. SB: रो वर एया बरहनवदयाम किमषम इतयाहदिया थरोकयाम...

The Upanishad concludes by saying that the one whorealizesBrahmaninthemannerdescribedintheUpanishadwillattainthehighestgoal,liberation.SBusesthewordmahābhāgā torefertotheknowledgeofBrahman.Thisisaweightyword.The derivation of the word bhagavan is –

उतपकत च नवियाश च भयाियामयागत गनम । वणत नवदयामनवदया च स वयाचरो भगवयानिन ।।

The one who knows the creation and dissolution, theemergence of jīva-s and their journey and the one who knows vidyā and avidyā is Bhagavan – the verse says. This is what a realized person also is.

Here, the SB is probably reminding that the one whorealizesBrahman in thesaidmanner isBrahman,andhencedescribing the teaching as mahābhāgā – mahā, mighty andbhāgā,relatingtoBhagavāntheBrahman.

This knowledge is also said to be sarvavidyāpratiṣṭhā,thebase on which all other worldly knowledge depends. Though it was earlier said that such a person would attain immortality (2-4),itisbeingreiteratedbythescriptureindifferentwords.

Such a person will get rid of the seed of samsāra, thetransmigrating existence. The seed is ignorance, whichgenerates desire and desire prompts a person to do karma-s of varioustypes.Thiswouldhavetheeffectofthrowingthepersonin the wheel of samsāra.Therealizedperson,however,shakesofftheseactions,goodandbad.

What happens to him next? He gets established in theinfiniteheavenlyabode,astheUpanishadsays.AsstudentsofVedantaweknowthatheavenisnotinfinite,butfinite.Thewordananta,endlessdistinguishesthisfromheavenandimpliesthatword‘heaven’isusedinafigurativesense.Itreferstothestate

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ofrealization,thestateofblisscalledBrahmanandnottoanyheavenly abode which the performers of yajña-s would attain. Another word jyeyealsosignifies thesame.Theword ‘jyeye’ means ‘superior to all’ – we may call it the heaven of heavens. Thatisone’sownSelf,whichisBrahman.Therepetitionoftheword pratitiṣṭhati is to indicate the end of the text.

इन चतथवाः खणः

Thus ends part four

किरोपनिषतपदभयाषम समपणवाम

Thus ends the pada-bhashyam of Sri Shankaracharya

Shanti Mantra

ऊ आपयानत ममयाङयानि वयाकपरयाणशचकतः शरोतरमथरो बलममननरियाणण च सवयावाणण । सवव बरहमौपनिषद मयाह बरह निरयाकत याव मया मया बरह निरयाकयाररोदनिरयाकरणमसतवनिरयाकरण मऽसत दयातमनि निर उपनिषतसत धमयावास मन सनत मन सनत ।

ऊ शयाननः! शयाननः!! शयाननः!!!

हररः ऊ तस