KENA UPANISHAD

KENA UPANISHAD

FIRST PART

I. By whom missioned falls the mind shot to its mark? By whom yoked does the first life-breath move forward on its paths? By whom impelled is this word that men speak? What god set eye and ear to their workings?

2. That which is hearing behind the hearing, mind of the mind, the word behind the speech, that too is life of the life-breath, sight behind the sight. The wise find their release beyond and passing forward from this world they become immortal.

3. There sight attains not, nor speech attains, nor the mind. We know not nor can we discern how one should teach of That; for it is other than the known, and it is above beyond the unknown; so have we heard from the men of old who have declared That to our understanding.

Page-22

4. That which remains unexpressed by the word, that by which the word is expressed, know that indeed to be the Brahman, not this which men follow after here.

5. That which thinks not by the mind,¹ that by which the mind is thought, know That indeed to be the Brahman, not this which men follow after here.

6. That which sees not with the eye,² that by which one sees the eye's seeings, know That indeed to be the Brahman, not this which men follow after here.

7. That which hears not with the ear,³ that by which hearing is heard, know That to be the Brahman, not this which men follow after here.

8. That which breathes not with the breath,⁴ that by which the life-breath is led forward in its paths, know That indeed to be the Brahman, not this which men follow after here.

Or, "that which one thinks not with the mind,"

² Or, "that which one sees not with the eye,"

³ Or, "that which one hears not with the ear,"

⁴ Or, "that which one breathes not (i.e. smells not) with the breath,"

Page-23

Page-24

KENA UPANISHAD

SECOND PART

1. If thou thinnest that thou knowest It well, little indeed dost thou know the form of the Brahman. That of it which is thou, that of it which is in the gods, this thou hast to think out. I think It known.

2. I think not that I know It well and yet I know that It is not unknown to me. He of us who knows it, knows That; he knows that It is not unknown to him.

3. He by whom It is not thought out, has the thought of It; he by whom It is thought out, knows It not. It is unknown to the discernment of those who discern of It, by those who seek not to discern of It, It is discerned.

4. When it is known by perception that reflects it, then one has the thought of It, for one finds immortality; by the self one finds the force to attain and by the knowledge one finds immortality.

5. If here one comes to that knowledge, then one truly is; if here one comes not to the knowledge, then great is the perdition. The wise distinguish That in all kinds of becomings and they pass forward from this world and become immortal.

Page-25

Page-26

KENA UPANISHAD 

THIRD PART

1. The Eternal conquered for the gods and in that victory of the Eternal the gods came to greatness. This was what they saw, "Ours is this victory, ours is this greatness."

2. That marked this thought of theirs; to them That became manifest. They could not discern of That, what was this mighty Daemon.

3. They said to Agni, "O Knower of all Births, this discern, what is this mighty Daemon." He said, "So be it."

4. He rushed upon That; It said to him, "Who art thou?" "I am Agni," he said, "and I am the Knower of all Births."

5. "Since such thou art, what is the force in thee?" "Even all this I can burn, all this that is upon the earth."

6. That set before him a blade of grass; "This burn." He went towards it with all his speed and he could not burn it. Even there he ceased, even thence he returned; "I could not discern of That, what is this mighty Daemon."

Page-27

Page-28

7. Then they said to Vayu, "O Vayu, this discern, what is this mighty Daemon." He said, "So be it."

8. He rushed upon That; It said to him, "Who art thou?" "I am Vayu," he said, "and I am he that expands in the Mother of things."

9. "Since such thou art, what is the force in thee?" "Even all this I can take for myself, all this that is upon the earth."

10. That set before him a blade of grass; "This take." He went towards it with all his speed and he could not take it. Even there he ceased, even thence he returned; "I could not discern of That, what is this mighty Daemon."

11. Then they said to Indra, "Master of plenitudes, get thou the knowledge, what is this mighty Daemon." He said, "So be it." He rushed upon That. That vanished from before him.

12. He in the same ether came upon the Woman, even upon Her who shines out in many forms, Uma daughter of the snowy summits. To her he said, "What was this mighty Daemon?"

Page-29

Page-30

KENA UPANISHAD 

FOURTH PART

1. She said to him, "It is the Eternal. Of the Eternal is this victory in which ye shall grow to greatness." Then alone he came to know that this was the Brahman.

2. Therefore are these gods as it were beyond all the other gods, even Agni and Vayu and Indra, because they came nearest to the touch of That.. -¹

3. Therefore is Indra as it were beyond all the other gods because he came nearest to the touch of That, because he first knew that it was the Brahman.

4. Now this is the indication of That,—as is this flash of the Ughtning upon us or as is this falling of the eye-lid, so in that which is of the gods.

5. Then in that which is of the Self,—as the motion of this mind seems to attain to That and by it afterwards the will in the thought continually remembers It.

¹ By some mistake of early memorisers or later copyists the rest of the verse has become hopelessly corrupted. It runs, "They he first came to know that it was the Brahman," which is neither fact nor sense nor grammar. The close of the third verse has crept into and replaced the original close of the second.

Page-31

Page-32

6. The name of That is "That Delight"; as That Delight one should follow after It. He who so knows That, towards him verily all existences yearn.

7. Thou hast said, "Speak to me Upanishad"; spoken to thee is Upanishad. Of the Eternal verily is the Upanishad that we have spoken.

8. Of this knowledge austerity and self-conquest and works are the foundation, the Vedas are all its limbs, truth is its dwelling-place.

9. He who knows this knowledge, smites evil away from him and in that vaster world and infinite heaven finds his foundation, yea, he finds his foundation.

¹ Upanishad means inner knowledge, that which enters into the final Truth and settles in it.

Page-33