Chapter 1The Kena Upanishad

Book 1. Kena Upanishad

FIRST PART k n Eqt

ptEt

Eqt

mn k n AZ Tm

Et y

t k n EqtA

vAcEmmA

vdE t c

k u d vo y

nEt

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

mnso mno yd

vAco h vAc

s u AZy AZ c

rEtm

Qy DFrA

yAmAokAdm

tA BvE t

2. That which is hearing of our hearing, mind of our mind, speech of our speech, that too is life of our life-breath and sight of our sight. The wise are released beyond and they pass from this world and become immortal. n t c

g QCEt n vAg

gQCEt no mn n Evo n EvjAnFmo yT tdn

EfyAt

a yd v tEEdtAdTo aEvEdtAdED iEt f

m p

ntd

yAccE r

3. There sight travels not, nor speech, nor the mind. We know It not nor can distinguish how one should teach of It: for It is other than the known; It is there above the unknown. It is so we have heard from men of old who declared That to our understanding. yAcAny

Edt

y n vAgy

td v b

EvE! n d

yEddm

pAst

4. That which is unexpressed by the word, that by which the

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One word is expressed, know That to be the Brahman and not this which men follow after here. y mnsA n mn

y nAh

m no mtm

td v b

EvE! n d

yEddm

pAst

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

qA n p$yEt y n c

Eq p$yEt td v b

EvE! n d

yEddm

pAst

6. That which sees not with the eye,2 that by which one sees the eye’s seeings, know That to be the Brahman and not this which men follow after here. yQC & o Z n f

ZoEt y n oEmd

td v b

EvE! n d

yEddm

pAst

7. That which hears not with the ear,3 that by which the ear’s hearing is heard, know That to be the Brahman and not this which men follow after here. yAZ n n AEZEt y n AZ ZFyt

td v b

EvE! n d

yEddm

pAst

8. That which breathes not with the breath,4 that by which the life-breath is led forward in its paths, know That to be the Brahman and not this which men follow after here. 1 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”.

Kena Upanishad SECOND PART yEd m ys

v d Et dB m vAEp n

v T b Zo )pm

ydy v

ydy d v vT n

mFmA ym v t

m y

EvEdtm

1. If thou thinkest 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. nAh

m y

v d Et no n v d Et v d c yo nt d t d no n v d Et v d c

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. yyAmt

ty mt

yy n v d s aEv*At

EvjAntA

Ev*AtmEvjAntAm

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. EtboDEvEdt

mtmm

Eh Ev dt

aAmnA Ev dt

vFy + EvyA Ev dt ,m

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. ih c dv dFdT symEt n c EdhAv dF mhtF EvnE- B

t q

EvEcy DFrA

yAmAokAdm

tA BvE t

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.

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One The wise distinguish That in all kinds of becomings and they pass forward from this world and become immortal. THIRD PART b

h d v yo EvEj.y

ty h b Zo Evjy

d vA amhFy t t e

tAmAkm vAy

Evjyo,mAkm vAy

mEhm Et

1. The Eternal conquered for the gods and in the victory of the Eternal the gods grew to greatness. They saw, “Ours the victory, ours the greatness.” t! qA

Evj*O t yo h Ad

b B

v t/ yjAnt EkEmd

y - EmEt

2. The Eternal knew their thought and appeared before them; and they knew not what was this mighty Daemon. t ,E.nmb

v0jAtv d etEjAnFEh Ekm t EmEt tT Et

3. They said to Agni, “O thou that knowest all things born, learn of this thing, what may be this mighty Daemon,” and he said, “So be it.” tdyd vt

tmyvdt

ko,sFyE.nvA

ahmmFyb vF2jAtv dA vA ahmmFEt

4. He rushed towards the Eternal and It said to him, “Who art thou?” “I am Agni,” he said, “I am he that knows all things born.” tEm vEy Ek

vFy EmypFd

sv + dh y

yEdd

ETyAEmEt

5. “Since such thou art, what is the force in thee?” “Even all this I could burn, all that is upon the earth.” tm

EndDAv t3h Et td

p yAy sv jv n t/ ffAk d.D

s tt ev Envv

n tdfk

Ev*At

yd t EmEt

Kena Upanishad 6. The Eternal set before him a blade of grass; “This burn;” and he made towards it with all his speed, but could not burn it. There he ceased, and turned back; “I could not know of It, what might be this mighty Daemon.” aT vAy

vAyv tEjAnFEh Ekm t EmEt tT Et

7. Then they said to Vayu, “O Vayu, this discern, what is this mighty Daemon.” He said, “So be it.” tdyd vt

tmyvdt

ko,sFEt vAy

ahmmFyb vF mAtEr4A vA ahmmFEt

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.” tEm vEy Ek

vFy EmypFd

sv mAddFy yEdd

ETyAEmEt

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.” tm

EndDAv tdAdv Et td

p yAy sv jv n t/ ffAkAdAt

s tt ev Envv

n tdfk

Ev*At

yd t EmEt

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.” aT d mb

mGv/ tEjAnFEh Ekm t EmEt tT Et tdyd vt

tmAE7rodD

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. s tEm/ vAkAf

EymAjgAm bh

foBmAnAm

h mvtF

hovAc Ekm t EmEt

Kena and Other Upanishads: Part One 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?” FOURTH PART sA b

Et hovAc b Zo vA etEjy

mhFy8vEmEt tto h v EvdA ckAr b

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. tmAA et

d vA aEttrAEmvA yAn

d vAn

ydE.nvA y

Er d t

n/ Ed:

ppf

nTmo EvdA ckAr b

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... 5 tmAA i d o,EttrAEmvA yA d vAn

s n/ Ed:

ppf

s nt

Tmo EvdA ckAr b

3. Therefore is Indra as it were beyond all the other gods be- cause he came nearest to the touch of That, because he first knew that it was the Brahman. ty q aAd fo yd tE

to y

tdA itF ymFEmqdA iyED - d vtm

4. Now this is the indication of That, — as is this flash of the lightning upon us or as is this falling of the eyelid, so in that which is of the gods. 5 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.

Kena Upanishad aTA8yAm

yd t;QCtFv c mno,n n c td

pmryBF<Z

s - kSp

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. t! tn

nAm tnEmy

pAEsty

s y etd v

v dAEB h n

svA EZ B

tAEn s vA0CE t

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. upEnqd

Bo b

hFy

tA t upEnqd

b A F

vAv t upEnqdmb

- m Et

7. Thou hast said “Speak to me Upanishad”;6 spoken to thee is Upanishad. Of the Eternal verily is the Upanishad that we have spoken. ty

tpo dm km

Et Et:A v dA svA =AEn symAytnm

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

v dAphy pA>mAnmn t

lok

2y y

EtEt:Et EtEt:Et

9. He who knows this knowledge, smites evil away from him and in that vaster world and infinite heaven finds his foun- dation, yea, he finds his foundation. 6 Upanishad means inner knowledge, that which enters into the final Truth and settles in it.