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Kena Upanishad: Meaning, Summary & Complete Text
Like the Isavasya, this Upanishad derives its name from the opening word of the text, Kena–ishitam, “by whom directed.” It is also known as the Talavakara Upanishad because of its place as a chapter in the Talavakara–Brahmana of the Sama–Veda.
Among the Upanishads it is one of the most analytical and metaphysical; Its purpose is to lead the mind from the gross to the subtle, from the effect to the cause. By a series of profound questions and answers, it seeks to locate the source of man’s being; and to expand his self-consciousness until it has become identical with God–Consciousness.
It is in this Upanishad that we find the famous words
“He who thinks he does not know It – knows It.
He who thinks he knows It – does not know It.”
The true knowers think they can never know it (because of It is infinitude), while the ignorant think they know It.”
“Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.”
Kena Upanishad / Talavakara Upanishad- 4 Sections
It has four sections, the first two in verse form and the other two in prose. The verse form deals with the Supreme Unqualified Brahman, the absolute principle underlying the phenomenal world and the prose form deals with the Supreme God, Ishvara. The knowledge of the Absolute is possible only for those who can withdraw their thoughts from worldly objects and concentrate on the ultimate fact of the universe.
The knowledge of Ishvara puts him on the pathway to deliverance over time. Such a worshipping soul gradually acquires the higher wisdom which results in the consciousness of identity with the Supreme.
The Upanishad opens with a few basic questions put by a sincere and inquisitive student of Brahma Vidya to his Guru. He asks his teacher:
1. Who commands and directs the mind to illumine its objects?
2. At whose command does the life force (prana) function?
3. At whose will do men utter speech?
4. What power directs the eyes and the ears (and other sense organs) towards their respective objects?
An ordinary man hears, sees, thinks, and he is happy that he can do all this. He is not keen to find out what stands behind the ear or eye or mind. His conception does not go beyond the little circle of his bodily life. He has no interest to find out what enables his senses and organs to perform their tasks. The sense organs like mind, eyes, ear, etc, are powerless by themselves. They require some power to make them function.
What is that power? It is the source of all power which is described as Brahman or the Self. Brahman is the Supreme Reality on which everything rests.
The layers of transmission of energy from the Cosmic Soul to the individual soul, from the individual soul to the intellect, from the intellect to the mind, from the mind to the Prana, from the Prana to the body and from there to the sense organs are not well known. Neither is the body alive and active nor are the sense organs capable of perceiving things as you imagine.
Neither is it true that the Prana is working of its own accord, nor can you think through the mind independently; nor is it true that you understand through your intellect; nor is it true that you are existing even as an individual isolated being, but for the fact of the power of the Universal Self.
These physical eyes are unable to perceive that subtle essence which is called the Brahman. Nor can it be expressed by finite language or known by finite intelligence, because it is infinite. Our conception of knowing finite things is to know their name and form, but knowledge of Brahman is distinct from such knowledge.
These physical eyes are unable to perceive that subtle essence which is called the Brahman. Nor can it be expressed by finite language or known by finite intelligence, because it is infinite. Our conception of knowing finite things is to know their name and form (e.g. an elephant); but knowledge of Brahman is distinct from such knowledge.
Whenever we perceive an object through our senses (direct perception, touch, smell etc) we try to recognize it by its species, quality, function or relationship (jaati, guna, kriya, visheshana). However, the does not possess any of these differentiating characters (like Jaati, guna etc). Hence it is difficult to clearly describe the nature Brahman to others. The Upanishad narrates a story to illustrate the point. Briefly, it is given here-
The Devas won an important victory over the Asuras. The Devas were elated and started celebrating the victory and were shouting “ this victory is ours and the glory is ours only”. The Great Being, God Almighty, thought, “These Gods, are thinking that they have won the victory and all the strength comes from them. Let me teach them a lesson.”
This Great Being appeared as some frightening spectre and sat on the top of a tree, near the abode of the gods. The gods just beheld it. “What is this peculiarly structured spectre?” they wondered. All the gods went to Indra and said, “Sir, something frightening is sitting on the top of a tree.” Indra called one of his emissaries, the God Agni, and said, “Go and find out what it is.
Agni & Spectre
Agni went and looked at this spectre, and It asked, “Who are you? “I am Agni, the God of fire. “Oh, I see. What can you do?. I can burn anything to ashes.
The whole earth I can reduce to ashes,” replied Agni. “I see,” said the spectre. It placed a little piece of grass in front of Agni and asked him to burn it. It was an insult to Agni. “You are asking me to burn a piece of grass”.
Agni ran with great speed to burn it to ashes, but he could not even move it, let alone burn it. He tried again and again, and he failed in the attempt to burn the blade of grass though he had the strength to burn the whole earth. He could not understand what had happened. He went back and told Indra, “I cannot understand who the creature is. “Send another person.
Vayu & Spectre
Next Indra sent Vayu. He too came back deflated and completely baffled. Then Indra went personally to investigate. The spectre had vanished. He met with Shakti of the Universe. She said “What you saw was the Supreme Creator Himself. You were under the impression that you won victory over the demons. How wrong can you be?.
What strength do you have? You cannot lift even a blade of grass. All the strength came from that Supreme Being. He was operating through you, and you felt that you did the work. To subdue your ego, the Creator came in this form and taught you a lesson.” Having said this, the Goddess vanished from that place.
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