That is pure, That is Brahman, That alone is called the Immortal.
All the worlds rest in That. None goes beyond That. This verily
is That.
This verse indicates the origin of the tree of creation (the Samsara-Vriksha),
which is rooted above in Brahman, the Supreme, and sends its branches downward
into the phenomenal world. Heat and cold, pleasure and pain, birth and death,
and all the shifting conditions of the mortal realm--these are the branches;
but the origin of the tree, the Brahman, is eternally pure, unchanging, free
and deathless. From the highest angelic form to the minutest atom, all
created things have their origin in Him. He is the foundation of the
universe. There is nothing beyond Him.
II
Whatever there is in the universe is evolved from Prana and
vibrates in Prana. That is a mighty terror, like an upraised
thunderbolt. They who know That become immortal.
III
From fear of Him the fire burns, from fear of Him the sun shines.
From fear of Him Indra and Vayu and Death, the fifth, speed
forth.
Just as the body cannot live or act without the Soul, similarly
nothing in the created world can exist independent of Brahman,
who is the basis of all existence. His position is like that of a
king whom all must obey; hence it is said that the gods of sun,
moon, wind, rain, do His bidding. He is likened to an upraised
thunderbolt, because of the impartial and inevitable nature of
His law, which all powers, great or small, must obey absolutely.
IV
If a man is not able to know Him before the dissolution of the
body, then he becomes embodied again in the created worlds.
As soon as a man acquires knowledge of the Supreme, he is liberated; but if he
fails to attain such knowledge before his Soul is separated from the body,
then he must take other bodies and return again and again to this realm of
birth and death, until through varied experience he realizes the nature of the
Supreme and his relation to Him.
V
As in a mirror, so is He seen within oneself; as in a dream, so
(is He seen) in the world of the fathers (departed spirits); as
in water, so (is He seen) in the world of Gandharvas (the angelic
realm). As light and shadow, so (is He seen) in the world of
Brahma (the Creator).
When by means of a purified understanding one beholds God within, the image is
distinct as in a polished mirror; but one cannot have clear vision of the
Supreme by attaining to the various realms known as heavens, where one reaps
the fruit of his good deeds. It is only by developing one's highest
consciousness here in this life that perfect God-vision can be attained.
VI
Knowing that the senses are distinct (from the Atman) and their
rising and setting separate (from the Atman), a wise man grieves
no more.
A wise man never confounds the Atman, which is birthless and deathless, with
that which has beginning and end. Therefore, when he sees his senses and his
physical organism waxing and waning, he knows that his real Self within can
never be affected by these outer changes, so he remains unmoved.
VII
Higher than the senses is the mind, higher than the mind is the
intellect, higher than the intellect is the great Atman, higher
than the Atman is the Unmanifested.
VIII
Beyond the Unmanifested is the all-pervading and imperceptible
Being (Purusha). By knowing Him, the mortal is liberated and
attains immortality.
This division of the individual into senses, mind, intellect,
self-consciousness, undifferentiated creative energy and the Absolute Self is
explained in the commentary of verse XI, Part Third.
IX
His form is not to be seen. No one can see Him with the eye. He
is perceived by the heart, by the intellect and by the mind.
They who know this become immortal.
The Supreme, being formless, cannot be discerned by the senses, hence all
knowledge of Him must be acquired by the subtler faculties of heart, intellect
and mind, which are developed only through the purifying practice of
meditation.
X
When the five organs of perception become still, together with
the mind, and the intellect ceases to be active: that is called
the highest state.
The teacher now shows Nachiketas the process by which the transcendental
vision can be attained. he out-going senses,--seeing, hearing, smelling,
touching, tasting; the restless mind and the intellect: all must be indrawn
and quieted. The state of equilibrium thus attained is called the highest
state, because all the forces of one's being become united and focused; and
this inevitably leads to supersensuous vision.
XI
This firm holding back of the senses is what is known as Yoga.
Then one should become watchful, for Yoga comes and goes.
Yoga literally means to join or to unite the lower self with the Higher Self,
the object with the subject, the worshipper with God. In order to gain this
union, however, one must first disunite oneself from all that scatters the
physical, mental and intellectual forces; so the outgoing perceptions must be
detached from the external world and indrawn. When this is accomplished
through constant practice of concentration and meditation, the union takes
place of its own accord. But it may be lost again, unless one is watchful.
XII
He cannot be attained by speech, by mind, or by the eye. How can
That be realized except by him who says "He is"?
XIII
He should be realized as "He is" and also as the reality of both
(visible and invisible). He who knows Him as "He is," to him
alone His real nature is revealed.
This supersensuous vision cannot be gained through man's ordinary faculties.
By mind, eye, or speech the manifested attributes of the Divine can be
apprehended; but only one who has acquired the supersensuous sight can
directly perceive God's existence and declare definitely that "He is," that He
alone exists in both the visible and the invisible world.
XIV
When all desires dwelling in the heart cease, then the mortal
becomes immortal and attains Brahman here.
XV
When all the ties of the heart are cut asunder here, then the
mortal becomes immortal. Such is the teaching.
XVI
There are a hundred and one nerves of the heart. One of them
penetrates the centre of the head. Going upward through it, one
attains immortality. The other (hundred nerve-courses) lead, in
departing, to different worlds.
The nervous system of the body provides the channels through
which the mind travels; the direction in which it moves is
determined by its desires and tendencies. When the mind becomes
pure and desireless, it takes the upward course and at the time
of departing passes out through the imperceptible opening at the
crown of the head; but as long as it remains full of desires, its
course is downward towards the realms where those desires can be
satisfied.
XVII
The Purusha, the inner Self, of the size of a thumb, is ever
seated in the heart of all living beings. With perseverance man
should draw Him out from his body as one draws the inner stalk
from a blade of grass. One should know Him as pure and
deathless, as pure and deathless.
As has been explained in Part Fourth, verse XII, the inner Self,
although unlimited, is described as "the size of a thumb" because
of its abiding-place in the heart, often likened to a lotus-bud
which is similar to a thumb in size and shape. Through the
process of steadfast discrimination, one should learn to
differentiate the Soul from the body, just as one separates the
pith from a reed.
XVIII
Thus Nachiketas, having acquired this wisdom taught by the Ruler
of Death, together with all the rules of Yoga, became free from
impurity and death and attained Brahman (the Supreme). So also
will it be with another who likewise knows the nature of the
Self.
PEACE CHANT
May He (the Supreme Being) protect us both. May He be pleased
with us. May we acquire strength. May our study bring us
illumination. May there be no enmity among us.
OM! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!
Here ends this Upanishad
Kena-Upanishad
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 being to lead the mind from the gross
to the subtle, from effect to 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.
KENA-UPANISHAD
Peace Chant
May my limbs, speech, Prana (life-force), sight, hearing,
strength and all my senses, gain in vigor. All is the Brahman
(Supreme Lord) of the Upanishads. May I never deny the Brahman.
May the Brahman never deny me. May there be no denial of the
Brahman. May there be no separation from the Brahman. May all
the virtues declared in the sacred Upanishads be manifest in me,
who am devoted to the Atman (Higher Self). May they be manifest
in me.
OM! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!
Part First
I
By whom commanded and directed does the mind go towards its
objects? Commanded by whom does the life-force, the first
(cause), move? At whose will do men utter speech? What power
directs the eye and the ear?
Thus the disciple approached the Master and inquired concerning the cause of
life and human activity. Having a sincere longing for Truth he desired to
know who really sees and hears, who actuates the apparent physical man. He
perceived all about him the phenomenal world, the existence of which he could
prove by his senses; but he sought to know the invisible causal world, of
which he was now only vaguely conscious. Is mind all-pervading and
all-powerful, or is it impelled by some other force, he asked. Who sends
forth the vital energy, without which nothing can exist? The teacher replies:
II
It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of the
speech, the life of the life, the eye of the eye. The wise,
freed (from the senses and from mortal desires), after leaving
this world, become immortal.
An ordinary man hears, sees, thinks, but he is satisfied to know only as much
as can be known through the senses; he does not analyze and try to find that
which stands behind the ear or eye or mind. He is completely identified with
his external nature. His conception does not go beyond the little circle of
his bodily life, which concerns the outer man only. He has no consciousness
of that which enables his senses and organs to perform their tasks.
There is a vast difference between the manifested form and That which is
manifested through the form. When we know That, we shall not die with the
body. One who clings to the senses and to things that are ephemeral, must die
many deaths, but that man who knows the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear,
having severed himself from his physical nature, becomes immortal.
Immortality is attained when man transcends his apparent nature and finds that
subtle, eternal and inexhaustible essence which is within him.
III
There the eye does not go, nor speech, nor mind. We do not know
That; we do not understand how It can be taught. It is distinct
from the known and also It is beyond the unknown. Thus we have
heard from the ancient (teachers) who told us about It.
These physical eyes are unable to perceive that subtle essence. 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 God must be distinct from such knowledge. This is why
some declare God to be unknown and unknowable; because He is far more than eye
or mind or speech can perceive, comprehend or express. The Upanishad does not
say that He cannot be known. He is unknowable to man's finite nature. How
can a finite mortal apprehend the Infinite Whole? But He can be known by
man's God-like nature.
IV
That which speech does not illumine, but which illumines speech:
know that alone to be the Brahman (the Supreme Being), not this
which people worship here.
V
That which cannot be thought by mind, but by which, they say,
mind is able to think: know that alone to be the Brahman, not
this which people worship here.
VI
That which is not seen by the eye, but by which the eye is able
to see: know that alone to be the Brahman, not this which people
worship here.
VII
That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the ear is
able to hear: know that alone to be Brahman, not this which
people worship here.
VIII
That which none breathes with the breath, but by which breath is
in-breathed: know that alone to be the Brahman, not this which
people worship here.
Ordinarily we know three states of consciousness only,--waking, dreaming and
sleeping. There is, however, a fourth state, the superconscious, which
transcends these. In the first three states the mind is not clear enough to
save us from error; but in the fourth state it gains such purity of vision
that it can perceive the Divine. If God could be known by the limited mind
and senses, then God-knowledge would be like any other knowledge and spiritual
science like any physical science. He can be known, however, by the purified
mind only. Therefore to know God, man must purify himself. The mind
described in the Upanishads is the superconscious mind. According to the
Vedic Sages the mind in its ordinary state is only another sense organ. This
mind is limited, but when it becomes illumined by the light of the Cosmic
Intelligence, or the "mind of the mind," then it is able to apprehend the
First Cause or That which stands behind all external activities.
Part Second
I
If thou thinkest "I know It well," then it is certain that thou
knowest but little of the Brahman (Absolute Truth), or in what
form He (resideth) in the Devas (minor aspects of Deity).
Therefore I think that what thou thinkest to be known is still to
be sought after.
Having given the definition of the real Self or Brahman, by which mortals are
able to see, hear, feel and think, the teacher was afraid that the disciple,
after merely hearing about It, might conclude that he knew It. So he said to
him: "You have heard about It, but that is not enough. You must experience It.
Mere intellectual recognition will not give you true knowledge of It. Neither
can It be taught to you. The teacher can only show the way. You must find It
for yourself."
Knowledge means union between subject and object. To gain this union one must
practice, theory cannot help us. The previous chapter has shown that the
knowledge of Brahman is beyond sense-perception: "There the eye does not go,
nor speech, nor mind." "That is distinct from known and also It is beyond the
unknown." Therefore it was necessary for the teacher to remind the disciple
that knowledge based on sense-perception or intellectual apprehension should
not be confounded with supersensuous knowledge. Although the disciple had
listened to the teacher with unquestioning mind and was intellectually
convinced of the truth of his words, it was now necessary for him to prove by
his own experience what he had heard. Guided by the teacher, he sought within
himself through meditation the meaning of Brahman; and having gained a new
vision, he approached the teacher once more.
II
The disciple said: I do not think I know It well, nor do I think
that I do not know It. He among us who knows It truly, knows
(what is meant by) "I know" and also what is meant by "I know It
not."
This appears to be contradictory, but it is not. In the previous chapter we
learned that Brahman is "distinct from the known" and "beyond the unknown."
The disciple, realizing this, says: "So far as mortal conception is concerned,
I do not think I know, because I understand that It is beyond mind and speech;
yet from the higher point of view, I cannot say that I do not know; for the
very fact that I exist, that I can seek It, shows that I know; for It is the
source of my being. I do not know, however, in the sense of knowing the whole
Infinite Ocean of existence." The word knowledge is used ordinarily to
signify acquaintance with phenomena only, but man must transcend this relative
knowledge before he can have a clear conception of God. One who wishes to
attain Soul-consciousness must rise above matter.
The observation of material science being confined to the sense plane, it
ignores what is beyond. Therefore it must always be limited and subject to
change. It discovered atoms, then it went further and discovered electrons,
and when it had found the one, it had to drop the other; so this kind of
knowledge can never lead to the ultimate knowledge of the Infinite, because it
is exclusive and not inclusive. Spiritual science is not merely a question of
mind and brain, it depends on the awakening of our latent higher
consciousness.
III
He who thinks he knows It not, knows It. He who thinks he knows
It, knows It not. The true knowers think they can never know It
(because of Its infinitude), while the ignorant think they know
It.
By this text the teacher confirms the idea that Brahman is unthinkable,
because unconditioned. Therefore he says: He who considers It beyond thought,
beyond sense-perception, beyond mind and speech, he alone has a true
understanding of Brahman. They who judge a living being from his external
form and sense faculties, know him not; because the real Self of man is not
manifested in his seeing, hearing, speaking. His real Self is that within by
which he hears and speaks and sees. In the same way he knows not Brahman who
thinks he knows It by name and form. The arrogant and foolish man thinks he
knows everything; but the true knower is humble. He says: "How can I know
Thee, who art Infinite and beyond mind and speech?" In the last portion of
the text, the teacher draws an impressive contrast between the attitude of the
wise man who knows, but thinks he does not know; and that of the ignorant who
does not know, but thinks he knows.
IV
It (Brahman) is known, when It is known in every state of
consciousness. (Through such knowledge) one attains immortality.
By attaining this Self, man gains strength; and by Self-knowledge
immortality is attained.
We have learned from the previous text that the Brahman is
unknown to those whose knowledge is limited to sense experience;
but He is not unknown to those whose purified intelligence
perceives Him as the basis of all states of consciousness and the
essence of all things. By this higher knowledge a man attains
immortality, because he knows that although his body may decay
and die, the subtle essence of his being remains untouched. Such
an one also acquires unlimited strength, because he identifies
himself with the ultimate Source. The strength which comes from
one's own muscle and brain or from one's individual power must be
limited and mortal and therefore cannot lift one beyond death;
but through the strength which Atma-gnana or Self-knowledge
gives, immortality is reached. Whenever knowledge is based on
direct perception of this undying essence, one transcends all
fear of death and becomes immortal.
V
If one knows It here, that is Truth; if one knows It not here,
then great is his loss. The wise seeing the same Self in all
beings, being liberated from this world, become immortal.
Part Third
I
The Brahman once won a victory for the Devas. Through that
victory of the Brahman, the Devas became elated. They thought,
"This victory is ours. This glory is ours."
Brahman here does not mean a personal Deity. There is a Brahma, the first
person of the Hindu Trinity; but Brahman is the Absolute, the One without a
second, the essence of all. There are different names and forms which
represent certain personal aspects of Divinity, such as Brahma the Creator,
Vishnu the Preserver and Siva the Transformer; but no one of these can fully
represent the Whole. Brahman is the vast ocean of being, on which rise
numberless ripples and waves of manifestation. From the smallest atomic form
to a Deva or an angel, all spring from that limitless ocean of Brahman, the
inexhaustible Source of life. No manifested form of life can be independent
of its source, just as no wave, however mighty, can be independent of the
ocean. Nothing moves without that Power. He is the only Doer. But the Devas
thought: "This victory is ours, this glory is ours."
II
The Brahman perceived this and appeared before them. They did
not know what mysterious form it was.
III
They said to Fire: "O Jataveda (All-knowing)! Find out what
mysterious spirit this is." He said: "Yes."
IV
He ran towards it and He (Brahman) said to him: "Who art thou?"
"I am Agni, I am Jataveda," he (the Fire-god) replied.
V
Brahman asked: "What power resides in thee?" Agni replied: "I can
burn up all whatsoever exists on earth."
VI
Brahman placed a straw before him and said: "Burn this." He
(Agni) rushed towards it with all speed, but was not able to burn
it. So he returned from there and said (to the Devas): "I was
not able to find out what this great mystery is."
VII
Then they said to Vayu (the Air-god): "Vayu! Find out what this
mystery is." He said: "Yes."
VIII
He ran towards it and He (Brahman) said to him: "Who art thou?"
"I am Vayu, I am Matarisva (traveller of Heaven)," he (Vayu)
said.
IX
Then the Brahman said: "What power is in thee?" Vayu replied: "I
can blow away all whatsoever exists on earth."
X
Brahman placed a straw before him and said: "Blow this away." He
(Vayu) rushed towards it with all speed, but was not able to blow
it away. So he returned from there and said (to the Devas): "I
was not able to find out what this great mystery is."
XI
Then they said to Indra: "O Maghavan (Worshipful One)! Find out
what this mystery is." He said: "Yes"; and ran towards it, but
it disappeared before him.
XII
Then he saw in that very space a woman beautifully adorned, Uma
of golden hue, daughter of Haimavat (Himalaya). He asked: "What
is this great mystery?"
Here we see how the Absolute assumes concrete form to give
knowledge of Himself to the earnest seeker. Brahman, the
impenetrable mystery, disappeared and in His place appeared a
personal form to represent Him. This is a subtle way of showing
the difference between the Absolute and the personal aspects of
Deity. The Absolute is declared to be unknowable and
unthinkable, but He assumes deified personal aspects to make
Himself known to His devotees. Thus Uma, daughter of the
Himalaya, represents that personal aspect as the offspring of the
Infinite Being; while the Himalaya stands as the symbol of the
Eternal, Unchangeable One.
Part fourth
I
She (Uma) said: "It is Brahman. It is through the victory of
Brahman that ye are victorious." Then from her words, he (Indra)
knew that it (that mysterious form) was Brahman.
Uma replied to Indra, "It is to Brahman that you owe your victory. It is
through His power that you live and act. He is the agent and you are all only
instruments in His hands. Therefore your idea that 'This victory is ours,
this glory is ours,' is based on ignorance." At once Indra saw their mistake.
The Devas, being puffed up with vanity, had thought they themselves had
achieved the victory, whereas it was Brahman; for not even a blade of grass
can move without His command.
II
Therefore these Devas,--Agni, Vayu and Indra--excel other Devas,
because they came nearer to Brahman. It was they who first knew
this spirit as Brahman.
III
Therefore Indra excels all other Devas, because he came nearest
to Brahman, and because he first (before all others) knew this
spirit as Brahman.
Agni, Vayu and Indra were superior to the other Devas because they gained a
closer vision; and they were able to do this because they were purer; while
Indra stands as the head of the Devas, because he realized the Truth directly,
he reached Brahman. The significance of this is that whoever comes in direct
touch with Brahman or the Supreme is glorified.
IV
Thus the teaching of Brahman is here illustrated in regard to the
Devas. He dashed like lightning, and appeared and disappeared
just as the eye winks.
The teaching as regards the Devas was that Brahman is the only Doer. He had
appeared before them in a mysterious form; but the whole of the unfathomable
Brahman could not be seen in any definite form; so at the moment of vanishing,
He manifested more of His immeasurable glory and fleetness of action by a
sudden dazzling flash of light.
V