Part 4
Kena Upanishad
1. 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.
1. Uma said: "It is Brahman. You are victorious because of Brahman's victory." From her words, Indra knew that the mysterious form was Brahman.
Uma replied to Indra, "You owe your victory to Brahman. You live and act through his power. He is the one who acts, and you are all only instruments in his hands. So your idea that 'This victory is ours, this glory is ours,' is based on ignorance." Indra immediately saw their mistake. The Devas had become vain and thought they had won the victory themselves. But Brahman had won it, for not even a blade of grass can move without his command.
2. 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.
2. Therefore, Agni, Vayu and Indra are greater than the other Devas because they came closer to Brahman. They were the first to recognize this spirit as Brahman.
3. Therefore Indra excels all other Devas, because he came nearest to Brahman, and because he first (before all others) knew this spirit as Brahman.
3. Therefore, Indra surpasses all other Devas because he came closest to Brahman. He was also the first to recognize this spirit as Brahman.
Agni, Vayu and Indra were superior to the other Devas because their greater purity gave them a closer vision. Indra stands at the head of the Devas because he realized the Truth directly and reached Brahman. This means that anyone who comes into direct contact with Brahman, or the Supreme, is glorified.
4. 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.
4. This illustrates the teaching about Brahman in relation to the Devas. He flashed like lightning and appeared and disappeared as quickly as the eye blinks.
The teaching about the Devas was that Brahman alone acts. 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, as he vanished, he revealed more of his immeasurable glory and speed of action in a sudden, dazzling flash of light.
5. Next (the teaching) is regarding Adhyatman (the embodied Soul). The mind seems to approach Him (Brahman). By this mind (the seeker) again and again remembers and thinks about Brahman.
5. Next, the teaching concerns Adhyatman (the embodied Soul). The mind seems to approach him (Brahman). Through the mind, the seeker remembers and thinks about Brahman again and again.
Only through the mind can a seeker of knowledge approach Brahman. His glory and speed have been described as like a flash of lightning. Only the mind can picture the indescribable Brahman. And only the mind can follow him, because it is swift by nature. With the help of the mind, we can think and meditate on Brahman. When constant thought of him purifies the mind, it can reflect his divine glory like a polished mirror.
6. That Brahman is called Tadvanam (object of adoration). He is to be worshipped by the name Tadvanam. He who knows Brahman thus, is loved by all beings.
6. That Brahman is called Tadvanam (object of adoration). He should be worshipped by the name Tadvanam. Anyone who knows Brahman in this way is loved by all beings.
Brahman is worthy of worship and is the goal of all beings. For this reason, he should be worshipped and meditated on as Tadvanam. Whoever knows him in this aspect becomes one with him. They become a clear channel through which Brahman's blessings flow to others. Those who know God share all his lovable qualities and are therefore loved by all true devotees.
7. The disciple asked: O Master, teach me the Upanishad. (The teacher replied:) The Upanishad has been taught thee. We have certainly taught thee the Upanishad about Brahman.
7. The disciple asked: Master, teach me the Upanishad. (The teacher replied:) You have been taught the Upanishad. We have certainly taught you the Upanishad about Brahman.
8. The Upanishad is based on tapas (practice of the control of body, mind and senses), dama (subjugation of the senses), karma (right performance of prescribed actions). The Vedas are its limbs. Truth is its support.
8. The Upanishad rests on tapas (the practice of controlling the body, mind, and senses), dama (control of the senses), and karma (the proper performance of prescribed actions). The Vedas are its limbs. Truth supports it.
9. He who knows this (wisdom of the Upanishad), having been cleansed of all sin, becomes established in the blissful, eternal and highest abode of Brahman, in the highest abode of Brahman.
9. Whoever knows this wisdom of the Upanishad is cleansed of all sin. They come to dwell in the blissful, eternal, and highest abode of Brahman, in the highest abode of Brahman.
Here ends this Upanishad.
This Upanishad ends here.
This Upanishad is called Kena because it begins with the question: "By whom" (Kena) is the mind directed toward its object? From whom does life come? What enables a person to speak, hear, and see? In reply, the teacher defines Brahman, the Source and Basis of existence. The Upanishads always seek to show that everything in the visible world comes from one Source, whatever we see or feel.
The central theme of all Vedic teaching is this: One tremendous Whole becomes the world, and the world merges again into that Whole. Vedic teaching also seeks in various ways to define that Source. Knowing the Source, we know all else. Without it, no knowledge can be firmly established. Here the teacher replies: That which is the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, is the inexhaustible river of being. It flows on forever, while bubbles of creation rise on its surface, live for a time, and then burst.
But the teacher warns the disciple that the eye, ear, and mind can never perceive It. For It illuminates speech and mind, enabling the eye, ear, and all the senses to do their work. "It is distinct from the known and also It is beyond the unknown." Those who think they know It do not know It. For those who believe that the intellect or senses can grasp It never know It. But those who know It as the basis of all consciousness can know It.
The knower of Truth says, "I know It not," because he realizes the boundless, infinite nature of the Supreme. He declares, "Thou art this (the visible), Thou art That (the invisible), and Thou art all that is beyond." We usually think of knowledge as something based on what the senses perceive. But the knowledge of an enlightened Sage is not limited to his senses. He has all the knowledge that comes from the senses and all that comes from Spirit.
The special purpose of this Upanishad is to give us knowledge of the Real. With that knowledge, we need not come under the control of the ego by identifying ourselves with our body, mind, and senses. Mortals become mortal because they fall under the control of the ego and rely on their own limited physical and mental strength. The parable of the Devas and Brahman teaches that there is no real power, no real doer, except God. He is the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear. Our eyes, ears, and all our faculties have no power apart from him. When we realize that he is the underlying Reality of our being, we go beyond death and become immortal.
OM! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!
OM! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!
The end