kenOpaniShat - upanishad vANi

"kenopanishad" as it popularly known as is from the thalvaraka branch of sAmavEda, and thus is also referred to as thalavakarOpanishad. It has got its name "kEna upanishad" probably because it starts with "keneshitham", with a few more "kEna"s following it. According to scholars, this is a significant upanishad because it attracted two bhAShyAs from Sri Shankara - pada-bhAShya and vAkya-bhAShya.

This upanishad has four "khaNDa"s (sections or chapters), and deals with the nature of Brahman.

The upanishad itself starts with an invocation of peace:

आप्यायन्तु ममाङ्गानि वाक् प्राणश्चक्षुः श्रोत्रमथो बलमिन्द्रियाणि च सर्वाणि। सर्वं ब्रह्मौपनिषदम्। माहं ब्रह्म निराकुर्याम्। मा मा ब्रह्म निराकरोत्।अनिराकरमस्तु। अनिराकरणं मेऽस्तु। तदात्मनि निरते य उपनिषत्सु धर्मास्ते मयि सन्तु ते मयि सन्तु।  ओं शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥

aapyAyantu mamAmgAni vAk prANashcakShuH srOtramatho balamindriyANi cha sarvANi | sarvaM brahmaopaniShadam | mAhaM brahma nirAkuryAm | mA mA brahma nirAkarOt | anirAkaraNamastu | anikAraNaM me-astu | tadAtmani nirate ya apaniShtsu dharmaste mayi santu te mayi santu | Aum shAnti shAnti shAntiH |

mama - mine, aMgAni - limbs of the body, athO - and, vAk - speech, prANa - life breathe (health), chakshuH - sight (eyes), shrOtram - ears (listening faculty), balaM - strength (stamina), cha - and, sarvANi - everything, indriyANi - senses, aapyAyaMtu - be abound (grown, satisfied), sarvaM - everything, upaniShadaM - in the upaniShat, brahma - brahma (spirit, supreme soul), ahaM - me, brahma - spirit, mA nirAkuryAM - may it not be rejected (abrogated), brahma - may the brahma, mA - me (mAm), mA nirAkuryAt - may it not reject,  anirAkaraNaM - non-rejecting (non-deniable), astu - may it be, me anirAkaraM astu - may it not be denied by me, upaniShatsu - in the upanishads, yE dharmAH - the "duties that are prescribed" (righteousness that exists), te - those, tadAtmani - in the aatmA (in the self), santu nirate mayi - let it be there in my devoted self, te mayi santu - let them reside in me. 

May all my limbs, life breathe (health), eye sight, listening faculty, stamina, and the senses be abound (experience plentiful; may they prosper). Everything in the upaniShads is brahma alone. May I not reject brahma. May the brahma not reject me. Let there be nothing called "rejectable". Let there not be something rejectable to me. Ley the righteousness prescribed in the upanishads reside in me. Let them reside in me. Aum! Let there be peace. Let there be peace. Let there be peace. 

प्रथमः खण्डः Section One

केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः

केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः।

केनेषितां वाचमिमां वदन्ति

चक्षुः श्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनक्ति ॥

(1) 

keneShitam patati preShitam manaH

kena prANaH prathamaH paiti yuktaH |

keneShitAM vAchamimAM vadanti 

chakshuH shrotram ka u devo yunakti ||

kena - by who, iShitam - desired (driven, impelled, urged, excited, animated), preShitam - impelled (ordered by, directed, controlled, commanded, flung), manaH - the mind, patati - drops (falls down, alights, flows, moves, descends), kena - by who, yuktaH - impelled by, prathamaH - first (particularly, earliest, for the first time, at once, initially), prANah - the prANah (life breathe, vital force), paiti - gets in motion, kena iShitam - by who's desire, imAm - this, vAcham - speech, vadanti - do they speak, kaH u - which particular, dEvaH - deity, chakshuH - eyes (sight), shrotram - listening, yunakti - equipped (set to work). 

By who's desire is the mind impelled into action? enjoined by who do the first vital force first proceed to function? At who's behest is the speech set to work? Which particular deity (force, energy) equips the eyes and the ears to function?

Here are the basic questions on the most important elements of existence that most of us have taken for granted. What is it that makes all these things possible? Is it merely an accident or is there a cause behind all that we can analyze. 

श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो य 

द्वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्राणस्य प्राणः। 

चक्षुषश्चक्षुरतिमुच्य धीराः 

 प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवन्ति॥

(2)

shrotrasya shrotram manaso mano yad

vAcho ha vAchaM sa u prANasya prANaH |

chakShushchashuratimuchya dheerAH 

pretyAsmAllokAdamRutA bhavanti ||

yat - that which, srotrasya - of the act of listening faculty, shrotram - the ears, manasaH - of the intellectual faculty, manaH - the mind, vAchaH ha - of the speech faculty, vAcham - the speech, saH u - that certainly, prANasya - of the life breathe, prANaH - life, chakShushaH - the faculty of seeing, chakshuH - the eyes, atimuchya - having given up, dheerAH - the intelligent (resolute, persistent, thoughtful, steadfast, well versed) ones, asmAt lOkAt - from this world, prEtya - having gone (departed, died, after death), amRutAH bhavanti - become eternal (immortal)

It is that which is the ears the ears, mind of the mind, speech indeed of the speech, the eye of the eye; [it is that which due to which] having abandoned (detached) [from these] one becomes eternally established upon departing [this material body]

There is "something" due to which one breathes and the senses function, and upon departing one becomes 'senseless'. The body and the senses are "dependent" on that "independent" aspect that is beyond these senses and the sense objects. It is that "something" in which one is eternally established upon departing from this dependent material body of senses. 

न तत्र चक्षुर्गच्छति न वाग्गच्छति नो मनः |

न विद्मो न जानीमो यथैतदनुशिष्यात् ||

(3)

na tatra chakshurgacChati na vAggacChati no manaH |

na vidmo na jAneemo yathaitadnushiShyAt ||

na - no, tatra - there, chakshuH - the eyes, gacChati - goes (reaches, perceives); na vAk - not the speech, gacChati - goes, na manaH - not even the mind, na vidmaH - we do not know (we lack the intelligence / knowledge), yathA - just as, etat - this one, anushiShyAt - to instruct, na jAneemaH - we do not know

There  (where the spirit is) the eye does not reach, the speech does not reach, the mind also cannot reach. We do not have the knowledge (intelligence), we do not know to teach this.

The 'brahman' (soul) is within all but it is beyond the senses; the eternal state is beyond the ordinary senses. Our senses have limitations; they can only reach as much. Even the intelligence that we are so proud of is also incapable of perceiving that state. Even when one knows the truth it is beyond one to teach it because it is nothing something that can be taught but experienced. 

अन्यदेव तद्विदितादथो अविदितादपि।

इति  श्रुश्रुम पूर्वेषां ये नस्तद्व्याचचक्षिरे॥

(4)

anyadEva tadviditAdatho aviditAdapi |

iti shushruma poorveShAM ye nastadvyAchachakshire ||

 tat - that, viditAt - that which we know, anyat eva - certainly something else, atho - and, aviditAt - that which we do not know, api - also, ye - who, naH - to us, tat - that, vyAchachakshire -  described (explained, taught), purvEShAM - of the ancients (aachAryAs), iti - like this, shushruma - we have heard

That (brahman) is certainly above all that we know, and also different from all that we do not know. Thus have we heard from the aachAryAs of the past who have explained it for us. 

All that we know is a product of our senses. Even the mind perceives that is within the reach of the senses; mostly so. Even all that we do not know is often that we can know through the senses or the mind, but as said in the previous verse, this knowledge is beyond the mind also. And all that we know is often material and it is beyond the material perceptions created by the mental faculty. 

यद्वाचानभ्युदितं येन वागभ्युद्यते।

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ 

(5)

yadvAchAnabhyuditaM yena vAgbhyudyate |

tadEva brahma tvaM viddhi nedaM yadidamupAsate ||

yad - that which, vAchA - through speech, anabhyuditaM - not expressed, yena - by which, vAk - speech abhyudyate - is expressed (manifested), tad eva - only that (or that is exactly), brahma - is brahma, tvam - you, viddhi - realize, yat - that which, idaM - this, upAsate - worships, idaM na - not this one

That which cannot be expressed through speech, and [on the contrary] by which speech is expressed, you realize that alone is known as Brahman, not this that people worship.

यन्मनसा न मनुते येनाहुर्मनो मतम्।   

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥

(6)

yanmanasA na manute yenAhurmano matam |

tadEva brahma tvaM viddhi nedaM yadidamupAsate || 

yat - that which, manasA - by the mind, na manute - cannot be comprehended (understood, perceived), yena -by which, manaH -the mind, mataM - comprehends, tvam viddhi - you realize, tad eva brahma - that alone is brahma, na idam - not this yad - that which, idam - this, upAsate -worships

That which cannot comprehended by the mind, and [on the contrary] by which the mind comprehends, you realize that alone as Brahman, not this which people worship.

यच्चक्षुषा न पश्यति एन चक्षूंषि पश्यति ।

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥

(7)

yacchakshuShA na pashyati ena chakShoomShi pashyati |

tadEva brahma tvaṁ viddhi nedaM yadidamupAsate ||

yat - that which, chakshuShA  - by the eyes, na pashyati - cannot see, yena -by which, chakshoomShi -the eyes, yashyati - sees, tvam viddhi - you realize, tad eva brahma - that alone is brahma, na idam - not this yad - that which, idam - this, upAsate -worships

That which cannot be seen by the eyes, and [on the contrary] by which the eyes are seen, you realize that alone as Brahman, not this which people worship.

यच्छोत्रेण न शृणोति एन श्रोत्रंमिदं श्रुतम् ।

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥

(8)

yacChotrENa na shruNoti ena shrotraMidaM shrutam |

tadEva brahma tvaṁ viddhi nedaM yadidamupAsate ||

yat - that which, shrotreNa - by the ears, na shRuNOti - cannot hear, yena -by which, shrotram -the ears, shrutam - are heard, tvam viddhi - you realize, tad eva brahma - that alone is brahma, na idam - not this yad - that which, idam - this, upAsate -worships

That which cannot be heard by the ears, and [on the contrary] by which the ears are heard, you realize that alone as Brahman, not this which people worship.

यत् प्राणेन न प्राणिति येन प्राणः प्रणीयते ।

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥

yat prANena prANiti ena prANAH praNeeyate |

tadEva brahma tvaṁ viddhi nedaM yadidamupAsate ||

yat - that which, prANena - by the vital air (life breathe), na prANiti  - is not inhaled (lived), yena -by which, prANaH - the life breathe, praNeeyate - is led or brought into existence (lived), tvam viddhi - you realize, tad eva brahma - that alone is brahma, na idam - not this yad - that which, idam - this, upAsate -worships

That which cannot be inhaled by the life breathe, and [on the contrary] by which the life breathe is sent forth, you realize that alone as Brahman, not this which people worship.

Part 2 ... To be Continued ..