Kena Upanishad - Part 1 - English

ōṃ āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇaśchakṣuḥ śrōtramathō balamindriyāṇi cha sarvāṇi । sarvaṃ brahmaupaniṣadaṃ mā'haṃ brahma nirākuryāṃ mā mā brahma nirākarōdanirākaraṇamastvanirākaraṇaṃ mē'stu । tadātmani niratē ya upaniṣatsu dharmāstē mayi santu tē mayi santu ।

ōṃ śānti@ḥ śānti@ḥ śānti#ḥ ॥

Let my limbs grow strong. Let my speech, vital energy, eyes, ears, vitality become more powerful. May I not deny Brahman and may Brahman not deny me. Let there be no rejection or denial of Brahman by me. May the qualities proclaimed in the Upanishads be in me as I am a devotee of the Atman.

kēnēṣitaṃ patati prēṣitaṃ manaḥ
kēna prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ ।
kēnēṣitāṃ vāchamimāṃ vadanti
chakṣuḥ śrōtraṃ ka u dēvō yunakti ॥ 1॥

Disciple: Who causes the mind to fall on the object? Who directs the vital force within us? Who directs speech, sight, hearing and understanding?

śrōtrasya śrōtraṃ manasō manō yad
vāchō ha vāchaṃ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ ।
chakṣuṣaśchakṣuratimuchya dhīrāḥ
prētyāsmāllōkādamṛtā bhavanti ॥ 2॥

Teacher: It is the Atman that causes the ears to hear, the eyes to see, the tongue to speak, the mind to understand and life itself to function. He who sees the Atman as separate from these faculties attains to immortality (identifies himself with the Eternal)

na tatra chakṣurgachChati na vāggachChati nō manaḥ ।
na vidmō na vijānīmō yathaitadanuśiṣyāt ॥ 3॥

The eye does not go there, nor speech, nor mind. We do not therefore know It, nor do we know any process of instructing about It.

anyadēva tadviditādathō aviditādadhi ।
iti śuśruma pūrvēṣāṃ yē nastadvyāchachakṣirē ॥ 4॥

That is surely different from the known, and it beyond the known and the unknown. Thus have the ancients explained it to us.

yadvāchā'nabhyuditaṃ yēna vāgabhyudyatē ।
tadēva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nēdaṃ yadidamupāsatē ॥ 5॥

That, which speech cannot reveal, but what reveals speech,—know That1 alone as Brahman and not this that people here worship.

That, which speech cannot reveal, but that which manifests the speech -- know That alone as Brahman, and not this or any manifestation, that people here worship.

yanmanasā na manutē yēnāhurmanō matam ।
tadēva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nēdaṃ yadidamupāsatē ॥ 6॥

That which cannot be comprehended by the mind, but by which the mind is cognized -- know That alone as Brahman, and not this or any manifestation, that people here worship.

yachchakṣuṣā na paśyati yēna chakṣūṃṣi paśyati ।
tadēva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nēdaṃ yadidamupāsatē ॥ 7॥

That which the eyes cannot see, but by which the eyes can see -- know That alone as Brahman, and not this or any manifestation, that people here worship.

yachChrōtrēṇa na śa‍ṛṇōti yēna śrōtramidaṃ śrutam ।
tadēva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nēdaṃ yadidamupāsatē ॥ 8॥

That which the ears cannot hear, but by which the ears can hear -- know That alone as Brahman, and not this or any manifestation, that people here worship.

yatprāṇēna na prāṇiti yēna prāṇaḥ praṇīyatē ।
tadēva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nēdaṃ yadidamupāsatē ॥ 9॥

That which is beyond smell through the breath, but which manifests as the faculty of smell -- know That alone as Brahman, and not this or any manifestation, that people here worship.

॥ iti kēnōpaniṣadi prathamaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ॥

Thus ends the first part of kēnōpaniṣad.

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