Introduction to the Kena Upanishad

by Jayaram V

The Kena Upanishad English Translation by Jayaram V

The Kena Upanishad derives its name from the first word of the Upanishad, “Kena,” which means by whom. By whom is this worlds created? By whom has this existence become possible? By whom are we alive and able to breathe? By whom does our minds and bodies work? Who is behind all this? Who makes the worlds and beings possible? These are valid questions. Since we are curious and inquisitive, we keep asking them.

Curiosity drives our progress and our quest for knowledge. Of the various versions of humans who appeared upon earth in the long course of our evolution, we are the only human species who survived and succeeded. What made it possible is our curiosity. We are not only curious but also inventive. We are not only afraid of the unknown but also curious about it.

When reality, rationality and knowledge do not help us, we use imagination to fill in the gaps of our knowledge and understanding. We try connect the dots and estimate the possibilities and probabilities when information is lacking. As our knowledge increases and we make progress, we keep revisiting those gray areas and try to validate them with new knowledge and hypotheses. It is how we achieved progressed from the earliest days of our existence upon earth until now.

The Vedic seers were driven by such curiosity. Living in the forests, they observed the world around them, asked questions, sought answers, debated and disputed various theories and hypothesis. The Kena Upanishad is a product of such curiosity. Having probed the nature of existence and Brahman, the seer comes to the conclusion that no one can be definitive about Brahman. If you think you know him, you may not know him. Some skepticism and openness are healthy when you try to define the indefinable or describe the indescribable. Even the gods had no clue. They could not recognize Brahman when he appeared before them. Then, how can humans ever truly know him? We may know him symbolically or relatively, but not absolutely.

The Kena Upanishad is divided into four sections. The first two contain fourteen verses. The next two are composed in prose. They deal with an episode in the beginning of creation when the gods of heaven were introduced to the mystery and the glory of Brahman, whom they never met before. Until then, they were under the impression that they were the mightiest beings. Brahman appeared before them as an Yaksha (a type of celestial being) to teach them a lesson or two in humility

The Upanishad contains a reference to Uma Haimavathi. After the disappearance of Brahman, she appears to the gods from the heaven and reveals to them the glory and supremacy of Brahman. Her name and her statements in the Upanishad clearly suggest that it acknowledges Shiva as the Supreme Brahman and Uma as the Mother Goddess. It also points to the changes that took place in the Vedic religion, its pantheon and the hierarchy of gods.

The first section explains that Brahman is the eternal reality behind all our sensory experience and mental processes. Though He is responsible for their actions, He is detached from them. The senses cannot reach Him because He is beyond them. So does the mind, which is not Brahman but works because of Him.

He is indescribable because He is above both the known and the unknown aspects of our awareness. The "unknown" that is referred in this Upanishad probably is to the unconscious part of the mind which remains active during our sleep.

The second section explains the difficulties in understanding Brahman. No one can say with certainty that he has complete knowledge of Brahman. Those who think so do not know Him at all. Those who are humble enough to acknowledge that they do not know Him, perhaps know Him better.

The Upanishad further explains that, Brahman can be understood through a comprehensive approach only, involving all aspects of human awareness and activity. When an aspirant understands Him through his surface consciousness as well through his inner personal experience, we can say that he has known Brahman rightly.

The third and the fourth sections deal with the story of how gods, intoxicated with victory, failed to realize the presence of Brahman amidst them. They were completely ignorant of Brahman and of the fact that He was behind their individual prowess and their victories over the demons. When He appeared before them, they mistook Him as an Yaksha or a celestial spirit.

Brahman humbled them and showed them their true place. When they started wondering who He could be, Uma, the Mother Goddess, appeared to Indra and explained to him the true greatness of Brahman. The three Vedic gods namely, Indra, Vayu and Agni became the most powerful gods in the Vedic pantheon, because they alone had a glimpse of Brahman. Of them Indra became the greatest, because he went closer to Brahman than the other two. This shows how the knowledge of Brahman can change the lives, personalities and status of even gods.

The Upanishadic seers rarely acknowledged the supremacy of the ritualistic aspect of the Vedas. They also considered the mere knowledge of the Vedas inferior to the knowledge of Brahman. So was their attitude towards the Vedic gods, who were considered to be much more inferior to Brahman in status. The Kena Upanishad reemphasizes the Supremacy of Brahman beyond all doubt.

The last few verses are very vague in their content. We can only make some intelligent and intuitive assumptions out of them. They probably explain the way the gods and human beings experience the vision and the consciousness of Brahman. The gods see Him but briefly as a lightening which flashes forth or as the wink of an eye. The humans experience Him through their inner selves, by constantly meditating upon Him as the dearest of all (tadvanam) and through austerities, self-control and work.

The Kena Upanishad English Translation by Jayaram V