Summary:

The Kena Upanishad session begins with a revision of two main topics in Vedanta: the Subject (that which never comes and goes) and the Cause of the Universe. It also reviews the mind and its four functions that collectively form what we call “Mind.” The text then delves into profound philosophical concepts through a dialogue format, a common teaching method in Upanishadic texts. It emphasizes that true knowledge is discovered rather than invented, citing examples like Einstein's E=mc² and Newton's gravity. The text poses fundamental questions about what drives our mind, senses, and bodily functions, probing the underlying force behind human faculties. It introduces the concepts of Iṣitam and Preṣitam, exploring whether an unseen presence or active intelligence directs our mental and sensory experiences. Finally, the session discusses the nature of Awareness as an unchanging, attributeless presence that enables us to recognize diverse experiences without being affected by them. This singular Awareness is presented as the foundation for all sensory and mental functions.

Intro Before Verse 1:

• Before we go into Verse 1, Upanishads teach in a dialogue form, because what you understand is very different from what is being shown. So naturally it’ll involve dialogue, with one who knows and one who doesn’t.
  • EG:
    • Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: Between sage husband (Yajnavalkya) and wife (Maitreyi).
    • Katha Upanishad: Between Lord Yama (who is a devata) and 11 year old boy Nachiketa.
    • Mundaka Upanishad: Between father (Angiras) and son (Shaunaka).
• In Kena Upanishad, the teacher/student’s name is not mentioned. Reminds that we don’t take ownership of this knowledge, only discover what was true all along.
  • EG:
    • Einstein: Did Einstein invent the fact that energy transforms into matter and vice verse? No. Was true all along. He only “saw” it.
    • Kekule: In dream, “saw” ring structure of benzene molecule. Breakthrough in chemistry. Scientist able to then make new materials from benzene like medicines/plastics.
    • Isaac Newton: Observed apple fall from tree, and inferred presence of invisible force, which he called “gravity”.
• One who “sees” is called a rishi/seer. So Kena Upanishad is knowledge of the seers. By gaining access to this knowledge, you remove ignorance of what already IS, because all knowledge rests on “sarvajna sarvashaktiman Ishvara” (all knowledge, all power).

Kena Upanishad, Chapter 1, Verse 1: Student is asking a question…

केन ईषितम् पतति प्रेषितम् मनः,
केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः,
केन ईषिताम् वाचम् इमाम् वदन्ति,
चक्षुः श्रोत्रम् कः उ देवः युनक्ति

kena īṣitam patati preṣitam manaḥ,
(By whom directed does the mind fall [upon its objects]?)
kena prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ,
(By whom impelled does the first breath go forth?)
kena īṣitām vācam imām vadanti,
(By whom commanded do [men] utter this speech?)
cakṣuḥ śrotram kaḥ u devaḥ yunakti
(Which god directs the eye and the ear?)

Willed by whom or prompted in whose presence does the mind land upon its objects? United with whom does the breath go in and out? Willed by whom do (people) speak these words? Which effulgent being unites the eyes and ears (with its functions)?

• Verse Statements:
  • kena iṣitam patati preṣitam manaḥ: Willed by whom, or in whose presence, does this mind fall on a given object?
    • Each mind is thinking of something. And what specifically impels your mind to dwell on what it’s dwelling on?
  • kena pranah prathama praiti yuktah: In whose presence are these physiological functions working?
    • Impelled by what are physiological functions doing their job (not only for me, but for everyone else)?
  • Kena iṣitam vacam imam vadanti: We all have faculty of speech, but it’s used differently.  What impels us to use our speaking faculties differently?
  • caksuh srotram ka u devo yunakti: What unites the eyes, ears, prana, mind… where all is working in harmony.
• Explanation of Verse Statements:
  • Moment we’re born, we start using eyes to see, ears to hear, mind to think and infer. But rarely ask, “What makes the ears hear, eyes see? What makes the mind do it’s 4-functions? What makes it all possible?”.
  • Even if had these Q’s in childhood, mom/dad didn’t know so they shut us up, and nobody encouraged us to re-ask them. So we live with these Q’s unanswered.
    • And these Q’s remain unanswerable, because eyes can only see forms, it can’t figure out what makes it see. For that need mind, as it’s behind the senses.  However, mind still can’t figure out what makes it think, and do what it does.
• Explaining the Question:
  • Both refer to a presence beyond the mind/senses:
    1. Iṣitam: Willed by whom.   
       • Suggests a presence, in whose mere presence, without an act of will of it’s own, the mind and the senses function. Mind functions due to presence of a non-willing entity.
         • EG: Kingdom operates in presence of king, without king directly performing every task. 
       • Refers to Brahman.
    2. Preṣitam: Prompted/directed by whom. 
       • Suggests there’s an active principle or intelligence that makes your mind/senses what they are.  
       • Student wants to know whether body-mind functions autonomously (on it’s own), or there’s an intervening factor that impels the mind to think in the way it does. 
         • EG: Just how paper filings stand vertical merely in presence of a magnet. Similarly, is our life supported by some invisible power?
       • Refers to Ishvara.
  • Questions Simplified:
    1. What is behind the mind and senses?
    2. What is the nature of that which is behind?

• Teacher has to answer in different levels because this is a tough question. 
• NEXT VERSE: Gives the answer along with entire vision of Vedanta, and says what result is from knowing the answer.

Kena Upanishad, Chapter 1, Verse 2:

श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसः मनो यत्
वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्राणस्य प्राणः,
चक्षुषः चक्षुरतिम् उच्यते धीराः
प्रेत्य अस्मात् लोकात् अमृता भवन्ति

śrotrasya śrotraṁ manasaḥ mano yat 
([That which is] the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind,)
vāco ha vācaṁ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ, 
(The speech of speech, [and] indeed the life of life,)
cakṣuṣaḥ cakṣuratim ucyate dhīrāḥ
([And] the eye of the eye – [thus] speak the wise,)
pretya asmāt lokāt amṛtā bhavanti
(Having departed from this world, [they] become immortal.)

It is indeed the self that is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of the speech, the breath of the breath and the eye of the eye. Those discriminative people, (who know the self), freeing themselves from this world (being free while living) are no more subject to death after leaving the body.

• VERSE STATEMENTS:
  • srotrasya srotram: There’s an ear behind your ear, enabling it to hear.
    • If use mind, you imagine subtle ear behind this ear.
  • Manasaḥ manaḥ: There is a mind behind your mind, enabling your mind to think/emote/imagine.
  • vaco ha vacam: There’s a speech behind your speech.
  • pranasya pranaḥ: There is a prana of your prana, which is making it function.
  • In short: In whose presence do these functions (hearing, thinking, speaking) take place.
• WHAT IS THE NATURE THE PRESENCE?
  • It’s called cit.
  • SOUNDS: Your ears report sounds that are constantly changing (asādhāraṇa: uncommon).
    • There is presence of Awareness because of which all sounds are heard.
  • SIGHT: Eyes report many changing forms.
    • There is an awareness without which no form can be seen.
    • EG: 2 + 2 + 2+ 3 (the watcher of this endless equation, watching your intellect performing arithmetic, is Awareness.
  • TASTE/TOUCH/SMELL: Same. Behind each function there’s an Awareness, without which, none of the taste/touch/smells can be reported.
• 5 SENSES & MIND IS CHANGING:
  • All 5 senses go inside the mind. So if senses are changing, then mind must be changing too. On top of senses change data in mind, the mind’s I-sense (self-image), memory, emotions, cognitive skills – is also undergoing change.
  • Approximately, mind creates around 60K thoughts/images (changes per day). They are all changing, in the presence of the unchanging Awareness (sādhāraṇa; common). One common presence that enables the changes to be recognized.
• QUESTIONS:
  1. Suppose the unchanging presence was also undergoing change (meaning it belongs to asādhāraṇa group; uncommon), then could you ever recognize there’s change? No. Only unchanging can recognize transformation.
  2. How to show there is one common unchanging presence that is exactly the same before, during and after a smell/thought? The present experience doesn’t stick on it. When smell/thought is gone, presence remains available to recognize a new smell/thought. If nothing sticks onto it in present, then it’s true of past, and future.
  3. Is the awareness of your sight, different from awareness of your emotions? No. You only experience one presence in whom both sight and emotions are taking place.
  4. What is the nature of the Presence or Awareness? ATTRIBUTELESS. One common presence that doesn’t get involved in any sense/mind functions, while at the same time, gives them capacity to do what they do. 
     • It has to be free of attributes to capture different attributes. Just like your taste buds needs to be neutral, in order to capture different tastes.
     • So everything expands, contracts, changes and happens in Awareness.
• NOW LET’S ANALYZE THE VERSE AGAIN:
  1. srotrasya srotram: There is one presence that enables you to hear all the sounds that ears can capture. Sounds are different. But Awareness doesn’t have any sounds of it’s own, thus is able to capture different sounds.
  2. cakṣuṣaḥ cakṣuḥ: For Awareness to recognize so many different forms seen by the eye, implies it has no intrinsic form of itself.
     • EG: Think of cow. If awareness begins to take cow form, then when you think of horse, then cow will be superimposed over horse. Then see flower. Now cow/horse is superimposed on flower. But the fact that you’re able to give up cow, and replace with horse, give up horse, replace with flower – shows Awareness that enables you to see cow/horse/flower… doesn’t take on attributes of any.
• SUMMARY SO FAR:
  • So there’s one Awareness, which is you, which is able to see all the different functions of seeing, hearing, tasting, emoting, thinking.  
  • And our “I” is placed in senses/mind, thus miss out on the presence.

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Recorded 9 July, 2024