KENA UPANISHAD 4:9 {in resting}

Anyone indeed who realizes true knowledge dispels all gloom by the infinite light of this widespread height in resting in resting.

yo va etam evam veda apahatya paapmaanam ante svarge loke jyeye pratitishtati pratitishtati

Notes: and so ends this translation of the Kena Upanishad. My purpose has been to stay as faithful as possible to word placement and overall meaning, and not rely on previous religious interpretation. A transcreation will follow which will attempt to clarify overall meaning within an aesthetic of words and silence.

KENA UPANISHAD 4:8 {stands knowledge}

Before the tempering of passion, the restraint of sensibilities, and the totality of action ultimately stands knowledge, in which all branches of truth are supported.

tasmai tapo damah karmeti pratishtha vedah sarvangani satyam ayatanam.

Notes: The key word appears to be ‘tasmai’ indicating in front or before. And the key relationships appear to be the previous appearances of fire, air, and sky in association with tapo, damah, and karmeti, indicating the tempering of passion (fire), the restraint of sensibilities (air), and the totality (sky) of action.

pseutra 2 - true kknowledge

visualization is merely a launching pad to wordless understanding, although many build religions with it, a karmic rocket science

it's generally understood all so-called matter consists of atoms, and ultimately, according to string theory, vibration: consciousness aum!

true knowledge isn't any kind of rocket science, quantum, karmic, or other

true knowledge is what you are and not any framework of thought, no matter how scientific or esoteric it appears

can't better Ramana Maharshi's insight so won't try: "I am That I Am" sums up the whole truth; the method is summarized in "Be Still."

i bow to the guru; there is no greater authority than i

pseutra 1 - balance

the only response in this world about this world is a balanced laugh/cry

religions create an imaginary world in which they establish their absolute power over those who wish to follow them there

i am is a practicing istn't-ist

the natural state (the stateless state) is all there is; by resting (or standing) in (as) what you are, what isn't isn't

there are no words for the unknown made known and yet you know

koem 3: Mountain and River

This world, this thought-induced

hallucination, this—

divisive, selfish, non-

existent mountainous minus—

but all the words in all

the world will never do

—just rest within what is—

the river of no words…

KENA UPANISHAD 4:7 {Secret Knowledge}

The Secret Knowledge welcomes by speaking accordingly; uttered to you is The Secret Knowledge of the Absolute; just You, The Secret Knowledge, is speaking therefore.

upanishadam bho bruhity ukta ta upanishad brahmim vava ta upanishadam abrumiti

Note: Sometimes it is fortunate to be ignorant, and I am extremely ignorant when it comes to Sanskrit. The Vedantic translators wish to make this sloka out to be a communication between a teacher and a disciple, and so they split the sloka into different speakers. Even Aurobindo translates as such: “Thou hast said "Speak to me Upanishad"; spoken to thee is Upanishad. Of the Eternal verily is the Upanishad that we have spoken.” Prabhavananda / Manchester are more the playwrights: “A Disciple: Sir, teach me more of the knowledge of Brahman. The Master: I have told you the secret knowledge.” But, again, I do not feel this split, originating from Shankara or before. Rather, I intuit as such: the wisdom is speaking, the wisdom is the speech, and you are the wisdom speaking. There is no splitting Upanishad.

KENA UPANISHAD 4:6 {That Bower}

That wisdom is That Bower named That Bower, by which attended, it forwards to This its real knowledge, reaching by such a manner here, where all beings are then united.

tadd ha tadvanam naama tadvanam iti upaasitavyam sa ya etad evam vedaabhi hainang sarvaani bhutaani samvaanchanti.

Note: the most difficult decision here is in the translation of tadvanam, which appears to literally mean That Forest, and has usually been kept verbatim, untranslated, although Aurobindo goes out on a limb, as he is the only one wont to do, and translates as That Delight. However, I wish to keep the connotation of forest with a sheltering undertone, and so have chosen That Bower, which feels nicely esoteric in an ancient way, yet still firmly rooted in definition. And I have to say, I’m not adverse to the little bow it gives to That.

TOKEN PROPHECY 16 [ex marks]

—any spin you put on what is, is just more what isn't——without a view about a view——you will never remember what you are——an ex marks the spot where nothing is——when ice melts, you are the water; so is it with you and the world——belightenment!

KENA UPANISHAD 4:5 [movement of the mind]

Then in that which is the self, there is this movement of the mind, resulting in its thinking, remembering its perpetual intention.

atha adhyatmam yadetat gacchativa cha manah anena chaitad upasmaraty abheekshnam sankalpah

  

Note: this sloka is tied intimately to the previous one. The movement in the mind originates in the lightning of That resulting in the remembrance of what it is.

KENA UPANISHAD 4:4 [a flash of lightning]

By that foregoing message in which That, the lightning, lights completely in fact, and in a flash closes completely, thus is the divinity of nature.

tasyaisha aadesho yad etad vidyuto vyadyutadaa itiin nyamiimishadaa iti adhidaivatam

Note: This is another one of those slokas in which Shankara dominates the translations. It appears to me that he used the analogy of the winking of an eye to illustrate the actual analogy given in the sloka itself of a flash of lightning lit and then closed. But almost all translations incorporate Shankara’s illustration into the text itself. I can’t see it that way. What I do see is the importance of this understanding: That is seen in a flash of lightning; That is the flash of lightning; That lights the flash of lightning; and the flash of lightning is the sudden nature of enlightenment.

koem 2: Leaf Belief

The leaves of trees are me

in ways more intelligent than one.

As mind, they are its own

illusions concocted by senses and spells.

As consciousness, they are part

and parcel of one universal body—

as is this hand now writing.

As pure awareness, it is mere

appearance—within

that nameless indefinable subject—

of which some display, at less

than the speed of light, is discerning

itself objects, being one

as borrowed subject—the other be leaf.

koem 1: My Story

Call it dreaming, although

as soon as anything is named,

it’s something other than

the actual experience.

The leaves of a tree become

a stereotypical two-dimensional

representation on naming

a living mystery “leaves of a tree.”

If the nature of dreaming

is naming, then what is naming the dreaming?

What knows the dream in a dream?

Follow that question down this whole

and catch an intuition

by its tale: I’m not my story.

Krishnamurti’s ‘The First and Last Freedom" in 1086 Words or 6417 Characters

Chapter 1: Introduction

Until I, in my relationship to you, understand myself I am the cause of chaos, misery, destruction, fear, brutality.

Chapter 2: What Are We Seeking

Only when the mind is tranquil - through self-knowledge and not through imposed self-discipline - only then, in that tranquillity, in that silence, can reality come into being.

Chapter 3: Individual And Society

So one of the fundamental causes of the disintegration of society is imitation, and one of the disintegrating factors is the leader, whose very essence is imitation.

Chapter 4: Self-Knowledge

If we can understand ourselves as we are from moment to moment without the process of accumulation, then we shall see how there comes a tranquillity that is not a product of the mind, a tranquillity that is neither imagined nor cultivated; & only in that state of tranquillity can there be creativeness.

Chapter 5: Action And Idea

When there is love - which is not mentation, which is not ideation, which is not memory, which is not the outcome of an experience, then that very love is action. That is the only thing that frees.

Chapter 6: Belief

A mind that would be in a state in which the new can take place... must surely cease to acquire..., it must put aside all knowledge. A mind burdened with knowledge cannot possibly understand, surely, that which is real, which is not measurable.

Chapter 7: Effort

Therefore action as we know it is really reaction, it is a ceaseless becoming, which is the denial, the avoidance of what is; but when there is awareness of emptiness without choice, without condemnation or justification, then in that understanding of what is there is action, and this action is creative being.

Chapter 8: Contradiction

Contradiction arises only when the mind has a fixed point of desire; ...when the mind does not regard all desire as moving, transient, but seizes upon one desire & makes that into a permanency - only then, when other desires arise, is there contradiction.

Chapter 9: What Is The Self

Whatever the mind creates is in a circle, within the field of the self. When the mind is non-creating there is creation... Reality, truth, is not to be recognized. For truth to come, belief, knowledge, experiencing, the pursuit of virtue-all this must go.

Chapter 10: Fear

Fear exists so long as there is accumulation of the known, which creates the fear of losing. Therefore fear of the unknown is really fear of losing the accumulated known.

Chapter 11: Simplicity

only when a mind is really sensitive, alert, aware of all its own happenings, responses, thoughts, when it is no longer becoming is no longer shaping itself to be something - only then is it capable of receiving that which is truth.

Chapter 12: Awareness

Reality is not a thing which is knowable by the mind, because the mind is the result of the known, of the past; ..therefore the mind must understand itself and its functioning, its truth, & only then is it possible for the unknown to be

Chapter 13: Desire

Beyond the physical needs, any form of desire ... becomes a psychological process by which the mind builds the idea of the `me..' When u see this process...w/o opposition,..u will discover..that the new is never a sensation; therefore it can never be recognized [nor] re-experienced. It is a state of being in which creativeness comes without invitation, without memory; and that is reality.

Chapter 14: Relationship And Isolation

This identification with something greater - the party, the country, the race, the religion, God - is the search for power. Because you in yourself are empty, dull, weak, you like to identify yourself with something greater.

Chapter 15: The Thinker And The Thought

What is important is to see that the maker of effort and the object towards which he is making effort are the same. That requires enormously great understanding, watchfulness, to see how the mind divides itself into the high and the low.

Chapter 16: Can Thinking Solve Our Problems

There must be a quiet, tranquil mind. Such a mind is not a result...of a practice, of meditation, of control. It comes into being through no form of discipline or compulsion or sublimation, without any effort of the `me', of thought; it comes into being when I understand the..process of thinking..In that state of tranquillity of a mind that is..still, there is love.

Chapter 17: The Function Of The Mind

Only when we know how to love each other..can [there] be intelligent functioning,.. [and not] through intellect..imitation..idolatry. Only when you discard completely, through understanding, the whole structure of the self, can that..eternal..come into being. You cannot go to it; it comes to you.

Chapter 18: Self-Deception

Truth is not something to be gained. Love cannot come to those who have a desire to hold on to it,.. to become identified with it. Surely such things come when the mind does not seek,.. is completely quiet, no longer creating..beliefs upon which it can depend. It is only when the mind understands this..process of desire that it can be still, ..not in movement to be or not to be.

Chapter 19: Self-Centred Activity

So long as the mind uses consciousness as self-activity, time comes into being with all its miseries,..conflicts,..deceptions; and it is only when the mind, understanding this total process, ceases, that love can be.

Chapter 20: Time And Transformation

Regeneration is..only possible in the present. A man who relies on time as a means [to] realize truth..is..living in..conflict. A man who sees that time is not the way out of our difficulty and who is therefore free from the false..has the intention to understand. Therefore his mind is quiet spontaneously, without compulsion, without practice.

Chapter 21: Power And Realization

When the mind realizes that any speculation any verbalization, any form of thought only gives strength to the ‘me’, then it is watchful, everlastingly aware of how it is separating itself from experience, asserting itself, seeking power. In that awareness, if the mind pursues it... without seeking an end... there comes a state in which the thinker & the thought are one. In that state there is no effort, ...no desire to change; ...the ‘me’ is not, for there is a transformation which is not of the mind. ...that the state of creative emptiness is not a thing to be cultivated - it is there, it comes darkly, without any invitation; only in that state is there a possibility of renewal, newness, revolution.

TOKEN PROPHECY 15 [the speed of light]

—matter at the speed of light is light——for the shadow to question the inscrutable ways of light is darkly humorous——light at the speed of light is pure awareness——the conceptual shadow doesn't have a say, as light is being taught by light in all its different ways——this, at anything less than the speed of light, is conceptual——the light of consciousness tells itself, it is the light of consciousness, and no longer does the light mistake its shadow for itself——simply said, follow the light—

KENA UPANISHAD 4:2-3 [first to understand]

Consequently, these gods are higher than all other spirits, in order: Fire, Air, Sky. They indeed of all of This came close in contact, and, of This, were first to understand the Absolute accordingly.

Consequently, Sky is highest than all other spirits. It indeed of all of This came close in contact, and, of This, was first to understand the Absolute accordingly.

  

tasmad va ete deva atitaram ivanyan devan yad agnir vayur indras tena hy enan nedishtham pasprishus te hy etat prathamo vidam cakara brahmeti

tasmad va indro 'titaram ivanyan devan sa hy enan nedishtham pasparsha sa hy enat prathamo vidam cakara brahmeti

  

Notes; I now realize this translation is the first draft towards a more readable transcreation, which will follow. Accordingly, it is most important at this juncture to remain as faithful as possible to the order of the wording in the Kena, as well as the strict definition of This and That, which guides the logical consistency towards its ultimate destruction in the paradox. In this, these gods, these spirits, are representatives of This, the manifestation, and this must not be overlooked.

TOKEN PROPHECY 14 [cosmic sun source]

—thirsting at the stagnant puddles of the world while you yourself are the energetic wellspring of the cosmic sea——(fire can't burn it, air can't move it, sky can't see it)——the affairs of the world fade like so much dreamy dew in the awesome universal cosmic sun source of simple Self——(one can only be it)——one nanosecond of self-awareness is infinitely greater than a lifetime of this dream state—

KENA UPANISHAD 4:1 [great perception]

She, of the Absolute, said, it is through the Absolute This triumphs with great perception. Thus, accordingly, from That alone, it was made to understand the Absolute.

sa brahmeti hovaca brahmano va etad-vijaye mahiyadhvam iti tato haiva vidam cakara brahmeti

Notes: In most translations, if not all, this first sloka of the fourth section, marks the beginning of understanding. It usually is stated simply: through Brahman’s power, the gods have become victorious. And via that statement, Indra now knows Brahman. But there’s an intuition here that what is being said is much more subtle than that, and infinitely greater. Sky (Indra) is told by Light (Uma) that it is through Brahman that Sky and all the others, including Fire and Air, have triumphed with their great perception. And through that sudden understanding that Brahman is the source of its perception, Sky perceives Brahman!

KENA UPANISHAD 3:11-12 [graced in a light]

Then, they, to sky, spoke: highest one, discover what this great spirit is. Thus it was so. That was approached by it and thus that disappeared.

It, in that same sky, came upon a woman graced in a light from the highest peaks. To her alone, it said, what is this great spirit therefore?

athendram abruvan maghavann etad vijanihi kim etad yaksham iti. tatheti tad abhyadravat tasmat tirodadadhe.

sa tasminn eva aakaashe striyam aajagaama bahu shobhamaanaam umaam haimavatiim tam ha uvaacha kim etad yaksham iti. 

Note: I've tried to stay away from using the names of gods, and rather stay with the natural component: fire for Agni, air for Vayu, and here, sky for Indra; and for Uma, light.

TOKEN PROPHECY 13 [the last judgment]

—judgment divides good and bad; inquiry sees through false to truth——(after accepting what is, there's no further need for accepting)——the last judgment comes that moment when all judgment is seen through——(mistaking maps for treasure, debating directions to where you already are)——judge not, for upon such judging, you are the one divided—

TOKEN PROPHECY 12 [play it again]

—one that is awake is more in the wild while sitting in a living room than the sleeping one walking in the wilderness——ego is just consciousness identified with thoughts; there's nothing wrong with it; just false and unbalanced——play it again i-am——ego divides; there's nothing wrong with it; just an inevitable environment that's divisive, violent, and a world of war and suffering——lighten up——judging truth with the intellect is a waste of your intelligence and a hindrance to your feeling it——you already are the truth; there's no need to argue it—

TOKEN PROPHECY 11 [only one way]

—headless, i am my surroundings, white walls like brain cells and this window like a synapse opening into green dendrites and skylight matter——it takes a tremendous leap of faith to believe that all is not one——i have yet to see anyone prove their separation——operating under false assumptions will get you time in this state——you must nothing——in order to describe myself, i create new words but never use them——there's only one way and it's your way; all other ways are one ways in another direction——the absolute unborn unending unity, the wisdom flash and spark of pure awareness, the fiery light and perceiving love of consciousness, aum—

KENA UPANISHAD 3:7-10 [take just that]

Then, they, to air, spoke: weaver of this, discover what this great spirit is. Thus it was so.

That was approached by it, but it was asked: who is this? Air indeed, I am this, it said: mother of all, indeed, I am this.

In you who are such, what power is there? Surely this, everything, I can overtake, all that’s on the earth, indeed!

In front of it, a piece of straw was placed. This was asked to take just that. That, it approached, and with all its power, that it was unable to take. Overcome, from that, it returned. Not this, it was unable to know what this great spirit is therefore.

  

atha vayum abruvan vayav etad vijanihi kim etad yaksham iti tatheti.

tad abhyadravat tam abhyavadat ko 'siti vayur va aham asmity abravin matarishva va aham asmiti.

tasmims tvayi kim viryam ity apidam sarvam adadiya yad idam prithivyam iti.

tasmai trinam nidadhav etad adatsveti tad upa preyaya sarva-javena tan na shashakadatum sa tata eva nivavrite naitad ashakam vijnatum yad etad yaksham iti.

Notes: for the most part, this is word for word as slokas 3-6, but for the substitution of air rather than fire. I have chose ‘overtake’ in sloka 9, very much liking its connotations of speed and dominance, while contrasting the simple (and impossible) request to ‘take’ in sloka 10.

TOKEN PROPHECY 10 [perform its function]

—the water boils and the bubbles rise, breaking into the light. but while they rise, oh the stories they have to tell——the dream world usurps the real and calls itself the real world, but the real is never overthrown; silly world——consciousness is teacher in form: guru, tutor, child, or book; in sacrifice of thought, student is consciousness to which it speaks——the language of science is a good language for deconstructing the person, but it's useless otherwise; speak love——not that human life is of any greater value but the aspect of that one life which is human is responsible for its function: self-realization——that responsibility is met by the person by dropping that so-called person and resting in one life pure being, which will perform its function——drop ego for guru, drop body for being, drop mind for realization—

TOKEN PROPHECY 9 [love makes]

—the "moral" aspect of the universe is consciousness itself; the so-called immoral is consciousness identified with thought——there are no reasons why consciousness identifies with thought; reasons are immoral——love makes the world and love unmakes the world, and that's all ye need to know—

TOKEN PROPHECY 8 [speak to love]

—love is an aspect of truth most are familiar with; they just don't know what to make of it because it's indescribable——one that doesn't speak to love only speaks to concepts——many may know what isn't; only one will know what is——the masculine fears it; the feminine desires it; love is neither——one is love, i am; what is is absolutely That—

TOKEN PROPHECY 7 [your inner nobody]

—applying the process of thought to what you are is the foundation of all this lunacy——thought works with thought, a closed loop whirlpool——plucking the petals of a dandelion with undeniable love——what the universe wants the universe is——the person emerges from the original thought of 'i am not'——to untie this knot, just not the not——the bliss of Self-fulfilling potential——rest in your inner nobody——burn yourself away within your one unchecked original sun——shine on, sweet nothing, shine on—

TOKEN PROPHECY 6 [love is the third]

—this world appears to be an either-or place, but viewed in true light, it's actually both-and——thought supplies two ways but love is the third——as an old branch veers off into gravity's diversion, a new branch arises through the triple sun of love, continuing the flight of life——the dance of creation indeed is a dervish sweet waltz—

KENA UPANISHAD 3:5-6 [burn just that]

In you who are such, what power is there? Surely this, everything, I can burn, all that’s on the earth, indeed!

In front of it, a piece of straw was placed. This was asked to burn just that. That, it approached, and with all its power, that it was unable to burn. Overcome, from that, it returned. Not this, it was unable to know what this great spirit is therefore.

tasmims tvayi kim viryam ity apidam+ sarvam daheyam yad idam prithivyam iti

tasmai trinam nidadhav etad daheti tad upa preyaya sarva-javena tan na shashaka dagdhum sa tata eva nivavrite naitad ashakam vijnatum yad etad yaksham iti

Notes: a conversation begins between that and this (fire). In the sixth sloka, the word ‘that’ and ‘this’ are carefully chosen.

TOKEN PROPHECY 5 [sea]

—i come from the sea and walk among this alien plant life in moving isolation——how strange they appear as if they breathe a different air——i shall devour their stillness like plankton——and i thought it good——sea?

KENA UPANISHAD 3:4 [who is this?]

That was approached by it, but it was asked: who is this? Fire indeed, I am this, it said: all-knowing, indeed, I am this.

tad abhyadravat tam abhyavadat ko 'sity agnir va aham asmity abravij jata-veda va aham asmiti.

Note: here begins the all-important inquiry, and thus it is important to emphasize the 'roles' of That and this, as well as to note, despite its (this) approach, That initiates the inquiry. Also note the self-contained response.

TOKEN PROPHECY 4 [just the shadow]

—many people go lost when deconstructing the person——they wind up in some angry embittered zone resenting someone for the perpetration of this phantom farce——false gods, false gurus, false self——instead of letting go that thorn, they keep on picking at some tender spot, out out damned spot out out, instead of dropping it and going in——but a person will grab onto anything not to disappear, even if it's just the shadow of oneself——you will know them by an angry spirit or sarcastic ghost always passing for some empty space of wisdom where love otherwise resides——as if any one is a player in this play! even they—

KENA UPANISHAD 3:3 [to discover]

They, to fire, spoke: all-knowing of this, discover what this great spirit is. Thus it was so.

te 'gnim abruvan jata-veda etad vijanihi kim etad yaksham iti tatheti

Note: I’ve attempted to leave out all the unsaid ‘saids’ or quotes and make as literal as possible. Compare to Sri Aurobindo’s (who appears to be the most literal among the orthodox): “They said to Agni, "O thou that knowest all things born, learn of this thing, what may be this mighty Daemon," and he said, "So be it." But I find no indication of fire saying anything here. As the gods request, thus it is so. But I am unsure whether fire should be capitalized. No for now.

KENA UPANISHAD 3:2 [becomes observable]

That, about them, surely perceives. Before these, indeed, it becomes observable. But they do not recognize what this great spirit is.

tad dhaisham vijajnau tebhyo ha pradurbabhuva ta na vyajanata kim idam yaksham iti

Note: I utilized very generic language here, as does the upanishad itself, although it is in direct relationship to the story of the gods in the previous (and succeeding) slokas. Also, I could not help but hear a later echo from the new testament.

TOKEN PROPHECY 3 [transformative balance]

—the law of three implies the hidden force and the law of seven reveals its discontinuous point——forgiveness, sacrifice, and paradox are the third eyes of the three eyes of the third eye——forgiveness is the transformative balance of energetic bliss, resting between the positive pole of love and the negative pole of compassion——my child, a great guru, and my service to her, a great spiritual initiation——there's no explaining paradox—

Kena Upanishad 3:1 Glorious Manifestation

The Absolute, once, in its divinity, becomes triumphant, and in that Absolute triumph, the gods are made glorious. They perceive as their own, this triumph, as their own, this glory.

brahma ha devebhyo vijigye tasya ha brahmano vijaye deva amahiyanta.

ta aikshantasmakam evayam vijayo 'smakam evayam mahimeti.

Notes: My intent here was to exhibit the Absolute becoming triumphant in the glory of its manifestation, and the gods perceiving this glory as themselves, as I feel the language is actually reflecting. It differs in form from the orthodox reading that Brahman wins a victory for the gods who in turn see it as their own, but differs not in spirit.

TOKEN PROPHECY 2 - a predetermined play

—in a universe where all motion has been set in play and all effects could be predicted if one could know all the causes, free will is to laugh——thought is nothing but subtle forms of motion and their trajectories are as predetermined as pool balls pushed by god into its own pockets——these words were set into play more than thirteen billion years ago and there's nothing to be done about them except to watch them strike——to knowingly act in a predetermined play as if there's free will is the ultimate performance. bravos to all! roses! kisses! love!——encore: even those points when we veer off-script are scripted——review: as the earth orbits the sun in pure love, one orbits the light of the Self and sees that all is That—

TOKEN PROPHECY 1 - reconciliations of duality

—thought is duality, a divisional monotony; manifestation is triplicity, creative mystery——whereas in manifestation, there's always a third, a resolution and outgrowth; in thought, there is always the restrictive two, frustrating——manifestation gets caught in the duality of thought like a ping pong ball bouncing between a rock and a hard place——love is the reconciliation of the thought-assembled person and its movement out into creative consciousness——but unity is always calling the illusion home——the reconciliation of duality may stop manifestation in its tracks: there is no mountain!——or reconciliation of duality may invite the vision there is a mountain and all is brahman moving outward in its own creative triplicity——who am i to say?—

Kena Upanishad : The Complete Verse Half

One

 1

By whom and toward what rebounds the mind?

By whom is first breath of life enjoined?

By whom is willed these words someone recites?

These eyes and ears of what divinity unites?

  

2

The ear of the ear, the mind of the mind,

That voice indeed of the voice is surely the breath of the breath,

The eye of the eye released is wise,

Leaving this world, timeless immediately.

  

3

Not there the eye goes, nor speech goes, nor mind.

Not known nor understood, how can it be taught?

Different undoubtedly is that from the known,

likewise from the unknown, beyond.

Thus we’ve heard from our preceptors who that have declared.

  

4

Which by speech is not expressed but by which the voice is expressed,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

  

5

Which by the mind is not understood but by which, they say, the mind is understood,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

  

6

Which by the eye is not seen but by which the seeing is seen,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

  

7

Which by the ear is not heard but by which the hearing is heard,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

  

8

Which by the breath is not inhaled but by which the breathing is exhaled,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

Two

  

1

If thought to be fully understood, then little is it really so.

Certainly you may understand the Absolute appearances

Which are shared between you and the gods indeed.

Meditating only yourself is considered truly understood.

  

2

Not thinking I fully know

Nor not know, it’s thus known.

Anyone among us that knows, that knows.

Not unknown, it’s thus known.

  

3

For whom not conceived, to whom conceived.

Conceived to whom, does not know himself.

Not understood by understanding.

Understood by not understanding.

  

4

Self-realization perceived conceives

Your own timelessness surely attending.

By that Self attends the potency.

By its knowledge attends the eternal.

  

5

Here, if known, then truth there is.

If not here known, great is the loss.

Being of being discerning, the wise,

departing from this world, eternally becoming.

translation by aumdada

Kena Upanishad 2:5 Being of Being

Here, if known, then truth there is.

If not here known, great is the loss.

Being of being discerning, the wise,

departing from this world, eternally becoming.

iha ched avedid atha satyam asti

na ched ihaavedin mahati vinashtih

bhuteshu bhuteshu vichintya dhiiraah

pretyaasmal lokaad amritaa bhavanti

Notes: The tough translation here is ‘bhuteshu bhuteshu.’ Shankara via Gambhirananda says: “in all beings, moving and unmoving.” I suppose it could be some kind of saying. It’s difficult to know as a pure amateur. But other translators say: the Self in all beings, or something accordingly. Again, maybe it’s a saying, but it would seem that Atman would be used here if it was meant to be used here. So I’ve latched onto this and say: being of being as a compromise. And the rest is a play between here and there, departing and becoming.

Kena Upanishad 2:4 and Pre-Existing Conditions

Self-realization perceived conceives

Your own timelessness surely attending.

By that Self attends the potency.

By its knowledge attends the eternal.

pratibodha-viditam matam

amritatvam hi vindate

atmana vindate viryam

vidyaya vindate 'mritam

Note: This was a tough nut. But I feel the clue lay in amritatvam. Amritam alone, without the –tvam (you), means something along the lines of immortality. But add the ‘you’ and you have your own existing immortality. Thus there is a parallel with pratibodha, which most translate as realization, but is seen here importantly as self-realization. In other words, what is seen here is what you always are. Thus the last two lines indicate the process, so to speak. Atman, your Self, provides the potency for it own self-discovery. And its own knowledge is the eternal.

One other note. The word ‘vindate’ is translated by most as ‘attain.’ I’ve used ‘attend’ instead, to emphasize the pre-existing quality not available in the other word. I feel it may be slightly awkward, but I prefer a little clumsiness in the right direction rather than elegance in the wrong one.

summer prophecies 1 - blue

listening to the blue pterodactyl sing—rejoice for the aliens have not forsaken you—i am melting in i am—if you play the big bang backwards, you can hear yourself reciting silence

Kena Upanishad 2:3 & Carefully Chosen Words

For whom not conceived, to whom conceived.

Conceived to whom, does not know himself.

Not understood by understanding.

Understood by not understanding.

yasyaamatam tasya matam

matam yasya na veda sah

avijnaatam vijaanataam

vijnaatam avijaanataam

Note: There are three words here used for the concept of understanding: matam, veda, and vijanatam. Most translators appear to use them all as a single meaning. Sri M chooses ‘know.’ As does Nikhilananda, Manchester/ Prabhavananda, and of course, Gambhirananda via Shankara. On the other hand, Paramananda and Easwaran use a combination of think and know. Only Aurobindo differentiates each meaning: think, know, discern. I lean towards his understanding, but have chosen different translations in ‘conceive’ and ‘understand for 'think' and discern.’ Basically, I didn't agree with the translation: “For whom not thought, to whom thought.” I feel ‘conceived’ offers more depth. As for ‘discern’ rather than ‘understand,’ it’s just a pure sense of appropriate language there. But I could certainly be persuaded by Aurobindo's choice in time.

Also, In this translation, I am continuing to stay with the placement of the words as much as Englishly possible. This is especially noticeable in the translation of the second line. Aurobindo translates this as such: “…he by whom It is thought out, knows It not.” But I find it important that ‘sah’ or ‘him’ come at the end of the line. First, in the first line, that word is not used. Yasya or ‘whom’ is used twice. For me, this indicates that the knowing is not done by the person. Whereas in the second line, the one that wrongly conceives is that 'person.' Moreover, because of that incorrect conception, that person “does not know himself.”

These are the intricacies I feel the Rishi Kena is teasing out in a few carefully chosen words, and exactly what is missing in the other translations.

Kena Upanishad 2:2 and the Invisible Teacher

Not thinking I fully know

Nor not know, it’s thus known.

Anyone among us that knows, that knows.

Not unknown, it’s thus known.

naham manye su-vedeti

no na vedeti veda ca

yo nas tad veda tad veda

no na vedeti veda ca


Note: Although the words 'student' and 'teacher' do not appear in this text of the Kena, it was translated as such by Shankara, who had his own scholastic motivation for doing so. In turn, the following translators keep to Shankara's additive translation and interpretation: Easwaran, Paramananda, Nikhilananda, and even Yeats (Purohit). Aurobindo and Manchester (Prabhavananda) do not. Just saying.

My Kena Upanishad 2:1 and some Others

If thought to be fully understood, then little is it really so.

Certainly you may understand the Absolute appearances

Which are shared between you and the gods indeed.

Meditating only yourself is considered truly understood.

yadi manyase su-vedeti dabhram evapi

 nunam tvam vettha brahmano rupam

yad asya tvam yad asya ca deveshv atha nu

 mimamsyam eva te manye viditam

Note: What appears to be missing in most translations of the Kena is a respect for the play of the Kena. Here, in the first sloka of the second section, there is the first interplay of thinking one fully understands with the fact that little is its actuality. Most translations get this. But the second interplay appears to be glossed over at best. Understanding the appearance of Brahman shared between humans and god is usually given, but playing it against the meditation of only yourself is not.

Some translations of that last line in comparison:

Therefore Brahman, even now, is worthy of your inquiry. ~ Swami Nikhilananda

What is indeed the truth of Brahman you must therefore learn. ~ Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester

… this thou hast to think out. I think It known. ~ Sri Aurobindo

Therefore I think that what thou thinkest to be known is still to be sought after. ~ Swami Paramananda

Continue, therefore, your meditation. ~ Easwaran

These translations are more like interpretations rather than renditions, although Easwaran, I feel, comes closest. But what’s missing is the comparison of those appearances and forms which are shared between people and the gods with that which is only within yourself, and which must be meditated or inquired. This comparison is key. And although it is only one example of the genius of this Upanishad, it is another example of the lack of intelligent translations. I do not claim that title for my version. It is far from that. But for me, it points to that vedantic method pertaining to all these other translations: not this, not this, not this…

Kena Upanishad 1:6-7-8 (fifth time is the charm)

Which by the eye is not seen but by which the seeing is seen,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

yac cakshusha na pashyate yena cakshumshi pashyati

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate

Which by the ear is not heard but by which the hearing is heard,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

yac chrotrena na shrinoti yena shrotram idam shrutam

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate

Which by the breath is not inhaled but by which the breathing is exhaled,

That alone, the Absolute, You, know, and not this which they worship.

yat pranena na praniti yena pranah praniyate

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate

Note: There's not much to say about these, except they continue the Absolute mantra from the previous two slokas (I've decided, for the time being, that 'you' should be capitalized), as well as the concept that the senses cannot detect it but it detects the senses: awareness. I feel the last sloka involving the breath is particularly wonderful in denoting the breath of life not inhaling (smelling) That, but the breath of life being exhaled by That. Nice ending there.

the new sutras 6 - vegas of the universe

the only genius is the genius of love—

the whiches and warlocks melt upon unknowing—

swim in the waters of what you are—

in the heart of the sea of light—

memories not included…

the power of sense perspective is the glitz of yourself—

the rarefied senses combine into a single sense of legitimacy—

a rock of thought revealed to be some mere mirage

upon this contact with attention—appearances

in consciousness, the vegas of the universe…

either surrendering to the inevitable absolute

or resting in the emptiness of this unknowing—

trajectories of an eagle and its prey amen—

costumed chimeras wearing red hats and

hello kitty in the mirror cool…

beneath the story there's the power and

the glory of the indescribable blank page—

once you've seen you're the sky,

you know you're always clearly there,

no matter what the weather writes…

Kena Upanishad 1:4-5 (That, Absolute, You)

Which by speech is not expressed but by which the voice is expressed,

That alone, the Absolute, you, know, and not this which they worship.

yad vaachaa nabhyuditam yena vaag abhyudyate

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate.

Which by the mind is not understood but by which, they say, the mind is understood,

That alone, the Absolute, you, know, and not this which they worship.

yan manasaa na manute yenaahur mano matam

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate

notes:

-         Some indicate these slokas are 4 & 5; some, 5 & 6 (with sloka 3 being 3 & 4)

-         Most translate the second lines of both of these slokas, which will be repeated again in the next three slokas, a most important mantra of sorts, along the lines of “know that alone to be Brahman,” but translated literally, the line would be: “That alone Brahman you know.” After much meditation on this, a flash of insight realized the three nouns of That, Brahman, and ‘you’ were being equated as one subject to the verb, know! thus: “That alone, the Absolute, you, know”

The Kena for Fools 1:3

Not there the eye goes, nor speech goes, nor mind.

Not known nor understood, how can it be taught?

Different undoubtedly is that from the known,

likewise from the unknown, beyond.

Thus we’ve heard from our preceptors who that have declared.

na tatra chakshur gacchati na vaag gacchati no manah

na vidmo na vijaaniimo yathaitad anushishyaat

anyad eva tad viditaad atho aviditaad adhi

iti shushruma purveshaam ye nas tad vyaacha chakshirey.

The Kena for Fools 1:2 complete

The ear of the ear, the mind of the mind,

That voice indeed of the voice is surely the breath of the breath,

The eye of the eye released is wise,

Leaving this world, immortal immediately

shrotrasya shrotram manaso mano

yad vaacho ha vaacham sa u praanasya praanah

chakshushas chakshur atimuchya dheeraahh

prety asmaal lokaat amritaa bhavanti

the new sutras 5 - witnessing waves as waves

the goats are crying for their forgotten river—

big fish go searching for their hook—

just the thought of an ocean is enough

to turn this stream around—

witnessing waves as waves, the sea is calm…

the ordinary is paranormal—

the world is parasitical—

truth has no parameters—

love flies without a parachute—

life throws a paradise the mind calls snake eyes…

humor is a great way to negate the false—

but as humor negates itself, there you go—

dying is easy—

comedy is hard—

realization is effortless…

listen to the Kena—

not that I do not know,

I know and I do not know as well—

anyone among us who knows that

knows That…

not an object, it can't be taught—

not known, it can't be rejected—

not unknown, it can't be acquired—

the only way left:

you're it…

words are magic—

translations are tricks—

every word spoken translated in its hearing—

pratibodha,

would you take me by the hand…

that which moves this heart

upon its ouija board of dreams—

sometimes nothing is

the best thing to say,

and second best is this…