Kena Upanishad: A Gateway to the Self – With Shankaracharya’s Vision
The Kena Upanishad is a profound philosophical text that begins with a series of subtle inquiries into the source of perception, cognition, and life itself. It asks: “By whom is the mind directed? What impels the vital force to function?” These questions lead not to empirical exploration but to the discovery of the Atman, the inner Self, which is beyond all sense organs and mental faculties. Adi Shankaracharya, in his commentary, reveals that this Self is not a function of the body or mind, but the eternal witness and true knower behind all experience. He emphasizes that only through deep inquiry and inner renunciation can one grasp this truth and attain immortality. Thus, the Upanishad serves as a gateway to Advaita Vedanta, guiding the seeker from the known to the unknowable essence. For More Information Click Here
Kena Upanishad – Chapter 1, Verses 1–2: Inquiry into the Inner Controller
Kena Upanishad – Chapter 1, Verse 1
Sanskrit:
केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः।
केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः।
केन इषितां वाचमिमां वदन्ति।
चक्षुः श्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनक्ति॥ १॥
Transliteration:
Keneṣitaṁ patati preṣitaṁ manaḥ?
kena prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ?
kena iṣitāṁ vācam imāṁ vadanti?
cakṣuḥ śrotraṁ ka u devo yunakti?
Meaning:
By whom is the mind directed to go toward objects?
By whom is the vital force (prāṇa) impelled to function first?
Directed by whom do people utter speech?
What god directs the eyes and ears?
Shankara’s Commentary (Summary):
Shankara explains that this verse begins an inquiry into the ultimate cause behind all cognitive and sensory activities. The student is not asking about the external instruments like the eyes, ears, or speech, but rather about the inner controller – that which impels the senses and mind. The question aims to seek the Self (Ātman), the reality beyond sense perception and thought, which enables them to function. For More Information Click Here
Kena Upanishad – Chapter 1, Verse 2
Sanskrit:
श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यत्
वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्राणस्य प्राणः।
चक्षुषश्चक्षुरतिमुच्य धीरा
प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवन्ति॥ २॥
Transliteration:
Śrotrasya śrotraṁ manaso mano yat
vāco ha vācaṁ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ,
cakṣuṣaś cakṣur atimucya dhīrāḥ
pretya asmāl lokād amṛtā bhavanti.
Meaning:
That which is the ear of the ear, mind of the mind,
speech of speech, breath of breath, and eye of the eye—
wise ones, detaching from this world,
become immortal after death.
Shankara’s Commentary (Summary):
Shankara elaborates that the Self is not an object perceived by the senses, but the eternal witness that enables all perception. It is the power behind the senses, yet distinct from them. Those who recognize this truth – the wise (dhīrāḥ) – renounce identification with the body-mind complex and realize immortality (amṛtatva). The Self is the ultimate substratum that is beyond ordinary cognition, yet intimately present in all cognition.
Kena Upanishad Begins: Shankara’s Vision of the Self Behind the Senses
Verse 1:
Verse:
“By whom is the mind directed to go toward objects? By whom is speech impelled, and the vital force (prāṇa) prompted? What deity directs the eyes and ears?”
Shankara’s Insight:
Shankara explains that this verse is not about the physical functioning of the senses, but rather about the invisible power that enables them. The question arises from a qualified student, one who has already understood that the sense organs themselves are not autonomous. The seeker wants to know the ultimate cause behind perception, thought, and speech — that is, the Self (Ātman), which is not an object but the subject, the knower behind all knowing. Shankara says that this Self cannot be seen or spoken of like other things because it is the seer of seeing, the hearer of hearing, and so on. It is that non-dual reality that illumines the mind and senses.
Verse 2:
Verse:
“That which is the ear of the ear, mind of the mind, speech of speech, breath of breath, eye of the eye — the wise, after transcending this world, become immortal.”
Shankara’s Insight:
Here, Shankara emphasizes that the Self is not known through the senses or mind, but it is that by which all these function. It is pure consciousness, untouched by the tools of perception. The Self is not an object but the illuminator of all objects. To know It, one must turn inward, transcending attachment to the external world and sensory identity. Those who disidentify from the body-mind complex, Shankara says, and realize the Self as distinct from them, attain liberation (moksha) — freedom from birth and death, or immortality (amṛtatva). This marks the true beginning of Vedantic wisdom. For More Information Click Here
Conclusion
The first chapter of the Kena Upanishad, with Shankaracharya’s commentary, reveals that the Self is beyond all instruments of knowledge, yet it is the source of all knowing. It is not the ear or the eye, but that because of which hearing and seeing are possible. Shankara emphasizes that true knowledge arises only when one realizes this unseen knower, the Atman, as one’s own Self. Such realization cannot be grasped by intellect or speech, but through direct inner awakening and detachment. This leads the seeker beyond worldly identity to the realm of immortality (amṛtatva). Thus, the chapter serves as a foundation for deeper enquiry into non-dual Brahman.
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