KENO UPANISHAD

1
 SHANTI MANTRA

Om apyayantu mamangani vakpranascaksuh srotramatho

balamindriyam ca sarvani I
Sarvam brahmopanisadam I
Maham brahma nirakuryam ma ma brahma nirakarodanirakaranam
astvanirakaranam me’stu I
Tadatmani nirate ya upanisatu dharmaste mayi santu te mayi santu I
Om santih santih santih II

May my limbs, speech, Prana, eye, ear and power of all my senses grow vigorous! All is
the pure Brahman of the Upanishads. May I never deny that Brahman! May that
Brahman never desert me! Let that relationship endure. Let the virtues recited in the
Upanishads be rooted in me. May they repose in me! Om peace. peace. peace!
 Keno Upanishad (34 Verses)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

8 Verses 5 Verses 12 Verses 9 Verses

Guru Teaching : Students Devas Story : Conclusion :

a) Atma Vishaya Understanding : a) Indriya Mano a) Glory of Brahma Vidya /
Prashnaha – a) Atma Agocharam Self Knowledge.
Verse 1 Jnanam b) Brahma Astitvam b) Sadhanas
b) Atma - Verse 4 c) Humility – Madhyama :
Lakshanam / b) Atma Jnana Important - Can’t grasp + retain
definition Phalam d) Guru important - Lightening
Verse 2 + 3 - Sarvatra e) All glories – - Thought
c) Atma Jnanam Atma hearing, seeing, - Winking
d) Atma Jnana Darshanam thinking belongs - Tadvanam-Lord is Adorable
Phalam - Amrutatva to Brahman. Mandah :
Praptihi f) Mukta – Great - Doesn’t understand
Verse 5 g) Story useful for - Karma Yoga + Values
Most Important : prescribed.
- Mantra 2 + 4. Upasana.
- Satya, Damaha, Tapaha,
Most Important:
Karma Yoga + Upasana
- Mantra 4
Yoga + Jnana Yoga=Moksha 3
1) Introduction :
• Belongs to Sama Veda.
• Dialogue, no name of student, teacher.
• Student has qualification :
o Viveka – Eternal, Ephemeral.
o Dispassion.
o Discipline.
o Desire.
• Guru :
o Srotriya + Brahma Nishta.
o Has knowledge, skill + methodology to teach.
• 1st word of Upanishad – Kenesitam, hence Keno Upanishad.

4
 Chapter 1 (8 Verses)
a) Atma Vishaya Prasnaha :
Verse 1 :

Disciple : By whom willed and directed does the mind light upon its objects? Commanded by whom does the main Vital
Air (Prana) proceed to function? By whose will do men utter speech? What intelligence directs the eyes and the ears
(towards their respective objects)? [Chapter 1 – Verse 1]

• Body Sense organs and mind inert matter, intrinsically insentient.

• Sentient now, because of blessing of some external principle.
• Example :
Fan blessed by external, invisible principle called electricity to make it rotate.
• Unseen principle called Deva = Atma here.
b) Atma Lakshanam – Definition :
Verse 2 :

Preceptor : It is the Ear of the Ear, the Mind of the Mind, the Tongue of the Tongue (Speech of the Speech) and also the
Life of the Life and the Eye of the Eye. Having abandoned the sense of Self or I-ness in these and rising above sense-life,
the wise become Immortal. [Chapter 1 – Verse 2] 5
Verse 3 :

The eye does not go there, not speech, nor mind, We do not know That. We do not know how to instruct one about It. It
is distinct from the known and above the unknown. We have heard it, so stated the preceptors who taught us That.
[Chapter 1 – Verse 3]

Atma Lakshanam - Definition

Verse 2 Verse 3 Subject

- Eye of eye - Atma other than : - Atma

- Ear of ear Known Objects. - Ever experiencer,
- Mind of mind Unknown Objects. seer, knower,
- Speech of speech - It is unknowable, subject hearer, feeler,
Atma is Conciousness : principle, knower principle. thinker.
a) Different from eye, ear,
mind, speech.
b) Pervades eye, ear, mind, Creation Object
speech.
c) Because of Atma, eye is - Anya Devadat Vididat, Atho - Anatma
eye, ear is ear, mind is Vididat Adi. - Ever experienced
mind, speech is speech. seen, heard, felt,
thought. 6
Atma Conciousness :
i. Not part product, property of Body.
ii. Independent entity pervades + enlivens body.
iii. Not bound by limitations of Body.
iv. Survives fall of Body.
v. Surviving Conciousness does not transact but continues to exist.
c) Atma Jnanam :
• Atma never knowable, never object of knowledge.
• Atma Jnanam only in the form of owning up the fact that I am the Atma.
• Adi Muchyanti Dheera means one disowns Body and Mind and transcends to Atma.
• Transcending, Adimochanam, is mental Job.
• When I use word “I” – instead of claiming Body + Mind + Sense organs, claim I am
Chaitanyam – Conciousness.
• Shift of I from Body, Mind, Sense organs to Conciousness is called Atma Jnanam.
o Deha to Dehi
o Shariram to Shariri
o Anatma to Atma
7
d) Atma Jnana Phalam

Poornata Prapti (Ati Muchyanti Dheerah - Verse 2) Amrtatva Prapti (Verse 2)

- Gain Objectivity - Anatma body can’t be immortal.

- No Resistance to Body / Mind / World. - Atma is already immortal.
- Acceptance of Prarabdam. - Who gets immortality?
- See Body, mind as one of the objects of the - The one “I” who was identifying with Body
world. and Mind. Shits identification to Atma and
- Before Jnanam Body + Mind looked as myself claims immortality.
different from world. - Owning Atma – Chaitanyams immortality as
- I am Conciousness alone. mine is gaining immortality.
- Sorrow, resistance, subjectivity indication of - Mantras 2 + 4 Very Important. Gives Atma
ignorance. definition and benefit of knowing Atma.

Preceptor : It is the Ear of the Ear, the Mind of the Mind, the Tongue of the Tongue (Speech of the Speech) and also the
Life of the Life and the Eye of the Eye. Having abandoned the sense of Self or I-ness in these and rising above sense-life,
the wise become Immortal. [Chapter 1 – Verse 2]

What speech cannot reveal, but what reveals speech, know That alone as Brahman and not this, that people worship
here. [Chapter 1 – Verse 4] 8
 Chapter 2 (5 Verses)
a) Atma Jnanam :
• Teacher :
Atma is other than known + unknown object.
Asks student – now do you know Atma?
How student receives knowledge?
• Students Reply : Can’t say

- I know Atma. - I don’t know Atma.

- Because Atma becomes - Atma not unknown.
known object. - Knows Atma as Subject.
- Not under known, unknown
category.
Reply : Verse 2

I do not think that ‘I know it well.’ But not that I do not know; I know too. Who amongst us comprehends it both as the
Not known and as the Known… He comprehends It. [Chapter 2 – Verse 2]

a) Naham Manye Suvedeti :

• I don’t think I know Atma. 9
b) No na vedeti veda ca :
• Not that I don’t know.
• Can’t say I know, or I don’t know.
• Both statements wrong w.r.t. Atma.
c) Yo – Nastad veda tat veda :
• Who amongst us comprehends it both as known and unknown.
d) No na vedeti veda ca :
• He comprehends it.
• I know Atma, I saw Atma, I experienced Atma in Nirvikalpana Samadhi, I have realised
Atma are all transitive verbs – verbs which have object.
Only verb I can use :
• I am Atma.
• Aham Brahma Asmi, Ayam Atma Brahma.
• This is the only way student can receive knowledge.
Verse 4 : (Very Important)

Indeed, he attains immortality, who intuits It in and through every modification of the mind. Through the Atman he
obtains real strength, and through Knowledge, immortality. [Chapter 2 – Verse 4]
• Atma can’t be known, need not be known, because without your effort, without
sensory operation, intellectual operation, Atma is self evident Conciousness principle.10
 • Atma can never be known, knowable, experienced.
• Students conclusion :
Atma is matter of belief like heaven, doubts existence of Atma.
• Acceptance without knowing = Belief.

Conciousness - Evident

- When you use Sense organs, Mind, - Before operation of Sense organs.
Body. - Pratibodha Viditam Matam.
- Absence of sensory experience (as in
- Blank state of mind in Samadhi sleep) evident because of
known because of Conciousness. Conciousness principle.
- Evidence of Conciousness is without - Conciousness principle evident before
operation of any sense organ. operation of Sense organs, and Mind.

Atma World
- Conciousness evident without operation - Every object in world evident because of
of Sense organs (as in sleep). operation of sense organs.
When is Atma evident?
• Jagrat, Svapna, Sushupti, Samadhi.
• When experiences are there, Conciousness is evident. 11
 • When experiences are not there, absence of experience is illumined by ever evident
Conciousness.
• No Sadhana required to know Atma because it is ever evident. Sadhanas required to
drop identifications with Anatma.
• Upanishad says, doing Sadhana is denial of Atma.
Example :
• I am the light because of which everything is searched. Searcher is Atma,
Conciousness. In and thru every experience, atma is evident. Atma not evident in a
particular experience.
• Owning up ever evident Atma Conciousness as “I” is Atma Jnanam.
• Owning up requires thought in mind.
• This ever evident Conciousness I am = Atma Jnanam in verse 4.
• Evidence of Atma does not require thought.
d) Atma Jnana Phalam :
Sarvatra Atma Darshanam :
• Recognising myself on everyone.
• Wave takes itself as wave and feels location, limitations.
• Wave takes itself as water, everywhere and is free.

12
 I take

Myself as Body / Mind Myself as Conciousness

- Located - Verse 5
- Limitation - Buteshu Bhuteshu vichitra
deerah.
- Where am I…? All pervading.

If one Knows (That Brahman) here, in this world, then the true end of all human aspirations is gained. If one knows not
(That) here, great is the destruction. The wise, seeing the one Atman in all beings, rise from sense-life and become
immortal. [Chapter 2 – Verse 5]

Amrutatva Prapti :
• Freedom from fear of death.

13
 Chapter 3 (12 Verses)
• Symbolic representation of teaching.
• Indra / Agni / Vayu could not know Yaksha who appeared.
• Indra = Mind.
• Agni + Vayu = Sense organs.
Teachings :
a) Mind + Sense organs can’t know Atma.
• Brahman = Indriya, Manaha Agocharam.
b) Brahma Astitavam :
• Through Yaksha, existence of Brahman proved. We have doubt of Brahmans
existence because of objectification.
c) Humility – necessary qualification for Jnanam – Devas Arrogant couldn’t meet Yaksha.
• Indra because humble, got knowledge from Umadevi (Guru).
d) All glories belong to Brahman alone.
• Hearing power, seeing power, thinking power, Agnis burning power, Vayus lifting
power belonged to Yaksha.
• Claiming any glory is Mithya Abimanam.
e) Indra, Vayu, Agni – became glorious with self knowledge.
• Who ever gets this knowledge becomes great.
f) Story useful to practice Upasana. 14
 Chapter 4 (9 Verses)
a) Glory of Brahma Vidya :
• Every Jnani becomes Adorable person like Indra, Agni, Vayu.
Mundak Upanishad :

Whatever sphere the man of purified nature desires, whatever objects he fixes his heart upon, he obtains those worlds
and those objects. Therefore, he who is desirous of prosperity should honour the man of Self-realization.
[Chapter III – Verse 10]

• Glory belongs to Jnanam of Guru, not the person.

b) Sadhanas :
Mandah Adhikari :
• For those who can’t grasp, understand teaching.
• Karma yoga + values of Satyam, Tapaha, Damahas prescribed.
• When one follows values, one grasps teaching.

15
Madhyama Adhikaris :
• For those who can’t retain teaching.
4 Upasanas

Lightening Winking Thought Tadvanam

Nimeshanam Lord as most

adorable
• Brahman alone most adorable in the world.
• Namaskara to Mahatma goes to Conciousness, Atma, not to body.
Conclusion :
• Karma Yoga + Upasana Yoga + Jnana Yoga – give Moksha, immortality.
3 Shantis :
• To remove obstacles from heavenly wraths, phenomenal cruelties, bodily obstacles.

16