Kena and Other Upanishads

 

CONTENTS

 

Pre-content

 

 

Part One

 

Translations and Commentaries Published by Sri Aurobindo

Kena Upanishad

Katha Upanishad

Mundaka Upanishad

Readings in the Taittiriya Upanishad

 

  Part Two
 

Translations and Commentaries from Manuscripts

 

Section One. Introduction

On Translating the Upanishads

 

Section Two. Complete Translations (circa 1900 ­ 1902)

The Prusna Upanishad of the Athurvaveda

The Mandoukya Upanishad

The Aitereya Upanishad

Taittiriya Upanishad

 

Section Three. Incomplete Translations and Commentaries (circa 1902 ­ 1912)

Svetasvatara Upanishad

Chhandogya Upanishad

Notes on the Chhandogya Upanishad

The Brihad Aranyak Upanishad

The Great Aranyaka: A Commentary on the Brihad Aranyak Upanishad

The Kaivalya Upanishad

Nila Rudra Upanishad

 

Section Four. Incomplete Commentaries on the Kena Upanishad (circa 1912 ­ 1914)

Kena Upanishad: An Incomplete Commentary

A Commentary on the Kena Upanishad

Three Fragments of Commentary

Kena Upanishad: A Partial Translation with Notes

 

Section Five. Incomplete Translations of Two Vedantic Texts (circa 1900 ­ 1902)

The Karikas of Gaudapada

Sadananda's Essence of Vedanta

 

 

 

The Mandoukya Upanishad

 

Before which one repeats the Mantra.

 

 

OM. May we hear what is auspicious with our ears, O ye Gods; may we see what is auspicious with our eyes, O ye of the sacrifice; giving praise with steady limbs, with motionless bodies, may we enter into that life which is founded in the Gods.

Ordain weal unto us Indra of high-heaped glories; ordain weal unto us Pushan, the all-knowing Sun; ordain weal unto us Tarkshya Arishtanemi; Brihaspati ordain weal unto us. OM. Peace! peace! peace!

 

 

1. OM is this imperishable Word, OM is the Universe, and this is the exposition of OM. The past, the present and the future, all that was, all that is, all that will be, is OM. Likewise all else that may exist beyond the bounds of Time, that too is OM.

 

 

2. All this Universe is the Eternal Brahman, this Self is the Eternal, and the Self is fourfold.

 

 

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3. He whose place is the wakefulness, who is wise of the outward, who has seven limbs, to whom there are nineteen doors, who feeleth and enjoyeth gross objects, Vaiswanor, the Universal Male, He is the first.

 

 

4. He whose place is the dream, who is wise of the inward, who has seven limbs, to whom there are nineteen doors, who feeleth and enjoyeth subtle objects, Taijasa, the Inhabitant in Luminous Mind, He is the second.

 

 

5. When one sleepeth and yearneth not with any desire, nor seeth any dream, that is the perfect slumber. He whose place is the perfect slumber, who is become Oneness, who is wisdom gathered into itself, who is made of mere delight, who enjoyeth delight unrelated, to whom conscious mind is the door, Prajna, the Lord of Wisdom, He is the third.

 

 

6. This is the Almighty, this is the Omniscient, this is the Inner Soul, this is the Womb of the Universe, this is the Birth and Destruction of creatures.

 

 

7. He who is neither inward-wise, nor outward-wise, nor both inward and outward wise, nor wisdom self-gathered, nor possessed of wisdom, nor unpossessed of wisdom, He Who

 

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is unseen and incommunicable, unseizable, featureless, unthinkable, and unnameable, Whose essentiality is awareness of the Self in its single existence, in Whom all phenomena dissolve, Who is Calm, Who is Good, Who is the One than Whom there is no other, Him they deem the fourth; He is the Self, He is the object of Knowledge.

 

 

8. Now this the Self, as to the imperishable Word, is OM; and as to the letters, His parts are the letters and the letters are His parts, namely, A U M.

 

 

9. The Waker, Vaiswanor, the Universal Male, He is A, the first letter, because of Initiality and Pervasiveness; he that knoweth Him for such pervadeth and attaineth all his desires; he becometh the source and first.

 

 

10. The Dreamer, Taijasa, the Inhabitant in Luminous Mind, He is U, the second letter, because of Advance and Centrality; he that knoweth Him for such, advanceth the bounds of his knowledge and riseth above difference; nor of his seed is any born that knoweth not the Eternal.

 

 

11. The Sleeper, Prajna, the Lord of Wisdom, He is M, the third letter, because of Measure and Finality; he that knoweth Him for such measureth with himself the Universe and becometh the departure into the Eternal.

 

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12. Letterless is the fourth, the Incommunicable, the end of phenomena, the Good, the One than Whom there is no other; thus is OM. He that knoweth is the Self and entereth by his self into the Self, he that knoweth, he that knoweth.

 

Here ends the Mandoukya Upanishad.

 

After which one repeats the Mantra.

 

 

OM. May we hear what is auspicious with our ears, O ye Gods; may we see what is auspicious with our eyes, O ye of the sacrifice; giving praise with steady limbs, with motionless bodies, may we enter into that life which is founded in the Gods.

Ordain weal unto us Indra of high-heaped glories; ordain weal unto us Pushan, the all-knowing Sun; ordain weal unto us Tarkshya Arishtanemi; Brihaspati ordain weal unto us. OM. Peace! peace! peace!

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