Kena Upanishad - Part 2 - Grantha

The second section of 𑌕𑍇𑌨𑍋𑌪𑌨𑌿𑌷𑌤𑍍 moves from the first section's inquiry into a subtler correction: Brahman cannot be held as an object of complete conceptual mastery. The student must outgrow both spiritual arrogance and blank uncertainty.

These verses are famous for paradox. That paradox is not confusion; it is pedagogy. It breaks rigid mental habits and prepares the seeker for a mode of knowing that is immediate, lived, and non-objectifying.

𑌯𑌦𑌿 𑌮𑌨𑍍𑌯𑌸𑍇 𑌸𑍁𑌵𑍇𑌦𑍇𑌤𑌿 𑌦𑌹𑌰𑌮𑍇𑌵𑌾𑌪𑌿
𑌨𑍂𑌨𑌂 𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌂 𑌵𑍇𑌤𑍍𑌥 𑌬𑍍𑌰𑌹𑍍𑌮𑌣𑍋 𑌰𑍂𑌪𑌮𑍍 ।
𑌯𑌦𑌸𑍍𑌯 𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌂 𑌯𑌦𑌸𑍍𑌯 𑌦𑍇𑌵𑍇𑌷𑍍𑌵𑌥 𑌨𑍁
𑌮𑍀𑌮𑌾𑌮𑍍𑌸𑍍𑌯𑌮𑍇𑌵 𑌤𑍇 𑌮𑌨𑍍𑌯𑍇 𑌵𑌿𑌦𑌿𑌤𑌮𑍍 ॥ 1॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
If you think, "I know Brahman well," you know only a small aspect of it. What you take to be Brahman in yourself and in cosmic powers is still to be examined more deeply.

𑌨𑌾𑌹𑌂 𑌮𑌨𑍍𑌯𑍇 𑌸𑍁𑌵𑍇𑌦𑍇𑌤𑌿 𑌨𑍋 𑌨 𑌵𑍇𑌦𑍇𑌤𑌿 𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌚 ।
𑌯𑍋 𑌨𑌸𑍍𑌤𑌦𑍍𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌤𑌦𑍍𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌨𑍋 𑌨 𑌵𑍇𑌦𑍇𑌤𑌿 𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌚 ॥ 2॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
I do not think "I know Brahman fully," nor do I think "I do not know it at all." I know it in a different way. Whoever understands this manner of knowing truly knows.

𑌯𑌸𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌮𑌤𑌂 𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌯 𑌮𑌤𑌂 𑌮𑌤𑌂 𑌯𑌸𑍍𑌯 𑌨 𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌸𑌃 ।
𑌅𑌵𑌿𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾𑌤𑌂 𑌵𑌿𑌜𑌾𑌨𑌤𑌾𑌂 𑌵𑌿𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾𑌤𑌮𑌵𑌿𑌜𑌾𑌨𑌤𑌾𑌮𑍍 ॥ 3॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
For the one who does not objectify Brahman as fully grasped, it is truly understood. For the one who thinks it is fully objectified, it is not understood. It is not knowable as an object to the wise, but appears objectified only to those without true insight.

𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌤𑌿𑌬𑍋𑌧𑌵𑌿𑌦𑌿𑌤𑌂 𑌮𑌤𑌮𑌮𑍃𑌤𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌂 𑌹𑌿 𑌵𑌿𑌂𑌦𑌤𑍇 ।
𑌆𑌤𑍍𑌮𑌨𑌾 𑌵𑌿𑌂𑌦𑌤𑍇 𑌵𑍀𑌰𑍍𑌯𑌂 𑌵𑌿𑌦𑍍𑌯𑌯𑌾 𑌵𑌿𑌂𑌦𑌤𑍇𑌽𑌮𑍃𑌤𑌮𑍍 ॥ 4॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Brahman is rightly understood as that which is known in every act of awareness; through this one attains immortality. Through the Self one gains inner strength, and through true knowledge one realizes the deathless state.

𑌇𑌹 𑌚𑍇𑌦𑌵𑍇𑌦𑍀𑌦𑌥 𑌸𑌤𑍍𑌯𑌮𑌸𑍍𑌤𑌿
𑌨 𑌚𑍇𑌦𑌿𑌹𑌾𑌵𑍇𑌦𑍀𑌨𑍍𑌮𑌹𑌤𑍀 𑌵𑌿𑌨𑌷𑍍𑌟𑌿𑌃 ।
𑌭𑍂𑌤𑍇𑌷𑍁 𑌭𑍂𑌤𑍇𑌷𑍁 𑌵𑌿𑌚𑌿𑌤𑍍𑌯 𑌧𑍀𑌰𑌾𑌃
𑌪𑍍𑌰𑍇𑌤𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌾𑌲𑍍𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌾𑌦𑌮𑍃𑌤𑌾 𑌭𑌵𑌂𑌤𑌿 ॥ 5॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
If this is realized here in this very life, one's life is fulfilled in truth. If not realized here, the loss is great. The wise, seeing the Self in all beings, transcend limited worldly identity and attain immortality.

॥ 𑌇𑌤𑌿 𑌕𑍇𑌨𑍋𑌪𑌨𑌿𑌷𑌦𑌿 𑌦𑍍𑌵𑌿𑌤𑍀𑌯𑌃 𑌖𑌂𑌡𑌃 ॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Thus ends the second section of the Kena Upanishad.

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