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The Self within

CHENNAI: The Kena Upanishad is a short one among the major Upanishads commented upon by Sankara. The Sama Veda has a thousand branches (Sakha) and the Kena occurs in the Talavakara Sakha. This Upanishad derives its name from its first verse which is in the form of a question beginning with the word “Kena” (by whom) addressed by a disciple to his preceptor. Though small, its importance can be gauged from the fact that Sankara has written two commentaries on it, the first being an elucidation of the import of each phrase, and the other a regular commentary on each sentence.

In his discourse, Sri Mani Dravid Sastrigal said the opening question in the Kena Upanishad was raised by the spiritual seeker as a result of his reasoning that the body, sense organs, vital breath and the mind were not the Self. So his query, “Willed by whom does the directed mind go towards its object? Being directed by whom does the vital force, that precedes all, proceed (towards its duty)? By whom is this speech willed that people utter? Who is the effulgent being who directs the eyes and the ears?”

Self-enquiry begins with an analysis of the different aspects of the human personality and through a process of elimination of the non-Self, the spiritual aspirant eventually discovers the Self (Atman). This can be understood with the analogy of a chariot. The chariot being an unconscious object, it has to be driven by an intelligent, conscious person. Applying this example to the human personality, it can be deduced that the body, sense organs and the mind by themselves cannot function unless there is a conscious being directing them from within. But, this conscious principle is not palpable and its existence can only be inferred by the seeker.

Every sincere seeker reaches a stage when he realises that he cannot progress beyond in this search by himself. So he has to seek a Guru to guide him further. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna has outlined how to proceed further: “With reverential salutations do you approach them — the wise men who have known the Truth. Serve them, and question them repeatedly (with due respect until your doubts are clarified). These wise men will impart the knowledge of this divine Truth unto you.”

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