KENOPANISHAD -9: Swami Krishnananda.
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Article
Scriptures
Kenopanishad
Commentary on Section 1
Mantras - 3&4 (Continued)
Post-9.
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Mantras -3&4 :
Wonder, when it deepens itself, becomes philosophical reflection, and may even become meditation on God. This is what happened in ancient Greece and ancient India, but today philosophy is defined in another manner altogether. Philosophy does not begin with wonder. It begins with doubt. Why? Everything has a 'why' attached to it. Now, this 'why' cannot be answered. This is what this mantra of the Upanishad tells us. We may go on asking questions in regard to the Atman, putting any 'whys' in regard to it; we will receive no answer. We will be repelled. As mentioned in the Upanishad, all the Devas who tried to see the Yaksha were repelled. The Devas, the gods, including Indra, could not recognise the Mighty Being that posed itself before them as a Marvel. This Marvel is further described in the next mantra.
Wonder, when it deepens itself, becomes philosophical reflection, and may even become meditation on God. This is what happened in ancient Greece and ancient India, but today philosophy is defined in another manner altogether. Philosophy does not begin with wonder. It begins with doubt. Why? Everything has a 'why' attached to it. Now, this 'why' cannot be answered. This is what this mantra of the Upanishad tells us. We may go on asking questions in regard to the Atman, putting any 'whys' in regard to it; we will receive no answer. We will be repelled. As mentioned in the Upanishad, all the Devas who tried to see the Yaksha were repelled. The Devas, the gods, including Indra, could not recognise the Mighty Being that posed itself before them as a Marvel. This Marvel is further described in the next mantra.
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Next
Mantram - 5:
yad vaca nabhyuditam yena vag abhyudyate,
tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upasate.
This mantram, and a few that follow, have been the subject of great controversy among various schools of thinking, as to its real import or meaning. What does this mantra really mean?
It literally means this: 'That which cannot be expressed by speech, but which expresses speech, that is the Brahman, not that which people worship here.' This is the literal meaning of the mantram.
But what does this really mean and how does it illumine us?
Speech, which is here indicative of all the sense organs, is regarded as incapable of expressing the Atman for reasons explained earlier, the other reason being that the senses are themselves expressed by the Atman. The senses are not, therefore, supposed to express the Atman. The energies necessary for the senses to operate come from the Atman. The existence of the Atman is the activity of all the senses. The Atman is like a supreme master who does not himself physically act but only directs and makes all the subordinates run. The whole universe becomes restless merely because of the existence of the Atman. In the Katha Upanishad we study that there is a systematic and ordained performance of duties by the god—the sunshine, the rainfall, etc. The sunrise and the several different functions performed in nature are on account of the dread of this Atman. It is like a great fear, an uplifted thunderbolt to everyone.
Mahad bhayam vajram udyatam (Katha 2.3.2), says the Upanishad.
It is on account of dread of its very Presence that the whole world moves symmetrically and systematically. The Atman speaks not and does not do anything, but its very existence is more than all expression of speech and doing of action. It is a tremendous influence that is exerted on everything that is created. It is difficult to explain what an influence is. Influence is influence! It cannot be described in words. It is not speech. It is not words uttered. It is not any action that is performed. It is only an energy that is conveyed, a vibration spread around, if we would like to call it so, which is transmitted to everything in creation, so that on account of the symmetrical existence of the Atman there is a symmetrical motion of all things in the world. Because of the Atman being the supremely perfect existence, the universe is perfectly working. Hence it is that the senses cannot be expected to know it, it being the impeller of all the senses.
That is the Brahman, the Atman, tad eva brahma tvam viddhi.
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