Kena Upanishad
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Named after its first word, "Kena" (by whom?), it asks what power makes the mind think, the eye see and the ear hear.
| Tradition | Hindu (Vedic) |
|---|---|
| Type | Upanishad |
| Language | Sanskrit |
| Period | c. 1st millennium BCE (scholarly estimate) |
What it contains
- Belongs to the Samaveda (the Jaiminiya or Talavakara Brahmana).
- Brahman is that which the mind cannot grasp but by which the mind thinks.
- A story in which the gods, proud of a victory, fail to recognise Brahman, and the goddess Uma Haimavati teaches Indra.
- Knowledge of Brahman comes through inner awakening, not through the senses.
Significance
The Kena Upanishad is a classic text on the limits of sensory and mental knowledge.