Kena Upanishad: Verse 3.10

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

तस्मै तृणं निदधौ—एतदादत्स्व इति। तत् उपप्रेयाय सर्वजवेन; तन्न शशाक आदातुम्। स तदेव निववृते—नैतदशकं विज्ञातुं यदेतद् यक्षम् इति॥१०॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

तस्मै । तृणम् । निदधौ । एतत् । आदत्स्व । इति । तत् । उपप्रेयाय । सर्व-जवेन । तत् । न । शशाक । आदातुम् । सः । तत् । एव । निववृते । न । एतत् । अशकम् । विज्ञातुम् । यत् । एतत् । यक्षम् । इति ॥१०॥

Recitation with translationKena Upanishad 3.10

IAST Transliteration

tasmai tṛṇaṁ nidadhau—etad ādatsva iti | tat upapreyāya sarvajavena; tan na śaśāka ādātum | sa tadeva nivavṛte—naitad aśakaṁ vijñātuṁ yad etad yakṣam iti ||10||

Translation

তেওঁৰ আগত সি এটা তৃণৰ ডাঁটি থৈ ক’লে—‘এইটো উঠোৱা।’ সি সৰ্বজৱে দৌৰি গ’ল; কিন্তু তাক উঠাব নোৱাৰিলে। সি তেনেকৈয়ে ঘূৰি আহিল—‘এই যক্ষ কোন’ সেয়া নিৰ্ণয় কৰিব নোৱাৰিলে।

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Academic Translation

To him it placed a blade of grass (saying), ‘Take this.’ He rushed at it with all speed; he was not able to take it up. He returned just so—he was not able to ascertain what that Yakṣa was.

Verse Context

• Dependence of all śakti on Brahman; collapse of egoic agency (kartṛtva)
• Mahavakya: Indirect—negates independent doership and supports the insight that the Self/Brahman alone is the true power (aligns with the purport of ‘अहं ब्रह्मास्मि’ by removing false identification with limited power).
• Sama
• Talavakara (Jaiminiya) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose