Kena Upanishad: Verse 2.1
यदि मन्यसे सुवेदेति दभ्रमेवापि नूनं त्वं वेत्थ ब्रह्मणो रूपम् ।
यदस्य त्वं यदस्य देवेष्वथ नु मीमांस्यमेव ते मन्ये विदितम् ॥१॥
यदि । मन्यसे । सुवेद । इति । दभ्रम् । एव । अपि । नूनम् । त्वम् । वेत्थ । ब्रह्मणः । रूपम् ।
यत् । अस्य । त्वम् । यत् । अस्य । देवेषु । अथ । नु । मीमांस्यम् । एव । ते । मन्ये । विदितम् ॥१॥
yadi manyase suveda iti dabhram evāpi nūnaṃ tvaṃ vettha brahmaṇo rūpam |
yad asya tvaṃ yad asya deveṣv atha nu mīmāṃsyam eva te manye viditam ||1||
もし『私はよく知っている』と思うなら、あなたはブラフマンの姿をほんのわずかしか知らないに違いない。あなたの中にあるその側面と、神々の中にあるその側面だけを。だから、あなたが知っていると考えていることは、まだ探求されるべきことだと私は思う。
If you think, ‘I know (it) well,’ then surely you know only a little of the form of Brahman—(only) that aspect of it which is in you and that which is among the gods. Therefore, I think what you take as known is still to be inquired into.
- suvede iti → suveda iti (final -e of suvede treated as sandhi with iti)
- dabhram evāpi → dabhram eva api
- evāpi shows vṛddhi sandhi (a+ a → ā) across eva+api
- yad asya → yat asya (d→t before voiceless a? orthographic normalization of relative pronoun)
- deveṣv atha → deveṣu atha (u + a sandhi resolved)
- mīmāṃsyam eva → mīmāṃsyam eva (no change)
- mantrāntasandhi not applied
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Limits of conceptual knowledge; necessity of continued inquiry (vicāra) into Brahman beyond objectifying ‘forms’
- The mahavakyas
- Prepares for mahāvākya-style realization by undermining intellectual certainty; supports the movement toward ‘aham brahmāsmi’/‘tat tvam asi’ as immediate identity-knowledge rather than partial, objectified knowing.
- Veda
- Sama
- Shakha
- Talavakara (Jaiminiya)
- Chandas
- Prose (Upanishadic)
Yoga and practice
Cultivates śraddhā and humility; encourages nididhyāsana (deep contemplation) beyond mere study; supports neti-neti style inquiry and deconstruction of ‘I know’ as egoic appropriation.
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