Kena Upanishad 4 — Verse 4

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

यद्वाचा अनभ्युदितं येन वागभ्युद्यते । तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

यत् । वाचा । अनभ्युदितम् । येन । वाक् । अभ्युद्यते । तत् । एव । ब्रह्म । त्वम् । विद्धि । न । इदम् । यत् । इदम् । उपासते ॥

IAST Transliteration

yad vācā anabhyuditaṃ yena vāg abhyudyate | tad eva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yad idam upāsate ||4||

Translation

Know as Brahman that silent Reality which no words can capture, yet by whose power all speech arises; it is not the limited object the mind turns into something to be worshipped.

Academic Translation

That which is not expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed—know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people here worship (as an object).

Verse Context

• Brahman as the revealer (prakāśaka) beyond speech; apophatic (neti-neti) approach
• Mahavakya: Supports the purport of 'प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म' (Prajñānam Brahma): Brahman as the enabling consciousness behind all cognition and expression; also aligns with 'नेति नेति' method rather than a direct mahāvākya formulation.
• Sama
• Talavakara (Jaiminiya) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose (Upaniṣadic gadya)