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||
నీవు ‘నేను దీనిని బాగా తెలుసుకున్నాను’ అని అనుకుంటే, నిశ్చయంగా నీవు బ్రహ్మ స్వరూపంలో కొద్దిపాటి భాగమే తెలుసుకున్నావు—అది నీలో ఉన్న అంసం, దేవతలలో ఉన్న అంసం మాత్రమే. అందువల్ల నీవు ‘తెలిసింది’ అని భావించేది కూడా నా దృష్టిలో ఇంకా విచారణీయమే.
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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