Discover the infinite: Kena Upnishad

I have been listening to a series of talks by my Master H. H. Sri Sri Ravishankar on Kena Upnishad since last few days. “Kena” means- `What’.

The Kena Upanishad or the Kenopanishad is one of the earlier Upanishads, a genre of Hindu Scriptures. These are treasured teachings on life passed from master to disciple, so profound that even several millennia later they still capture the essence of life.

In this series of talks, Sri Sri explains beautifully explains about the very source of life, reveals the secrets of this creation, prana (life force), life and answers all the questions that have piqued the seekers since time immemorial.

During the discourses, Sri Sri tells the story of the divine play of the Supreme God (Brahman):

It was because of divine grace that the Gods were successful in defeating and subduing the demons. The real victors were not Gods but the divine cosmic energy. But the Gods felt proud of their achievements and started to feel that they were invincible. When the Supreme Soul realized this, he assumed the form of a ‘Yaksha’ so as to teach the Gods a lesson for if he didn’t, the Gods would remain proud and end up in misery and ruin. Brahman appeared before them in the form of Yaksha but they did not recognize the Absolute. One by one, Agni the God of fire and Vayu the God of air, came to challenge this new appearance and tried to show off their powers. The God of Fire could not burn even the straw placed before him. The God of air could not blow even the straw placed before him. Finally Indra, the God of all the divines came nearest to that spirit to find out who it is that is presenting these challenges to the divines. And before him stood a highly adorned woman in the name and form of Uma who finally reveals to Indra that the Spirit is the Absolute Brahman.

Such deep knowledge can’t be understood easily and has to be read and listened again and again so that you get to the core of the deeper meanings and also so that the knowledge gets established in you.

Here are the notes I made while I was watching the series of discourses:

• We doubt that if we are being loved. Self-doubt is the biggest doubt.
• Drop the hatred. Hatred is killing you, forget about the other. Utter foolishness is cultivating hatred within yourself. Let us not hate anybody.
• If your mind is boiling with hatred, then external peace means nothing. Internal peace has to be there.
• If you sit to learn something with ‘No mind’, you are not going to learn anything. Learning happens with ‘Yes mind’.
• Every cell of your body is made up of God. When your prana is strong/high, you are able to recognize the infinite in the finite.
• Let the student not reject the knowledge and let the knowledge not reject the student. Let there be no rejection, only acceptance.
• You are beautiful! Come on, wake up. This is the satvic way of uplifting someone.
• Let the virtues/dharma get deeply ingrained in me.
• Upnishad always encourages the quest. Kena means question. Keno Upnishad itself means what when who where why.
• The moments of wonder, the moments of inquiry, the moments of curiosity, the moments of astonishment are very precious. These moments are what takes us from the known to the unknown.
• What when why- the questions are propelling us to knowledge.
• When you are peaceful, then the spirit of inquiry can happen. The basis is peace.
• The biggest challenge in front of mankind is that they don’t look within. They keep looking outside.
• The consciousness which is going outward is mind (manah)  and the consciousness which turns inward is namah.
• This whole world is called Maya. Maya means that which can be measured. All the five senses can be measured.
• Truth is that which is unaffected by time and space.
• Yesterday’s reality is false today & today’s reality never existed yesterday.
• Truth, knowledge, infinity is ‘Brahman’.
• Whatever the Brahman has created is always beautiful and has a purpose.
• Metabolism of the body is twice when you are breathing through the right nostril.
• Observe the prana and that which is beyond prana. God is not scenery, it is the seer. Don’t ever objectify God.
• Statues are not God. But for celebration sake or for the sake of connection, you can worship God in any form.
• First step is to become aware of the senses. Only when you are aware of the senses, your intellect is alive.
• Identity aspect of consciousness is Ego.
• Intellect, experience, memory, identity are the four aspects of consciousness.
• The world is made up of 5 elements. That’s why it is also called prapancha.
• The inward journey is from the sense objects to the senses.
• The universe is filled with memories but we only identify with certain memories and that’s what separates us from universal consciousness.
• In the spiritual path, illusions come. This is called Yogmaya.
• One who knows doesn’t know it and one who doesn’t know also knows it.
• ‘Patrata’- Your capability to receive knowledge has to be there. Let us expand our capabilities.
• Even if you think you don’t know, you can’t be away from it. A conscious mind may not know it but the subconscious mind knows it.
• ‘Sahdyojata’- created every moment anew and knowing every moment new.
• Self efforts &  Grace of the Master- these two things together bring knowledge and knowledge brings immortality.
• This truth you have to know now in this life. If you don’t, then there is not a greater loss than this.
• The brave one sees that one consciousness present everywhere. He crosses over this world of death to immortality.
• In ignorance, you project your emotions on others. And seeing the whole world as a projection of consciousness is enlightment.
• There are two levels of truth- adhyatam & vayavhar (spiritual and practical aspect).
• Upanishads say everything is full. Buddha says everything is empty. That was the knowledge needed at that time.
• Bravery is when you are able to see the infinite in the finite, perfection in the most imperfect ones, see the diverse universe as a play and display of a single consciousness.
• The whole universe is permeated by spirit but in different degrees.
• Stones have one unit of life, water 2 units of life, fire 3 units of life, air 4 units of life, space 5 units, trees 6 units, animals 7 units, humans 8 units and the genius ones are blossomed in 9 units of life.
• Humans can develop further from 9-16 units of life. When we die, we go between 9-10 units of life.
• Ancestors<Pitras<Kinnars<Gandharvas<Yakshas<Devas<Siddhas
• Siddha is the perfected human being who has gone deep into meditation. Any talent you have is a gift, a blessing.
• Devas are not totally free from desires.
• In heaven, there is plenty of joys & pleasures but no love. Devas have to come to Earth to experience love and be liberated.
• In the victory of the Brahman is the victory of everything.
• ‘Upasana’- Sitting close. Upasana is worship. It can give you many things…everything.
• Upasana means getting close to the universal consciousness, the simplest form of our own consciousness.
• We can never be outside divinity. We are in it.
• Shiva is the fourth state of consciousness.
• Coastline has more prana & daivi energy is in the ocean. So Western people are fascinated towards ocean. While in India, the inland is infused with energy due to chanting of mantras. Also the places of worship have very high prana. So in India, people are not that fascinated towards oceans.
• Every creature will fall in love with the one who has connected with his true nature ‘Brahman.’
• After listening to the Upanishad, you have to dwell on it and make it your own. This is the home of truth. You need to lead your life with this awareness and forbearance.
• A glimpse of the infinity gives you enormous inner strength. A glimpse of Brahman makes you a beautiful person from inside.
• One who knows this is free from all sins. Experiencing the infinity, he is free of all the sins and he gets established in this wisdom effortlessly.
• The single motivating factor of this planet is happiness.
• Dhara means flowing outward. Radha is the mind which is going inward, going back to it source.
• Grace is inside you.
• When intellect makes choices, it is free will.
• Enlightenment is from being somebody to nobody to everybody.

So complicated knowledge yet so simple!

Blessed ones are those who get to hear it and even more blessed are those who live this knowledge.

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