Mantra 1.1

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Kena-upaniṣad mantra 1.1:

ओं केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः ।
केनेषितां वाचमिमां वदन्ति चक्षुः श्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनक्ति ॥ १ ॥

oṃ keneṣitaṃ patati preṣitaṃ manaḥ kena prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ |
keneṣitāṃ vācamimāṃ vadanti cakṣuḥ śrotraṃ ka u devo yunakti || 1 ||

kena—by whom, at whose; iṣitam—wished, behest; By whose wish merely; patati—falls, lights upon, proceeds (toward its objects, good or bad); preṣitam—appointed, sent forth on errand; manaḥ—mind, the inner organ, the jñāna-śakti, knowing faculty; kena—by whom; prāṇaḥ—breath, life; The kriyā-śakti or volition or acting faculty. prathamaḥ—the first-born of Īśvara; The first son of the God. praiti—goes forth, proceeds; yuktaḥ—commanded, ordained, appointed; kena—by whom; iṣitām—wished; vācam—speech; imam—this; vadanti—utter, pronounce; cakṣuḥ—eye; śrotram—ear; Kaḥ what. u—verily or vocative, O teacher!; devaḥ—God; The Shining One; yunakti—directs, assigns.

1. Sent by whom does the mind go towards (its) wished for object, by whom ordained the First Breath goes forth (to perform His functions)? By whose direction they utter this speech O (Brahmā)? What deva directs the eye and the ear?—1

Notes:

The manas is an organ of perception and so must be under the control of some one that uses this instrument. The jīva or human soul is not the director of the mind, because we see that man cannot control his mind. Therefore, there must exist some other being, who is the director of the mind—who is that being?

By whose appointment does the First Breath perform his activities?

(The Prāṇa is said to be the first, as it is superior to all the jīvas: even higher than Śiva who questions, and Brahmā to whom the question is put. Even Ramā who is next to Viṣṇu cannot directly be the controller of the Prāṇa, as she herself is not independent. The question is about the direct controller and not the indirect ones.)

By whose direction and inspiration the wise speak these words of wisdom and authority?

And what shining one does direct the eye and the ear?

(The speech, eye, ear) etc., are seen not to be under the control of man, jīva, so there must be some divinity who is their regulator. Who is that divinity? If Narayana is the regulator of mind, etc., then what are the attributes of this Lord? The mind, breath, eye, ear, speech etc., denote here also the various Devas of these organs: the question is who regulates these devas of the eyes, etc., and who controls the highest among the Devas, the first breath—Prāṇa, the first begotten. The question is illustrative only. The senses not mentioned herein are also to be included.