Mantra 4.4

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Kena-upaniṣad mantra 4.4:

तस्यैष आदेशो यदेतद्विद्युतो व्यद्युतदा ३ इतीति न्यमीमिषदा ३ इत्यधिदैवतम् ॥ ४ ॥

tasyaiṣa ādeśo yadetadvidyuto vyadyutadā 3 itīti nyamīmiṣadā 3 ityadhidaivatam || 4 ||

tasya—of Him (the Lord; ) eṣaḥ—this, which will be mentioned; ādeśaḥ—teaching, instruction by illustration or mode of meditation; yat—that; etad—this, (the form called Kapila); vidyutaḥ—the splendid objects of lightning: the luminaries like the sun, etc; abhi—from all sides; vyadyutad—flashed forth, illumined fully; ā3—full, or pūrṇam; It has the Pluta stress, indicating wonder; ie, Wonderful is the brightness of Brahman; or “ā” may be an adverb and combined with vyadyutad—i.e., ā-vyadyutad, fully illumined; The Brahman is called “ā” because He is full; iti—thus; it—and, thus, similarly; nyamīmiṣat—closed the eyes: and slept on the Ocean of milk in Pralaya; ā3—(is Brahman) the Full; Fully closed the eyelids. iti—this (illustration) or teaching; adhidaivatam—With regard to gods or Devas or super-physical; Super-divine. Or the above two illustrations describe Brahman in its aspect of Hiraṇyagarbha—the One behind all forces—the Over-God of all; It flashes in the flash of the lightning; It winks in the winking of the eye; It is behind all these physical phenomena.

4. Of him this is the Adhidaiva teaching, He who illumines all luminous objects at creation, He who closing His eyes, sleeps on the Ocean of milk in Pralaya, that is Brahman called the Ā (Full). This is adhidaivata.

Note.—Of That (Brahman) this is an illustrative teaching: “Behold! the flash of lightning. This is that.” “Behold! (the eye) winketh—(and there It is too).” This is the ādhidaivata or physical.

Note.—This verse describes Ādhidaiva form of Brahman, for the purposes of meditation.

Commentary: The Bhāṣya of Madhva (Madhvācārya):

(English translation of Madhva’s 13th-century commentary called the Īśāvāsyopaniṣadbhāṣya or Īśopaniṣadbhāṣya)

The instruction about Brahman, so far as His Adhidaiva (cosmological aspect) is concerned is this:—

Hari, called Kapila, illumines even the lightning itself and others. He closing His eyes sleeps on the Ocean of Milk at the time of Pralaya. He alone is the one and the Supreme Brahman.