Here is the complete, simplified rewrite of The Kena Upanishad by Raja Rammohan Roy. It is written in clear, modern English, and I have made sure to keep every single argument, detail, and footnote from the original text without summarizing it.
Introduction
Since I published my shortened version of the Vedanta (which contains the great sage Vyasa's explanation of all the Vedas), I have translated the most important chapters of the Vedas into Bengali. These chapters are accepted as unquestionable authorities by all Hindus. I did this to illustrate and prove Vyasa's views. I trust that by explaining the true spirit of the Hindu Scriptures to my countrymen—which is simply the declaration that there is only one God—this work will help correct the widespread false beliefs about what the scriptures actually teach.
I also hope it will help people recognize which parts of the Vedas are meant to be understood symbolically (as allegories). Consequently, I hope it will correct those terrible practices that not only rob ordinary Hindus of the basic comforts of social life,* but also frequently lead them to commit suicide,† or to sacrifice the lives of their sick friends and relatives.‡
(Footnotes on the practices mentioned above):
A caste Hindu is only allowed to eat once between sunrise and sunset; they cannot eat cooked food on a boat or ship; they cannot eat while fully clothed; they cannot eat in a public tavern; they cannot eat any food that has been touched by someone of a different caste; and if they are interrupted while eating, they are not allowed to finish their meal.
† This refers to acts of self-destruction such as drowning oneself at Prayaga or the Ganges Delta (Ganga Sagar), or throwing oneself under the wheels of the chariot of Jagannath.
‡ For example, when a person's recovery from an illness is considered doubtful, they are carried to the banks of the Ganges River and left to die. This cruelty is practiced only by the Hindus of Bengal, but it shocks even the Hindus of Bihar, Allahabad, and all the upper provinces.
It brings me an extraordinary amount of satisfaction to see that many respectable men in my country have already risen above their childhood prejudices and started investigating the real truths of religion. This has greatly disappointed their selfish, profit-driven spiritual guides.
Because many European gentlemen—especially those who care about improving the lives of their fellow human beings—might enjoy reading the doctrines of the original texts, I felt the best way to please them was to translate a few chapters of the Veda into English. I have now done this and submit my translations for their fair judgment. Perhaps, after reading them, these kind-hearted people will realize that in ancient times, the people of this part of the world (at least the educated ones) deeply understood complex philosophy. They will see that ancient writers frequently used metaphorical language to describe the different attributes of the Creator, sometimes portraying these attributes as separate, independent beings. While this metaphorical style worked well for educated intellectuals, it had disastrous effects later on when education and philosophy declined. It produced all the absurd and idolatrous beliefs that have stopped, or even destroyed, every sign of logic and darkened every ray of human understanding.
Hindus believe that the Veda, which is the source of all Hindu literature, is a divinely inspired book that is as old as the world itself. It is divided into four main parts: the Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva Vedas. These are broken down into branches, which are further divided into chapters. Generally, the first chapters of each branch cover practical arts and sciences like astronomy, medicine, and warfare. These early chapters also use physical things—both living and non-living objects—as symbols to represent the different attributes of the Supreme Being.* They give instructions on how to worship these attributes, either directly or by using sacred fire.
(Footnote):
God willing, in my next publication I intend to explain the exact connection between God's attributes and the specific symbols used to represent them.
However, in the later chapters of the Veda, the oneness of the Supreme Being as the only ruler of the universe is clearly taught, along with specific instructions on how to worship Him directly. These later chapters not only argue against the idea of multiple gods and goddesses mentioned earlier, but they also explain why those multiple gods were introduced in the first place. The texts explain that the worship of the sun, fire, and the whole system of symbolic idols was created only for people whose limited minds could not understand or worship an invisible God. It was a temporary measure so that these people wouldn't live like wild animals without any religious morals.
If we do not accept this explanation—which is given by the Veda itself and by its famous commentator Vyasa—we cannot explain why some passages declare there is only one invisible God while others describe many independent, visible gods. If we cannot resolve this contradiction, the entire Veda will lose its authority and be seen as completely meaningless.
I have often felt sad that we face so many obstacles when searching for religious truth. When we study the ancient traditions of different nations, we often find that they completely contradict each other. When we get discouraged by this and try to rely entirely on our own human reason to guide us, we quickly realize that reason alone is not enough to help us find the truth. We often find that instead of making things easier or solving our confusion, relying strictly on reason just creates universal doubt. This kind of endless doubt destroys the very principles that our comfort and happiness depend on.
Perhaps the best method is to avoid relying exclusively on either ancient tradition or pure reason. Instead, we should use the guiding light of both to improve our minds and morals. In doing so, we must rely on the goodness of the Almighty Power, because only God can truly enable us to achieve what we are earnestly and diligently searching for.
Here is the complete, simplified rewrite of the text you provided. It is written in clear, modern English, and I have made sure to keep every single argument, detail, and footnote from the original text without summarizing it.
The Kena Upanishad of the Sama Veda
1st. A student asks his spiritual teacher: "Who is the being whose single will directs our intellectual power (our mind) to approach different objects? Who is the being with the authority to make our breath—the primary power in the body—operate? Who is the being that directs us to pronounce language properly? And who is the invisible being that directs our eyes to see and our ears to hear?"
2nd. The spiritual teacher answers: "He is the sense behind your sense of hearing; He is the intellect behind your intellect; He is the essential cause of your language; He is the breath behind your breath; and He is the sense behind your sense of vision. This is the Being you are asking about. Learned people understand that the Supreme Mind is the true, sole source of all our senses. Because they realize this, they let go of the false idea that they are independent or self-sufficient. After they die and leave this world, they enjoy everlasting happiness."
3rd. "Because of this, no physical vision can see Him, no language can describe Him, and no human intellect can fully grasp or define Him. We do not know how the Supreme Being can possibly be explained. He is completely beyond anything that human comprehension can reach, and He is even beyond Nature itself, which is already above human imagination. This is how our ancient spiritual teachers have explained Him to us."
4th. "The Supreme Being is the one who has never been accurately described by language, but who is the very reason language has meaning. He is the Supreme Being—not any specific physical thing that people worship. You must know this."
5th. "The Supreme Being is the one whom human understanding cannot comprehend, but who (as learned men say) perfectly knows the true nature of understanding. He is the Supreme Being—not any specific physical thing that people worship. You must know this."
6th. "The Supreme Being is the one whom no one can see with their eyes, but who oversees and allows everyone to see visible objects. He is the Supreme Being—not any specific physical thing that people worship. You must know this."
7th. "The Supreme Being is the one whom no one can hear with their ears, but who perfectly knows the true nature of hearing. He is the Supreme Being—not any specific physical thing that people worship. You must know this."
8th. "The Supreme Being is the one whom no one can perceive through the sense of smell, but who directs the sense of smell to its objects. He is the Supreme Being—not any specific physical thing that people worship. You must know this."
9th. The spiritual teacher continues: "If, based on what I have just said, you assume and say, 'I know the Supreme Being thoroughly,' then you actually know very little about the Omnipresent Being. Any idea you have of God that is limited to what your physical senses can perceive is completely inadequate. Furthermore, if you try to describe Him by comparing Him to the physical bodies of the celestial gods, that description is also imperfect.* Therefore, you must continue to search for the true knowledge of the Supreme Being."
To this, the student replies: "I feel that, right at this moment, I am finally beginning to know God."
(Footnote):
The Vedanta's summary of the Supreme Being is that He is "the Soul of the universe." He has the exact same relationship to the entire physical universe that a human soul has to an individual human body.
10th. The student continues: "I do not believe that I know God completely and thoroughly, but I also do not believe that I am completely ignorant of Him. Among us students, the person who truly possesses knowledge of God is the one who understands this statement: 'I neither know Him thoroughly, nor am I entirely ignorant of Him.'"
11th. The spiritual teacher resumes: "The person who believes that he cannot fully comprehend God is the one who actually knows Him. The person who believes that he can fully comprehend God does not know Him at all. People with perfect understanding acknowledge that God is completely beyond human comprehension. People with imperfect understanding foolishly think God can be grasped by simple human perception."
12th. "We know that our bodily organs are made of lifeless, unthinking physical particles, yet they somehow possess living sensation. Recognizing this miracle leads directly to the idea of God. This idea of God is the only accurate one, and it is the only path to everlasting happiness. Through their own effort and self-discipline, a person gains the ability to acquire knowledge about God. By acquiring this knowledge, they achieve eternal happiness."
13th. "Any person who has come to know God according to this doctrine is truly happy. Anyone who has failed to know Him is doomed to terrible misery. Learned people reflect on how the Spirit of God extends over all creatures, both moving and unmoving. After they die and leave this world, they are completely absorbed into the Supreme Being."
The Parable of the Gods and the Demons
Once, there was a battle between the celestial gods and the demons.* God won the victory over the demons for the benefit of the gods (or, more accurately, God empowered the gods to defeat the demons). However, after the victory was won, the celestial gods took up their positions of power and arrogantly assumed that the victory and glory belonged entirely to them.
The Omnipresent God knew about their arrogant boasting, so He appeared before them in a form that was impossible to describe.
(Footnote):
In the ancient stories (Akhaika), the divine powers that create good results, moral order, and happiness are represented metaphorically as "celestial gods." The attributes that cause pain and misery are represented as "Demons." The stories portray these Demons as the stepbrothers of the gods, and they are constantly at war with each other.
The gods had no idea what this adorable, mysterious appearance was. So, they turned to the god of fire and said, "O god of fire, find out what this adorable appearance is."
He replied, "I will."
He quickly approached the adorable appearance.
The adorable appearance asked him, "Who are you?"
He answered, "I am Fire, and I am the original source of the Veda." (In other words, he was boasting that he was a very famous and important person).
The Supreme, Omnipotent Being then asked him, "What kind of power does such a famous person possess?"
Fire replied, "I can burn absolutely everything in the world to ashes."
The Supreme Being then placed a single piece of straw in front of him and said, "Can you burn this straw?"
The god of fire approached the straw and used all of his power, but he could not burn it. Defeated, he retreated and told the other gods, "I was unable to discover who this adorable appearance is."
Next, all the gods turned to the god of wind and said, "O god of wind, please go and discover who this adorable appearance is."
He replied, "I will."
He quickly approached the adorable appearance, who asked him, "Who are you?"
He answered, "I am Wind, and I flow through unlimited space." (Again, boasting that he was a well-known personage).
The Supreme Being asked him, "What kind of power does such a famous person possess?"
Wind replied, "I can lift up and blow away everything that exists in the world."
The Supreme Being placed a piece of straw in front of him and said, "Can you lift this straw?"
The god of wind approached the straw and used all of his mighty power, but he could not move it. Defeated, he retreated and told the others, "I was unable to discover who this adorable appearance is."
Finally, the gods turned to the revered god of the atmosphere (Indra) and said, "O revered god of the atmosphere, please go and discover who this adorable appearance is."
He replied, "I will."
He quickly approached the adorable appearance, but it instantly vanished from his sight. In that exact same spot, he met a woman. She was the goddess of spiritual instruction, dressed in golden robes and taking the incredibly beautiful form of Uma.*
He asked her, "Who was that adorable appearance?"
She replied, "It was the Supreme Being. It was only because of His victory that all of you gods were elevated to such high positions of power and glory."
Through her instruction, the god of the atmosphere realized that the appearance had actually been the Supreme Being. He immediately shared this realization with the gods of fire and wind.
(Footnote):
Uma is the wife of the god Shiva.
Because the gods of fire, wind, and the atmosphere were the ones who actually approached and saw the adorable appearance, and because they realized it was God before anyone else did, they are considered superior to all the other celestial gods. Furthermore, because the god of the atmosphere was the one who approached the appearance directly and was the very first to realize it was God, he is considered superior not only to the other ordinary gods, but even to the gods of fire and wind.
The Meaning of the Story
This entire story is a divine metaphor used to represent the Supreme Being. It means that, in one instant, God can shine across the entire universe as brightly as a flash of lightning, and in the next instant, He can disappear as quickly as the blink of an eye.
Additionally, this metaphor shows how a pure mind feels it is getting as close to the Supreme Being as humanly possible. A pious person uses their pure mind to think about God, which is why constantly focusing the mind on Him is so important. God—who in reality has no physical resemblance to anything and cannot truly be reached by the human mind—is worthy of worship (adorable) by all living creatures. Therefore, He is called the "Adorable One," and He should be worshipped in the proper, prescribed manner. Furthermore, all living creatures deeply respect any person who truly knows God in this way.
Conclusion
The student then said, "O Spiritual Father, please tell me the Upanishad, the principal and most important part of the Veda."
The Spiritual Father answered, "I have already told it to you. I have explained the principal part of the Veda, which is entirely about God alone. I have indeed taught you the Upanishad. Things like strict religious devotion, controlling your physical senses, performing rituals, the rest of the Veda, and all the sciences derived from the Vedas are merely the 'feet' (the foundational limbs) of this knowledge. Its true altar and ultimate support is Truth."
Anyone who understands this teaching as it has been described, having freed themselves from sin, acquires eternal and unchanging happiness.
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