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Its meaning and significance
The first word in the first verse of the Kena Upanishad is "Kena"
which means "by whom". The Kena Upanishad derives its name from this word. Starting with this question, the
Kena Upanishad explores the mystery behind the creation of the manifest universe. Then it goes on to explain the Supremacy of the Absolute Brahman.
The Kena Upanishad is divided into four sections. The first two sections are in verse form, containing fourteen verses and the next two are in prose form. The latter deal with an interesting allegory suggestive not only of the supremacy of Brahman over all the Vedic gods but also their comprehensive ignorance of Him.
In this Upanishad we are also introduced to the beautiful goddess , Uma, who is the daughter of Himavat and who was recognized during the later Vedic period as the Mother Goddess and consort of Lord Shiva. The fact that she declares to the ignorant Indra the greatness of Brahman, and acts as His messenger, clearly shows that
the Kena Upanishad accepts Uma, the Mother Goddess, as superior to all the Vedic gods in the knowledge of Brahman.
The first section explains that Brahman is the eternal reality behind all our sensory experience and mental processes. Though He is responsible for their actions, He is detached from them. The senses cannot reach Him because He is beyond them. So does the mind, which is not Brahman but works because of Him.
He is indescribable because He is above both the known and the unknown aspects of our awareness. The "unknown" that is referred in this Upanishad probably is the unconscious part of the mind which remains active during our sleep.
The second section explains the difficulties in understanding Brahman. No one can say with certainty that he has complete knowledge of Brahman. Those who think so do not know Him at all. Those who are humble enough to acknowledge that they do not know Him, perhaps know Him better.
The Upanishad further explains that, Brahman can be understood through a comprehensive approach only, involving all aspects of human awareness and activity. When an aspirant understands Him through his surface consciousness as well through his inner personal experience, we can say that he has known Brahman rightly.
The third and the fourth sections deal with the story of how gods, intoxicated with victory, failed to realize the presence of Brahman amidst them. They were completely ignorant of Brahman and of the fact that He was behind their individual prowess and their victories over the demons. When He appeared before them, they mistook Him as an Yaksha or a celestial spirit.
Brahman humbled them and showed them their true place. When they started wondering who He could be, Uma, the Mother Goddess, appeared to Indra and explained to him the true greatness of Brahman. The three Vedic gods namely, Indra, Vayu and Agni became the most powerful gods in the Vedic pantheon, because they alone had a glimpse of Brahman. Of them Indra became the greatest, because he went closer to Brahman than the other two. This shows how the knowledge of Brahman can change the lives, personalities and status of even gods.
The Upanishadic seers rarely acknowledged the supremacy of the ritualistic aspect of the Vedas. They also considered the mere knowledge of the Vedas inferior to the knowledge of Brahman. So was their attitude towards the Vedic gods, who were considered to be much more inferior to Brahman in status. The Kena Upanishad reemphasizes the Supremacy of Brahman beyond all doubt.
The last few verses are very vague in their content. We can only make some intelligent and intuitive assumptions out of them. They probably explain the way the gods and human beings experience the vision and the consciousness of Brahman. The gods see Him but briefly as a lightening which flashes forth or as the wink of an eye. The humans experience Him through their inner selves, by constantly meditating upon Him as the dearest of all (tadvanam) and through austerities, self-control and work.
Suggested Further Reading
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