The Yaksha and the Pride of the Gods

The Kena Upanishad comes from the Samaveda. Its name comes from its first word, 'kena', meaning 'by whom?' The student asks: by whose will does the mind run towards things? Who makes the breath move, the voice speak, the eyes see and the ears hear? The teacher answers: it is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the eye of the eye. The eye cannot see it, because it is what lets the eye see.

Then comes a story. Once, Brahman won a victory for the gods over the asuras. But the gods began to think: this victory is ours, this glory is ours. Brahman saw their pride and appeared before them as a mysterious Yaksha, a wondrous being. The gods could not understand who it was.

The gods asked Agni, the fire god, to find out. Agni went. The Yaksha asked, 'Who are you?' Agni said, 'I am Agni, Jataveda. I can burn anything on earth.' The Yaksha placed a single blade of grass before him: 'Burn this.' Agni tried with all his might, but the blade would not burn. He returned, embarrassed.

Next Vayu, the wind god, went and said, 'I am Vayu. I can blow away anything on earth.' The Yaksha placed the same blade of grass before him. Vayu tried with all his force but could not move it. At last Indra, king of the gods, went himself. But as soon as he came near, the Yaksha vanished.

In that very sky Indra saw a radiant, beautiful woman: Uma Haimavati, daughter of the Himalaya. Indra asked her, 'Who was that Yaksha?' Uma said, 'That was Brahman. You were taking pride in Brahman's victory.' Then the gods understood that every power they had was given by Brahman. Tradition says that is why Agni, Vayu and Indra became foremost among the gods: they came closest to Brahman.