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KENOPANISAD
Additional Notes
As suggested by the fourth and the fifth Mantras of
the fourth part, the story related in the second and third
parts can be explained in both the adhidaivika and
adhyatmika senses. The adhidaivika explanation has
already been given in the earlier notes. And the
following is the adhyatmika significance : As microcosm is
a part of the Macrocosm and its exact epitome, all the
forces that work in the latter have their counterparts in the
former, and all these different aspects of the Cosmic Intelli-
gence, known as Devas, which govern the forces of Nature,
have also sway over the forces that work upon the person
of man. So it was stated by the ancient sages of India
that the whole of our bodily existence (including the mind
and the senses) is controlled by the gods like Indra, Mitra,
Varuaa, Agni and Vayu, whose powers are manifested in
the cosmic activity. Then again desires and all their evil
train are sometimes called Asuras and the pure activities
of the senses and mind are conceived as the Devas. The
conflict between these two opposing tendencies is termed
as the Devasura war, which allegory has been developed
with much imagination in the Puraaas and have been
extended to its cosmic aspect.
The story narrated in the Upanisad first tells that the
psychological victory which these Devas of our microcosm
win over their antagonists, the Asuras, is not due to their
own inherent power. It is indeed the Atman that wins
laurels for them. But for Him they are naught, Atman
being the basis and support of all. But this we do not