By Whom?
🎼 Upanishad · Brahman · Music as Metaphor
Kena — the first word of the Upanishad — means By whom?
In the first chapter, the student asks his Guru: By whom is this world created? Who powers our minds, senses and bodies, our very first breath? The Guru explains that the senses and the mind cannot reach this Ultimate Reality — the Brahman — because although the senses and mind work due to it, it is beyond them.
The second chapter cautions that the realisation of Brahman is to be achieved here and now. The third encapsulates all this in a story of the Devas and Asuras. The fourth shows the way for a seeker who wishes to experience Brahman.
This presentation attempts to bring the essence of the Kenopanishad into our lives. Starting with the story of the victory of the Devas over the Asuras, Sunaad has used the life of a musician as a metaphor — drawing a parallel story that makes the Upanishad's inquiry feel intimate and immediate.