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The Upaniṣads are also called Vedānta. "Veda" means knowing, and "anta" means ending. Thus, Vedānta signifies the culmination of the Vedas, the ultimate knowledge contained within them. The philosophy of Vedānta derives its name and essence from the Upaniṣads, for it is the philosophy expounded in these texts. The word "Upaniṣad" itself means to sit close to the Master. "Upa" means near or towards, and "ni" means down. It signifies sitting down with reverence. "Śiṣya" (disciple) comes from the root "śī," meaning the disciple who sits down. This sitting is not merely physical; the mind must also settle and become calm. Satsaṅg is also a form of Upaniṣad. When we come to satsaṅg, we should sit down physically, but we must also remain mentally serene. Śaṅkarācārya explained that Upaniṣad means to destroy the darkness of ignorance with the help of the Vedic knowledge. Brahman is the highest being, the Absolute. It is the highest Self, devoid of any qualities; it is pure being. As it possesses neither masculine nor feminine qualities, it is grammatically assigned the neuter gender. "Vidyā" means knowledge, so this is the science of Being. There are several Upaniṣads. Some say there are ten, or even thirteen, that were authorized by Śaṅkarācārya. The Kena Upaniṣad is among them. It is named after the first word of its first verse: "Kena," which means "By whom?" The disciple asks the Master: "By whom is the prāṇa (vital force) directed? By whom are the senses led to their objects? Who impels the faculty of speech?" The Master answers that this "who" is Brahman, the Absolute Self. He states: "Brahman is okeemoka? So, Brahman is the Eye of the eye. It is the Ear of the ear. It is the Mind of the mind. This is what should be known. The wise who realize this within themselves become immortal." The Upaniṣad says: "It is that by which the eye sees, but which itself cannot be seen by the eye. It is that by which we hear, but which cannot be heard. It is that by which we think, but which cannot be thought by the mind. That is truly Brahman. It is certainly not what people commonly worship." The Upaniṣad explains that people adore many gods, but all those deities are merely forms of the one God. That Brahman—using the terminology of the Upaniṣad, though we may also call it the Cosmic Self, Śiva Consciousness, or another definition—cannot be known by the senses. The senses are meant for the world of duality, not for that knowing. This is also why the mind cannot reach it. We can only attain this as a personal, inner experience. When we suddenly realize we are that Brahman, we become Brahman again. There are many beautiful teachings in the Upaniṣads, including a story about the gods and demons who fought. This fighting is perpetual. It is the battle between the devic and āsuric śaktis, between the gods and demons. Symbolically, this fight represents within us the conflict between positive and negative qualities, good and bad tendencies, and so on. The winner is whichever direction we concentrate our energy upon. In this instance, the gods (devas) were the victors. They were very happy and celebrated their victory, feeling proud of their own skill and prowess. Brahman decided to teach them a lesson and took the form of a Yakṣa, a semi-divine creature. This Yakṣa appeared in Devaloka, where the gods were celebrating. The gods were surprised and did not know who he was or how he could appear there. They sent Agni, the god of fire, to investigate. Agni approached the Yakṣa, who asked, "Who are you?" Agni replied, "I am Agni, the god of fire. Everyone knows me. I am also called Jātavedas," meaning the one who knows all incarnations and all the Vedas. The Yakṣa simply said, "Well," and gave Agni a dry piece of grass, instructing him to burn it. Agni tried with all his might but could not ignite the grass. He returned in failure. The gods then sent Vāyu, the god of wind. Vāyu came, and the Yakṣa asked again, "Who are you?" Vāyu said, "I am Vāyu. Everyone knows me. I am the god of wind and space. I am also known by this name: 'Mātariśvan.'" "Mātā" means mother or matter, and the name signifies the one who penetrates through matter. Vāyu also represents prāṇa. Again, the Yakṣa gave him a dry piece of grass and said, "Blow it away." Vāyu tried and tried, but could not move it. Suddenly, the Yakṣa disappeared. In his place appeared the shining goddess Umā. She explained to Indra, the king of gods, that the Yakṣa was a manifestation of Brahman, of pure Being. She revealed that this victory was not truly the gods' victory, but the victory of Brahman, who is the active power behind everything. There are two primary lessons from this story. First, you cannot attain true knowledge without a Guru. The gods were unable to discover the Yakṣa's identity by themselves. In this story, the Yakṣa himself played the role of the Guru, with Umā later providing the explanation. The second lesson is encapsulated in the mantra: "I am not the doer; only God is the doer." Mahāprabhujī is the one who acts, and we should become aware of this truth before any action. Yoga teachers confirm that when they remind themselves of this mantra, their lesson is completely different compared to when they forget it. Finally, the Upaniṣad declares that all the power of the mind is the power of Brahman. All the power in nature is the power of Brahman. We should meditate on this Brahman as that which is most dear to us.