Kena Upanishad by Swami Atmapriyananda

Kena Upanishad is notable in its discussion of Brahman with attributes and without attributes. This Upanishad forms a part of the Talavakara or Jaimini Brahmana. Here we get the notion of the Ultimate Reality or Brahman as the origin, ground, and goal of all the manifold manifestation. It lays great stress on the unique opportunity given to human birth in the spiritual evolution and unfoldment of the soul. Further, it emphatically declares that ‘knowledge and spirituality are the goals and intense longing of all creatures’, Self-realization is to be had in this very life, and warns that, if we don’t attain it here and now, ‘then there is great destruction’.

Swami Atmapriyananda is the Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, a multi-campus University trying to actualize Swami Vivekananda’s educational vision and devoted to teaching and research in a variety of unique areas. Swami Atmapriyananda received his Ph.D. from the University of Madras, India, in Theoretical Physics. Inspired by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology, he joined the Ramakrishna Order of monks in 1978 and was posted at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, a premier college of Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math, where he taught Physics for nearly 25 years besides serving in the academic administration of the college as Vice-Principal and Principal for 19 years. He took charge as Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University on 4 July 2005.