Mantra 4.3

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Kena-upaniṣad mantra 4.3:

तस्माद्वा इन्द्रोऽतितरामिवान्यान्देवान्स ह्येनन्नेदिष्ठं पस्पर्श स ह्येनत्प्रथमो विदाञ्चकार ब्रह्मेति ॥ ३ ॥

tasmādvā indro'titarāmivānyāndevānsa hyenannediṣṭhaṃ pasparśa sa hyenatprathamo vidāñcakāra brahmeti || 3 ||

tasmāt—therefore; vai—also; indraḥ—Indra; It includes Kāma also; atitrām iva—excels, surpasses, as it were; anyān—other (than Agni and Vāyu who merely saw and had a conversation with the Yakṣa, but were not taught, as Indra was by Umā, that this was Brahman); devān—Gods; sa—he (Indra); hi—because; enat—it (Brahman); nediṣṭham—nearest, first; pasparśā—touched, reflected; sa—he; hi—because (The rest like the last words of the preceding verse).

3. For this alone Indra is, as if superior to other Devas: because he first reflected upon That, because he first knew “This is Brahman.”—28.

Commentary: The Bhāṣya of Madhva (Madhvācārya):

(English translation of Madhva’s 13th-century commentary called the Īśāvāsyopaniṣadbhāṣya or Īśopaniṣadbhāṣya)

Umā then fully told Indra all about Viṣṇu, the Supreme Goal, and because Brahmā, Vāyu, Śeṣa, Vīndra and Śiva along with their respective spouses were not proud, (but knew that the victory was not theirs, but of Brahman) therefore they excelled the other Devas.

Note.—The mention of Vāyu, Śeṣa and Vīndra and their wives, shows by implication that when Brahman appeared as a Yakṣa, He was accompanied by these also. In other words, He was accompanied by five great devas: Śiva, Brahmā, Vāyu, Śeṣa and Vīndra and five great Devīs: the wives of these. These ten, by their humility and perfect knowledge, never fell into the great error of “I” and therefore they became superior to other Devas. The statement in the text that Indra, Agni and Vāyu became superior to all Devas, should be read in the light of the above remarks. They are not superior to Brahma and the rest mentioned above. Nor is Indra superior to Kāma, nor is Vāyu of the breath superior to Dakṣa nor is Agni superior to Sūrya.]

But Indra came to know Brahman first, (i.e., he knew when taught by Umā, that the Yakṣa was Brahman) and therefore, he alone became the best of all Devas. So Kāma alone became higher than Dakṣa and the rest, because he learnt Brahman prior to these, and taught them. (The true nature of the Yakṣa was learned by other Devas from Kāma. They were told to learn the truth about this Yakṣa from Kāma, and to that command, these namely) Dakṣa, Brīhaspati, Manu, the Kāma’s son, the Sun, the Moon, Dharma and Varuṇa said “Om! yes (we shall learn from Kāma)” and thus they became better than those Devas who had not so learnt. As the nāsikya Vāyu and Agni saw the Yakṣa first, but they did not understand Brahman. (Indra learnt and understood Brahman first, while Nāsikya Vāyu and Agni saw Him first, though they failed to understand Him). Therefore all these Devas, namely, Indra, Kāma, etc., are described as best of all the Devas; Indra and Kāma are the two highest of all Devas, higher than these two are Brahma and the rest. Among the Devas Agni is the lowest, and Viṣṇu the highest. Like Brahmā, etc., all other devas are between these two. (The reason why Agni is lowest, is that he learnt the Yakṣa to be Brahman last of all and that also through Indra. While the Devas like Kāma, etc., learnt from Umā simultaneously with Indra). Agni is lowest because he learnt last from the teaching of Indra. This is the precedence among the Devas, some being higher and some lower; according as they know Viṣṇu better and more fully; or partially and less fully.

Notes:

The difference among the Devas arose from the fact that some learnt the truth about Brahman early and some late. Thus Indra learnt first, then Kāma, next Dakṣa, then Bṛhaspati then, Manu, then the sou of Kāma, then the Sun, then the Moon, then Dharma and then Varuṇa, and then Nāsikya Vāyu and then Agni.