holy. Of these five, Kedarnath is identi-
fied as Shiva’s back, Madmaheshvar
his navel, Tungnathhis arm, Rudranath
his face, and Kalpeshvarhis matted
locks (jata).
Kena (“By Whom?”) Upanishad
One of the shorter of the early specula-
tive texts known as the Upanishads,
whose name comes from the first word
of the text itself. The Kena Upanishad is
unusual in that the first two sections are
written in verse, and the third and fourth
in prose. This change gives the text a
somewhat disjointed feel, despite its
brevity, and raises the possibility that it
is a compilation of two earlier texts. As
with many of the later upanishads, the
Kena Upanishad propounds that the
ultimate source of all reality is ascribed
to a single power that can only be dis-
covered through a flash of mystic
insight. The verse sections describe this
power: “It is conceived of by one who
does not conceive of it, it is not con-
ceived by one who conceives, it is not
known by those who think they know it,
it is known by those who think they do
not know it” (verse 2.3). The prose sec-
tions are very different, narrating an
encounter between a mysterious being
(Brahman personified) and several of
the primary gods in the earlier Vedic lit-
erature—Indra, Agni, and Vayu. Despite
all their efforts, the gods are unable to
exercise their respective powers of
storm, fire, and wind, showing that their
divine power is not independently
theirs, but is derived from Brahman.
Kerala
One of the four southern Indian states,
whose inhabitants speak a Dravidian
language, in this case Malayalam. Kerala
occupies the narrow strip of land
between the Western Ghats and the
Arabian sea, in the region formerly
known as the Malabarcoast. Kerala is
one of the “linguistic” states formed
after Indian independence in 1947, to
unite people with a common language
and culture under one state govern-
ment. It was created from the
Malayalam-speaking regions of the for-
mer Madras state, plus the princely
states of Travancore and Cochin. Kerala
has always been important as a trading
center. The desire for its spices and san-
dalwood have brought merchants from
the Middle East for thousands of years.
In modern times it has had India’s first
elected communist government, and is
the only Indian state to have 100 percent
adult literacy. Kerala’s most famous
sacred site is the temple of Aiyappaat
Shabari Malai. By custom the annual
pilgrimage to the site is restricted to
men as well as women past child-
bearing age. For general information
about Kerala and other regions of India,
see Christine Nivin et al., India. 8th
ed., Lonely Planet, 1998.Keshanta (“shaving the beard”)
Samskara
The thirteenth of the sixteen traditional
life-cycle ceremonies (samskaras). The
ceremony was performed by a young
man in the brahmacharin(celibate stu-
dent) stage of lifeand marked the first
time he shaved his beard. According to
tradition, this rite was followed by giving
a gift to the teacher, ideally a cow.By rit-
ualizing his first shave, the keshanta
samskara was a way to mark the young
man’s changing status. After this he was
responsible for remaining clean-shaven,
as one more of the rules for maintaining
ritual purity. In modern times this rite is
no longer observed. See also shaving.Keshava
([One with] “Flowing Hair”) Epithet of
the god Krishna. See Krishna.Keshi
In Hindu mythology, Keshi is one of the
assassins sent by Kamsa, the demon-
king of Mathura, in an attempt to kill his
nephew, the child-god Krishna. In the
form of a savage horse, Keshi attacksKena (“By Whom?”) Upanishad