The crucial factor

The ignorant think that Brahman is known, but the wise

know Him to be beyond knowledge, says the Kenopanishad.
It teaches that humility is the crucial factor in the matter of God-realisation, pointed out Sri M. Janakiraman in a lecture.

Once, when the celestial beings revel in their victory over

the asuras, thinking they have achieved this on their own
merit, a mysterious efulgent being in the form of a Yaksha
appears before them.Curious to know who this Being is, they send Agni to find out. Before Agni could speak, the Yaksha asks him, “Who are you?” Agni describes himself as a well-known entity and claims that by means of the power he wields he can burn anything on earth. So the Yakshas ask him to burn a small shred of straw. Agni uses all his might but is unable to cause even a spark. He runs away in shame and admits his inability to discover who the Yaksha is. Then Vayu is sent on this mission and he also faces the same plight. When questioned about his powers he claims that he can blow away anything on earth.

The Yaksha asks him to blow away the piece of straw and

he too is stumped and runs away. Then Indra decides to find
out the identity of the mysterious being , but he finds that the spirit has vanished. He now meditates in humility and then finds Goddess Uma before him. He voices his doubt about who had appeared before him. The Goddess enlightens him about the Supreme Btahman and also points out that it was through Him and not of their own prowess or might that the celestial beings attained their victory and glory. One has to recognise that the Supreme Brahman is behind every activity of each individual — sensation, perception, thought, and so on.