 Adi Shankara, for example, in his commentary on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad asserted that Devas represent the human seeking for the sacred and spiritual, while the Asuras represent the human seeking for the worldly excesses.Edelmann and other modern era scholars also state that the Devas versus Asuras discussion in Upanishads is a form of symbolism.In the later primary Upanishadic texts, Devas and Asuras discuss and act to seek knowledge, for different purposes.