The Sparks and the Fire

This is the Truth.
Thousands of sparks leap from a blazing fire,
yet each separate and individual spark
remains in essence one with the fire.
Just so, my friend, all beings arise from the
imperishable Purusha,
and in time return to It.

Purusha is the shining,
yet formless cosmic spirit,
the Self of the Universe.
He is within everything,
and without everthing,
unborn,
untained by either breath or mind.
He is beyond even the tendency to take form.

. . . .

Purusha is truly the whole Universe,
the immortal source of all creation,
all action, all meditation.
Whoever discovers Him, hidden deep within,
cuts through the bonds of ignorance
—even during his life on earth.

From The Upanishads, trans. Shearer, Alistair and Russell, Peter (London: Unwin Hyman Limited, 1989). 31-32.