The great sage Uddalaka Aruni had a son named Svetaketu. One day, the son returned home from school. His father realized that the knowledge from school was insufficient for teaching the most important lesson because the teachers lacked the inspiration and experience to lead the students to the realization of the ultimate truth. In order to offer his son a metaphor for this truth, he asked the boy to bring him a red fruit from the banyan tree.
When the boy brought the fruit, the father said:
The son did so.
– What’s inside?
– Countless tiny seeds.
– Now take one seed and split it.
After considerable effort and patience, the boy managed to split the tiny seed.
– What’s inside?
– Father, there is nothing.
– Oh child, a tree like this cannot grow from nothing!
– Father, truly there is nothing.
– What you call nothing is something that cannot be seen with the eyes – the invisible something from which this huge tree sprouts. That is power, that is the invisible spirit that pervades everything and is found in everything and is the root of all that exists. That spirit is in you too.
Hey there, my son!
A tale from the Chandogya, Upanishad
Selected by: Vesna Bosnar