Chandogya Upanishad 6.4Famous
intermediate
यथा सोम्यैकेन मृत्पिण्डेन सर्वं मृन्मयं विज्ञातं स्याद्वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं मृत्तिकेत्येव सत्यम्॥
yathā somyaikena mṛtpiṇḍena sarvaṃ mṛnmayaṃ vijñātaṃ syādvācārambhaṇaṃ vikāro nāmadheyaṃ mṛttiketyeva satyam ||
""Just as, my dear, by knowing one lump of clay, everything made of clay becomes known - the modification being only a name arising from speech, while the reality is just clay...""
What This Means:
If you know clay, you know all clay pots, plates, bricks. The different names are just words - the reality is clay.
Going Deeper:
This clay analogy introduces the teaching: names and forms are modifications, but the underlying reality (sat/Brahman) is one.
How To Apply This:
Look beyond the names and forms to see the one reality underlying all things.
#clay analogy#name and form#one reality#vikara#modifications