A Discussion between Father and Son:

 

Mantram-2&3.
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2. Tam hovacha yam vai, saumya, etam animanam na nibhalayase, etasya vai, saumya, esho'nimna evam mahan nyagrodhas-tishthati srddhatsva, saumya iti.

 

The father now explains: “Do you know, my dear boy, what is inside the seed? It is a great wonder. You say that you cannot see anything there. It is practically invisible and non-existent, as it were, from your point of view. Thin, apparently non-existent something, the very little, subtle essence there inside that little seed, has become this vast tree in front of you. Do you know this? How is this possible? Is it not a miracle that a terribly large tree grows from this little speck of jelly which cannot even be seen with the eyes? Now look at this miracle. Please have faith in what I say and go into the deeper profundity of this analogy of mine.”

 

3. Sa ya esho'nima, aitad atmyam idam sarvam, tat satyam, sa atma, tat-tvam-asi, svetaketo, iti; bhuya eva ma, bhagavan, vijnapayatv-iti; tatha, saumya, iti hovacha.

 

This little so-called subtle essence is pervading the entire tree. How is it possible? How can an atomic little speck pervade the large expanse of the tree? Yet, there is nothing in this tree which is not in this little speck of jelly. The so-called large tree that you see there is nothing but whatever was contained in the invisible speck inside the seed. So is this vast universe. We say this universe is so large, so big or so unmanageable, so gross, so weighty. This is exactly like saying this tree is so big. But from where has it come? It has come from a very small, atomic, subtle Seed. That is the Being, the essence of the vast tree of this universe. So this Being, the essence of this whole universe, is the Self of the whole universe. This little jelly-like substance inside the little seed is the Self of this whole tree. It is the Atman of this banyan, because that has become all this, and outside it the tree does not exist. So it is the being of this tree. Even so is the Being of the whole universe including one's own self. “Tat-tvam-asi—you are that,” says the father. We can tell every branch of the tree, “You are that essence,” we can tell every leaf in the tree, “You are that essence,” every fruit and flower in the tree, “You are that.” And you will not be committing a mistake in saying that, because it is true. Even so we can say to every individual, “You are That,” because all individuals have come from that indistinguishable, homogeneous Reality. “Bhuya eva ma bhagavan vijnapayatv-iti—please explain further,” says the son. Another example is given by the father.

Chandogya Upanishad : Chapter-2, Section-12. Mantram-2&3.