Uddalaka Aruni, the revered sage, continued teaching his son, Svetaketu, about the profound nature of existence. He explained that when something appeared unknown to the ancients, they would say, “That is the union of these deities.” He urged Svetaketu to understand that the three fundamental elements—food, water, and fire—when they enter a person, each become threefold within. He went on: “Food that is eaten, dear one, is divided into three parts. The heaviest portion becomes excrement, the middle becomes flesh, and the subtlest becomes mind. Water that is drunk is also divided: the heaviest becomes urine, the middle becomes blood, and the subtlest becomes breath. Fire that is consumed is divided similarly: the heaviest becomes bone, the middle becomes marrow, and the subtlest becomes speech. Thus, mind is made of food, breath is made of water, and speech is made of fire.” Svetaketu requested a deeper explanation, and Uddalaka agreed. He said, “Consider curds: the subtlest part of the middle portion rises upward and becomes clarified butter. Likewise, the subtlest part of food rises upward and becomes mind; the subtlest part of water rises upward and becomes breath; the subtlest part of food also rises upward and becomes speech. Indeed, mind is made of food, breath is made of water, and speech is made of fire.” To demonstrate, Uddalaka instructed Svetaketu to abstain from food for fifteen days, allowing him to drink water as he wished, since breath depends on water. Svetaketu obeyed, and after fifteen days, he returned. Uddalaka asked him to recite the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, but Svetaketu replied, “Sir, nothing comes to mind.” Uddalaka explained, “Just as when a large fire burns and only a tiny ember remains, it cannot burn much, so too, out of your sixteen parts, only one remains, and with that, you cannot perceive the Vedas. When you eat, you will understand.” After Svetaketu ate, he returned and answered everything that was asked. Uddalaka said, “Just as a tiny ember, when kindled with grass, blazes greatly, so too, when only one of your sixteen parts remained, it was kindled by food and blazed forth. Now you perceive the Vedas. Indeed, mind is made of food, breath is made of water, and speech is made of fire.” Svetaketu understood. Uddalaka then spoke of sleep: “When a person sleeps, he becomes united with Being and attains his own nature. Therefore, it is said, ‘he sleeps,’ for he has gone to his own self. Just as a bird tied by a string flies in every direction and returns to where it is bound, so too, the mind, after roaming, returns to the vital breath, for the mind is bound to the breath.” He explained the states of hunger and thirst: “When a person eats, waters carry the food to its proper place. Just as cows, horses, and humans are each called by their own names, so too, waters are called ‘food,’ and from this, the shoot arises. This does not arise without a root. Seek the root in food, fire, and Being. All creatures have Being as their root, abode, and foundation.” “When thirsty, fire carries what is drunk to its proper place. Fire is called ‘drink,’ and from this, the shoot arises. This too does not arise without a root. Seek the root in water, fire, and Being. All creatures have Being as their root, abode, and foundation. When a person departs, speech merges in mind, mind in breath, breath in fire, and fire in the highest deity.” Uddalaka then revealed: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its self. That is the true. That is the Self. That you are, Svetaketu.” Svetaketu asked for further explanation, and Uddalaka continued: “Just as bees gather nectar from many trees and blend them into one honey, so too, all creatures, having merged with Being, do not know, ‘We have merged with Being.’ Whatever they become—tiger, lion, wolf, boar, insect, moth, gnat, mosquito—they become that. That subtle essence is the Self. You are that, Svetaketu.” Again, Svetaketu requested more. Uddalaka said, “The rivers in the east flow eastward, those in the west flow westward, but all come from the ocean and merge into the ocean, becoming the ocean itself. There, they do not know, ‘I am this one, I am that one.’ In the same way, all creatures, having come from Being, do not know, ‘We have come from Being.’ Whatever they become, that they become. That subtle essence is the Self. You are that, Svetaketu.” Svetaketu asked for further teaching, and Uddalaka gave another analogy: “If someone strikes the root, middle, or top of a great tree, it bleeds sap while living. Pervaded by the living self, it stands rejoicing, drinking nourishment. If life leaves one branch, it withers; if it leaves all, all wither. When life departs, it dies; but life itself does not die. That subtle essence is the Self. You are that, Svetaketu.” Again, Svetaketu asked for more. Uddalaka brought a banyan fruit and asked Svetaketu to break it and examine the seeds. Svetaketu saw very small seeds and, breaking one, saw nothing at all. Uddalaka said, “You do not see this subtle essence, yet from it alone, this great banyan tree stands. That subtle essence is the Self. You are that, Svetaketu.” Svetaketu requested further explanation. Uddalaka asked him to place salt in water overnight. In the morning, the salt was nowhere to be found, but the water tasted salty everywhere. Uddalaka said, “Though you do not see it, it is truly present. That subtle essence is the Self. You are that, Svetaketu.” Once again, Svetaketu asked for more. Uddalaka spoke: “Suppose a man is blindfolded and brought from Gandhara, then released among people. He would wander in every direction, blindfolded and lost.” Thus, Uddalaka patiently, lovingly, and with profound wisdom led Svetaketu to the realization that the subtle essence pervading all, unseen but ever-present, is the true Self within all beings. “That you are, Svetaketu,” he affirmed, guiding his son ever closer to understanding the unity of all existence.