96 Evolution of Life and Form. 



dhogyopanishad that the One willed to multiply; 

 and the moment you grasp the idea of multipli- 

 cation, if you think of what it means instead of 

 merely repeating the word, you will realise that 

 multiplication must necessarily mean division and 

 therefore limitation, and that limitation necessarily 

 implies imperfection. But having gone so far, you 

 would then have proceeded to ask : By what words 

 is the universe described, and what idea is hidden 

 beneath the words ? And you would find that when 

 God is spoken of as a Fire, the universe is not spoken 

 of as a Fire, but as a spark, and the lives of men are 

 described as millions of sparks that come from the 

 illimitable Fire. Not only is that word " spark" 

 used, showing you the limitation that comes with 

 manifestation, giving you the idea that the spark, 

 fed by suitable fuel is to be developed into the like- 

 ness of the Flame whence it came ; but as the spark 

 is of the same nature as the flame, so we are told 

 "Thou art That," the Self in man is identical in 

 nature with the Self that gave it birth. You will 

 remember another word which is constantly used to 

 describe alike the universe as a whole, and also the 

 parts of which it is composed the word germ or seed. 

 L,et me ask you to turn to the Bhagavad Gitd, so 

 familiar to every student amongst you, and to listen 

 for a moment to the words chosen by Shri Krishna 



