As water in a well, as sap in a tree — so is the entire universe

The analogy of ghaṭa-ākāśa — space within the jar — is one of the most celebrated in the Advaita tradition. The space inside the jar is not a different space from the space outside; it is the same space, limited by the form of the jar. When the jar breaks, the inner space does not “return” to the outer space — it was never separate. Individual consciousness (jīva) is total consciousness (Brahman) limited by the form of the body-mind. Liberation is not a journey; it is the breaking of the jar.