Sage Vasishtha
After thus remaining immersed in himself for some time, the LORD opened his eyes and continued:
O Sage, abandon the habit of apprehending the objects with your mind. The knowers of that (self) have seen what is worth seeing. What more is there to be seen or not to be seen? Behold the self. Be a sword which sunders what is regarded as peace and what is regarded as restlessness. Or, resorting to just a little extroversion of attention, listen to what I am going to say to you. Nothing is gained by merely keeping quiet!
This body is kept alive and active by the life-force or prana. Without that life-force the body is inert. The energy that moves the body is prana. The intelligence that experiences through all this is consciousness. This consciousness is formless and purer than even the sky. When the relationship between the life-force and body ceases, only the life-force is separated from the body. Consciousness, which is purer than space, does not perish.
A pure mirror reflects what is in front of it, but the reflection is not seen if the mirror is covered with dirt. Even so, though the body is seen, when the prana has left the body the intelligence does not reflect the objects.
The consciousness though infinite and omnipresent is able to become aware of the movement of the mind and the body. When the defect of objectification (conceptualization) is removed, that itself shines as the supreme being. It is itself the creator Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, the sun, the moon and the supreme Lord. Some of these divinities like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are not deceived by the cosmic illusion. They are indeed parts of the infinite consciousness sharing its true nature: like red-hot iron which shares the nature of fire. However, none of these has actually been created by the infinite consciousness and none of these exists apart from it. These are no more than notions - some notions being more dense than the others. It is impossible to describe the extent of such notions which have arisen in ignorance.
In a manner of speaking, the supreme being (the infinite consciousness) is the father of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and others. That infinite consciousness alone is fit to be adored and worshipped. However, there is no use inviting it for the worship; no mantras are of any use in its worship for it is immediate (closest, one's own self) and hence does not need to be invited. It is the omnipresent self of all. The realization of this infinite consciousness (which is totally effortless) is alone the best form of worship.