Mandukya

For the uninitiated, the Mandukya Upanishad is one of the noblest, most ancient - and shortest - Hindu scriptures. It contains only 12 short verses - each of which is briefly memorialized in the little micro-sections of this composition. Additionally, half of those sections are scored entirely for one or another solo voice, with the other half devoted to short tuttis of the whole quartet. I didn't do this because I'm lazy! though admittedly it did considerably hasten the completion of the piece.

Verse 7 reads in translation:

"The Self is ... to be realized. It is neither conscious of the external or internal worlds, nor is it a mass of consciousness. It is not simple consciousness, nor is it unconscious. It cannot be seen by the senses, is unrelated to anything, incomprehensible to the mind, uninferable, unthinkable, and indescribable. Its nature is pure consciousness, the negation of all phenomena, non-dual, blissful, and peaceful."