(2) Gargya said: cThe sound here which follows after one as he goes — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma ' ' Ajatas'atru said: 'Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as Life (asu). To him who worships him as such there comes a full length of life (dyu) in this world. Breath (prdna) leaves him not before the time.'

(4) ' Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [con- tinued Yajnavalkya]. 'Jitvan Sailini told me: " Brahma, verily, is speech (vac)"' [said Janaka]. 'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Sailina say, " Brahma, verily, is speech." For he might have thought (iti), '* What can one have who can not speak? " But did he tell you Its seat and support?' ' He did not tell me.' ' Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged [Brahma].' ' Its seat is just speech; Its support, space (akasa). One should worship It as intelligence (prajna)' ' What is Its quality of intelligence, Yajnavalkya? ' 'Just speech, your Majesty,' said he. c Verily, by speech, your Majesty, a friend is recognized. By speech alone, your Majesty, the Rig- Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the [Hymns] of the Atharvans and Angirases, Legends (itika$a\ Ancient Lore (pur and], Sciences (vidya), Mystic Doctrines (upanisad)) Verses (sloka), Aphorisms (sutra\ Explanations (anuvyakhyand)) Commentaries (uyakkyana), what is offered in sacrifice and as oblation, food and drink, this world and the other, and all beings are known. The highest Brahma, your Majesty, is in truth speech. Speech does not desert him be noted, takes the active bruyat as if it were middle voice — a late epic usage. 2 A designation of the Atharva-Veda. who, knowing this, worships it as such. All things run unto him. He, having become a god, goes even to the gods/ { I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant/ said Janaka, [king] of Videha. Yajfiavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept'

(1) Then they [i.e. the gods] said to the In-breath (prana): c Sing for us the Udgitha.' e So' be it/ said the In-breath, and sang for them. Whatever pleasure there is in the in-breath, that it sang for the gods; whatever good one breathes in, that for itself. They [i.e. the devils] knew: 'Verily, by this singer they will overcome us.' They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil That evil was the improper thing thai one breathes in. This, truly, was that evil.

(5) The head of the person who is here in the right eye is Bhur— there is one head, this is one syllable. BJmvar is the arms — there are two arms, these are two syllables. Svar is the feet — there are two feet, these are two syllables (su-ar). The mystic name (upanisad) thereof is * I ' (akam). He slays evil, he leaves it behind ( */ka) who knows this.

(1) They said to Speech: c Sing for us the Udgitha. 'So be it/ said Speech, and sang for them. Whatever pleasure there is in speech, that it sang for the gods; what- ever good one speaks, that for itself. They [i. e. the devils] knew: ' Verily, by this singer they will overcome us.' They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil. That evil was the improper thing that one speaks. That was the evil.

(1) And it is also Brahmanaspati. Prayer (brahman)? verily, is speech. He is her lord (pati), and is therefore Brah- manaspati. A glorification of the Chant as breath

(5) The threefold offspring- of Prajapati — gods, men, and devils (asura)— dwelt with their father Prajapati as students of sacred knowledge (brahviacarya). Having lived the life of a student of sacred knowledge, the gods said: ' Speak to us, Sir/ To them then he spoke this syllable, 'Da.' £ Did you understand? ' ' We did understand/ said they. ' You said to us? ct Restrain yourselves (damyata)? ' ' Yes (Om)! ' said he. « You did understand/

(2) It is — as, from a fire laid with damp fuel, clouds of smoke separately issue forth, so, lo, verily, from this great Being (bkutd) has been breathed foith that which is Rig- Veda, Yajur- Veda, Sama-Veda, [Hymns] of the Atharvans and Angirascs, Legend (itihasa), Ancient Lore (pitrand)> Sciences (vidya), Mystic Doctrines (^m^rf), Verses (sloka), Aphorisms (sutra), desert '; so also in all the following similar sentences. Cf. Bnh. 4. 5. 7. 2 A designation of the Atharva-Veda. Explanations (amivydkkydua)> and Commentaries (vyakhyana). From it, indeed, are all these breathed foith. ii. It is — as of all waters the uniting-point is the sea, so of all touches the uniting-point is the skin, so of all tastes the uniting-point is the tongue, so of all smells the uniting-point is the nostrils, so of all forms the uniting-point is the eye, so of all sounds the uniting-point is the ear, so of all intentions (samkalpa) the uniting-point is the mind (manas\ so of all knowledges the uniting-point is the heart, so of all acts (karma) the uniting-point is the hands, so of all pleasures (ananda) the uniting-point is the generative organ, so of all evacuations the uniting-point Is the anus, so of all journeys the uniting-point is the feet, so of all the Vedas the uniting-point is speech. 12,. It is — as a lump of salt cast in water would dissolve right- into the water; there would not be [any] 2 of it to seize forth, as it were (iva), but wherever one may take, it is salty indeed — so, lo, verily, this great Being (bhuta\ infinite, limitless, is just a mass of knowledge (vijnana-ghana). Arising out of these elements (bkuta), into them also one vanishes away. After death there is no consciousness (na pretya samjna *sti). Thus, lo, say I.' Thus spake Yajnavalkya.

(3) [Sakalya said:] f What divinity have you in this fixed quarter [L e. the zenith]? ' ' The god Agni/ ' That Agni — on what is he based? ' ' On speech/ ' And on what is speech based? '

(3) ' Yajnavalkya/ said he, ' since everything here is overtaken by death, since everything is overcome by death, whereby is - a sacrificer liberated beyond the reach of death? ' 'By the Hotri-priest, by fire, by speech. Verily, speech is the Hotri of sacrifice. That which is this speech is this fire, is the Hotri. This is release (mukti), this is complete release/ 4- ' Yajnavalkya, said he, c since everything here is overtaken by day and night, since everything is overcome by day and night, whereby is a sacrificer liberated beyond day and night? ' By the Adhvaryu-priest, by the eye, by the sun. Verily, the eye is the Adhvaryu of sacrifice. That which is this eye is yonder sun, is the Adhvaryu. This is release, this is complete release/

(2) Gargya said. 'The Person who is here in wind — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: ' Talk not to me about him! Verily, I worship him as Indra, the terrible (vaikuntha), and the uncon- quered army. He who worships him as such becomes indeed triumphant, unconquerable, and a conqueror of adversaries/

(1) Then they [i.e. the gods] said to this Breath in the mouth: ' Sing for us the Udgltha/ They [i.e. the devils] knew: c Verily, by this singer they will overcome us/ They rushed upon him and desired to pierce him with evil. As a clod of earth would be scattered by striking on a stone, even so they were scattered in all directions and perished. Therefore the gods increased, the demons became inferior. He increases with himself, a hateful enemy becomes inferior for him who knows this.

(3) * Yajnavalkya/ said he, £ since everything here is over- taken by the waxing and waning moon, by what means does a sacrificer obtain release from the waxing and waning moon? ' ' By the Udgatri-priest, by the wind, by breath. Verily breath is the Udgatri of the sacrifice. That which is this breath is wind, is the Udgatri. This is release, this is com- plete release.

(3) 'Yajnavalkya/ said he, c how many hymns of praise will the Udgatri chant today in this sacrifice? ' 'Three.' ' The introductory hymn, the accompanying hymn, and the benediction hymn as the third.' < Which are those three with reference to the self? ' 'The introductory hymn is the in-breath (prana). The accompanying hymn is the out-breath (apand). The bene- diction hymn is the diffused breath (yyana).' ' What does one win by these? ' ' One wins the earth-world by the introductory hymn, the atmosphere-world by the accompanying hymn, the sky-world by the benediction hymn.' Thereupon the Hotri-priest Asvala held his peace,

(2) Gargya said: 'The Person who is here in the quarters of heaven — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatas'atru said: 'Talk not to me about him' I worship him, verily, as the Inseparable Companion. He who worships him as such has a companion. His company is not separated from him.' ia. Gargya said. ' The Person here who consists of shadow — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: 'Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as Death. To him who worships him as such there comes a full length of life in this world. Death docs not come to him before the time.'

(9) I am the Father of this universe, the Mother, the Sustainer, and the Grandsire. I am the knowable, the purifier, and the syllable Om. I am also the Rik, the Sāman, and the Yajus.

(3) 4 Which is Indra? Which is Prajapati? ' f Which is the thunder? ' ' The thunderbolt/ ' The sacrificial animals.'

(1) Now next, the praying of the puiificatory formulas (pavamana). — The Prastotri priest (Praiser), verily, begins to praise with the Chant (sdman). When he begins to praise, then let [the sacrlficer] mutter the following: — ' From the unreal (asaf) lead me to the real (sat) I From darkness lead me to light! From death lead me to immortality ' ' When he says ' From the unreal lead me to the real/ the unreal, verily, is death, the real is immortality. * From death lead me to immortality. Make me immortal ' — that is what he says. death, the light is immortality. ' From death lead me to im- mortality. Make me immortal ' — that is what he says. ' From death lead me to immortality '—there is nothing there that seems obscure. Now whatever other verses there are of a hymn of praise (stotra), in them one may win food for himself by singing. And, therefore, in them he should choose a boon, whatever desire he may desire. That Udgatri priest who knows this — whatever desire he desires, either for himself or for the sacri- ficer, that he obtains by singing. This, indeed, is world-con- quering. There is no prospect of his being without a world who knows thus this Saman.