(1) Then it [i.e. breath] sang out food for itself, for what- ever food is eaten is eaten by it. Hereon one is established. 1 8. Those gods said: c Of such extent, verily, is this universe as food. You have sung it into your own possession. Give us an after-share in this food.' fore whatever food one eats by this breath, these are satisfied by It. Thus, verily, his people come to him, he becomes the supporter of his people, their chief, foremost leader, an eater of food, an overlord— he who knows this. And whoever among his people desires to be the equal of him who has this knowledge suffices not for his dependents. But whoever follows after him and whoever, following after him, desiies to support ^his dependents, he truly suffices for his dependents.

(6) Speech said: ' Verily, wherein I am the most excellent, therein are you the most excellent/ ' Verily, wherein I am a firm basis therein are you a firm basis/ said the eye. c Verily, wherein I am attainment, therein are you attain- ment,' said the ear. said the mind. ( Verily, wherein I am procreation, therein are you procrea- tion/ said the semen. f If such I anij what is my food? what is my dwelling? ' flying insects — that is your food. Water is your dwelling/ Verily, what is not food is not eaten; what is not food is not taken by him who thus knows that [i.e. water] as the food (anna) of breath (ana). Those who know this, who are versed in sacred learning (srotriya), when they are about to eat, take a sip; after they have eaten, they take a sip. So, indeed, they think they make that breath (ana) not naked (anagna).

(20) Accordingly such food, in order to clear understanding, is to be rejected. Wherefore also the Egyptians, in the purifications practised among them, do not allow the priests to feed on flesh; but they use chickens, as lightest; and they do not touch fish, on account of certain fables, but especially on account of such food making the flesh flabby. But now terrestrial animals and birds breathe the same air as our vital spirits, being possessed of a vital principle cognate with the air. But it is said that fishes do not breathe this air, but that which was mixed with the water at the instant of its first creation, as well as with the rest of the elements, which is also a sign of the permanence of matter.

(1) When the Father produced by intellect And austenty seven kinds of food, One of his [foods] was common to all, Of two he let the gods partake, Three he made for himself, One he bestowed upon the animals On this [food] everything depends, Both what breathes and what does not. How is it that these do not peiish When they are being eaten all the time He who knows this imperishableness— He eats food with his mouth (pratika), He goes to the gods, He lives on strength. Thus the verses.

(4) Others of regulated food, sacrifice the life – breaths in the life – breaths; all these also are are knowers of sacrifice whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice.

(4) [Yajnavalkya continued ] ' This is that great, unborn Soul, who eats the food [which people eat], the giver of good. He finds good who knows this.

(109) Who, since they came into being, longed not after earthly food, but regarded everything as a passing breath, and lived accordingly, and the Lord tried them much, and their spirits were found pure so that they should bless His name.

(3) He who, dwelling in breath, yet is other than breath, whom the breath does not know, whose body the breath is, who controls the breath from within — He is your Soul, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. ^

(1) Whatever is unknown is a form of Breath, for Breath is unknown. Breath, having become this, helps him. n. Of this Speech the earth is the body. Its light-form is this [terrestrial] fire. As far as Speech extends, so far extends the earth, so far this fire. v

(2) These two [sense-organs] here [i. e. the ears] are Gotama and Bharadvaja. This is Gotama and this is Bharadvaja. These two here [i. e. the eyes] are VisVamitra and Jamadagni. This is VisVamitra. This is Jamadagni. These two here[L e. the nostrils] are Vasishtha and Kas"yapa. This is Vasishtha. This is Kas"yapa. The voice is Atri, for by the voice food is eaten (*/ad). Verily, eating (at~ti) is the same as the name 1 A very similar stanza is found at AV. 10. 8. 9. Atri. He who knows this becomes the eater of everything; everything becomes his food.

(10) Now, if nourishing substances taken in by the nostrils are diviner than those taken in by the mouth, yet they infer respiration. What, then, do they say of God? Whether does He exhale like the tribe of oaks? Or does He only inhale, like the aquatic animals, by the dilatation of their gills? Or does He breathe all round, like the insects, by the compression of the section by means of their wings? But no one, if he is in his senses, will liken God to any of these.

(15) As the fire Vaishvānara I enter into the bodies of all living creatures, and mingling with the upward and downward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.

(7) Now if the Soul eats of the clear Deity, what [Food] has the Body then? For thou knowest that the Soul and the Body are not one and the same Thing; it is indeed a [very] Body, but the Soul is a Spirit, and must have spiritual Food, and the Body must have bodily Food. Or wilt thou give the new Man earthly Food? If thou meanest so, thou art yet far from the Kingdom of God. The heavenly Body of Christ did not eat earthly Food, but the outward Body only did eat that. Is not Christ's Body now in the tholy Ternary, and eats paradisical Food? Why then shall not our new Man do so? Did he not eat heavenly Food forty Days in the Wilderness, and always afterwards? And did he not tell his Disciples at Jacob's Well, / have Meat to eat that ye know not of; and further, It is my Meat to do the Will of my Father which is in Heaven? Is the Will of God his Food, why then is it not ours, if we live in him? Has not the Deity of Christ put on the Kingdom of Heaven for a Body? Is not the pure Element (wherein the Deity dwells) his Body?

(18) When what thou eatest is brought to thee, what I eat is brought to me. Thou eatest what is eaten by Seb and Osiris

(211) 131 To say: The abomination of N. is hunger; he does not eat it; 131 the abomination of N. is thirst; he does not drink it. 131 It is N. who gives food to those who exist. 131 His nurse is 'i.t; 131 it is she who makes his life (through nourishment?); it is she who gave birth to N. 132 N. was conceived in the night; N. was born in the night. 132 He belongs, to the Followers of R`, who are before the morning star. 132 N. was conceived in Nun; he was born in Nun. 132 He has come; he has brought to you (some) bread of that which he found there.

(3) I am the Food which perisheth not; in my name of the Self-originating Force, together with Nu, in the name of Chepera, from whom I am born daily

(9) It is pure, the mouth of N. ; the cycle of the gods offers incense to the mouth of N. His mouth is pure verily, and his tongue in his mouth, for N. hates filth, he is washed from impurity as Sut is washed in the city of the Rehui when he goes with Thoth to heaven

(6) And behold I have given unto you all beasts, and all winged things, and everything that moveth on the earth, and the fish in the waters, and all things for food ; as the green herbs, I have given you all things to eat.

(1) He bethought himself: 'Verily, if I shall intend against him, I shall make the less food for myself.' With that speech, with that self he brought forth this whole world, whatsoever exists here: the Hymns (re) [i.e. the Rig- Veda], the Formulas (yajus) [i.e. the Yajur-Veda], the Chants (sdman) [i.e. the Sama-Veda], meters, sacrifices, men, cattle. Whatever he brought forth, that he began to eat. Verily, he eats ( Vad) everything: that is the adtti-oaiure of Aditi (the Infinite). He who knows thus the tf&fz-nature of Aditi, becomes an eater of everything here; everything becomes food for him.

(83) The body taketh its food from the seed of the seven spirits of God in the body of the great deep, which [body] is fire, air, water and earth.