(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.

(9) He said: 'Food (anna). For all these beings live when they partake of food. This is the deity belonging to the pratihâra. If, without knowing that deity, you had sung your hymns, your head would have fallen off, after you had been warned by me 1.'

(5) 'Om, let us eat! Om, let us drink! Om, may the divine Varuna, Pragâpati, Savitri bring us food! Lord of food, bring hither food, bring it, Om!'

(7) Then he eats with the following Rik verse at every foot: 'We choose that food'--here he swallows--'Of the divine Savitri (prâna)'--here he swallows--'The best and all-supporting food'--here he swallows--'We meditate on the speed of Bhaga (Savitri, prâna)'--here he drinks all.

(3) "When to the gods you sacrifice, Selecting what our portion is, 'Tis shame to tell, do ye not take, And both the thighs, clean to the groins, The loins quite bare, the backbone, too, Clean scrape as with a file, Them swallow, and the remnant give To us as if to dogs? And then, As if of one another 'shamed, With heaps of salted barley hide."

(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) He said: 'One god--who is he?--swallowed the four great ones , he, the guardian of the world. O Kâpeya, mortals see him not, O Abhipratârin, though he dwells in many places. He to whom this food belongs, to him it has not been given .'

(2) 'He who meditates on food as Brahman, obtains the worlds rich in food and drink; he is, as it were, lord and master as far as food reaches--he who meditates on food as Brahman.' 'Sir, is there something better than food 'Yes, there is something better than food.' 'Sir, tell it me.'

(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.

(1) Breath said: 'What shall be my food?' They answered: 'Whatever there is, even unto dogs and birds.' Therefore this is food for Ana (the breather). His name is clearly Ana . To him who knows this there is nothing that is not (proper) food.

(21) "May thy fate, O lord, be supreme among the gods

(496) 1065 To say: Greetings to thee, O Food; greetings to thee, O Abundance; 1065 greetings to thee, O Corn; greetings to thee, O Flour. 1065 Greetings to you, ye gods, who put the meal before R`, 1065 who --------- with w, who are at the M.t-wr.t; 1065 I will eat of the morsel of R`, sitting on the throne of splendour. 1066 I am she of Tentyra; I am come from Tentyra; 1066 Shu is behind N.; Tefnut is before him; 1066 it is Wp-w.wt, who serves as a protection (?) on the right of N. 1066 They cause this field-of-food of R` to keep me alive so that I may eat, 1066 after it is collected for me, as for him who rules over the Ennead, who lives at (or, on) M.t-wr.t.

(11) Should he make an incantation, then are the gods [appeased

(7) Saunaka Kâpeya, pondering on that speech, went to the student and said: 'He is the self of the Devas, the creator of all beings, with golden tusks, the eater, not without intelligence. His greatness is said to be great indeed, because, without being eaten, he eats even what is not food . Thus do we, O Brahmakârin, meditate on that Being.' Then he said: 'give him food.'

(7) 'And he who desires the world of food and drink, by his mere will food and drink come to him, and having obtained the world of food and drink, he is happy.

(25) 'Who then knows where He is, He to whom the Brahmans and Kshatriyas are (as it were) but food, and death itself a condiment?'

(1) 'When the Father produced by intellect and austerity seven kinds of food' — truly by intellect and austerity the Father did produce them. ' One of his [foods] was common to all.' That of his which is common to all is the food that is eaten here. He who worships that, is not turned from evil, for it is mixed [i.e. common, not selected]. 'Of two he let the gods partake/ They arc the tmta (fire-sacrifice) and thtfra/mta (offering). For this reason one sacrifices and offers to the gods. People also say that these two are the new-moon and the full-moon sacrifices. Therefore one should not offer sacrifice [merely] to secure a wish first both men and animals live upon milk. Therefore they either make a new-bom babe lick butter or put it to the breast. Likewise they call a new-born calf 'one that does not eat grass ' what does not ' — for upon milk everything depends, both what breathes and what does not. This that people say, cBy offering with milk for a year one escapes the second death ' — one should know that this is not so, since on the very day that he makes the offering he who knows escapes the second death, for he offers all his food to the gods. eaten all the time?' Verily, the Person is imperishableness, for he produces this food again and again. ' He who knows this imperishableness ' — verily, a person is imperishableness, for by continuous meditation he produces this food as his work. Should he not do this, all the food would perish. ( He eats food with his mouth (pratlkd)' The prattka is the mouth. So he eats food with his mouth.

(9) 'O Brâhmana, as thou, a venerable guest, hast dwelt in my house three nights without eating, therefore choose now three boons. Hail to thee! and welfare to me!'

(3) Nourished by sacrifice, the Gods, give you desirable enjoyments. He who enjoys objects given by the Gods without offering them is verily a thief.

(5) And Menander writes: "The end of the loin, The bile, the bones uneatable, they set Before the gods; the rest themselves consume." For is not the savour of the holocausts avoided by the beasts? And if in reality the savour is the guerdon of the gods of the Greeks, should they not first deify the cooks, who are dignified with equal happiness, and worship the chimney itself, which is closer still to the much-prized savour?