Homage is offered to breath, the vital force that moves within and without, sustaining life in all its rhythms. With every inhalation and exhalation, as breath moves outward and inward, in every possible manner, reverence is paid to this subtle presence. The form of breath, so dear and beloved, is sought as a remedy, a boon for continued life and well-being. Breath, like a loving father following his cherished son, attends to all offspring. It is, truly, the lord and sovereign of all that breathes and all that does not. It is both death and disease, yet even the gods themselves worship breath. Breath elevates the truth-speaker to the highest realms, to the world of the gods. Breath is the ruler and the guide; all beings honor it. It is called the sun and the moon, and even Prajapati, the lord of creation, is identified with breath. In the grains, breath and expiration are named rice and barley; breath is established in barley, and expiration in rice. Turning to the student of sacred knowledge, it is said that such a one traverses both earth and heaven, carrying within him the united thoughts of the gods. He upholds earth and sky, sustaining his teacher through his austerity. The ancestors, the divine beings, and all the gods follow after him; the Gandharvas, thirty-three in number and six thousand in all, accompany him, for he nourishes the gods with his discipline. When the teacher initiates the student, he makes him like a fetus within himself, carrying him for three nights. At the student’s birth, the gods gather to witness this sacred event. The kindling-stick the student carries is the earth; the second is the sky, and the atmosphere overflows with fuel. With his kindling-stick, girdle, and effort, the student upholds all the worlds through his austerity. The student of sacred knowledge, firstborn of Brahman, rises in his sacred garment, shining with discipline. From him was born the Brāhmaṇa, Brahman the eldest, and all the gods, together with immortality. Consecrated, wearing black garments, with long hair, the student—kindled with the kindling-stick—crosses from the nearer to the farther ocean in an instant, grasping all the worlds. Through his discipline, the student creates sacred knowledge, the waters, the world, Prajapati, the supreme lord, and the sovereign. Becoming the embryo in the womb of immortality, he becomes Indra and conquers the demons. The teacher shapes the vast spaces of earth and sky; the student protects them with his austerity, and in him the gods unite their minds. As a beggar, the student first took the earth and sky; having done so, he worships with the kindling-stick, and upon these, all the worlds are established. Two treasures—one near, one far, hidden in the highest heaven—are set in the Brahmin; the student protects them with his discipline, and the knower of Brahman makes them his own. Two fires are present: one approaching from here, the other from the earth, meeting in the mid-region of the sky. Their steadfast rays rest upon them, and the student, through his discipline, stands upon these. Roaring, thundering, red, with white-tipped flames and far-reaching tongues, the fire seizes the earth. The student pours seed on the summit, enlivening the four directions of the earth. In fire, sun, moon, and wind, the student places the kindling in the waters. Their flames move separately, mingling together; from them, clarified butter, rain, and water are obtained. The teacher embodies death, Varuṇa, Soma, the plants, and milk; the clouds are living beings. By these, the world filled with light is upheld. At home, the teacher purifies ghee; having become Varuṇa, whatever he desired among creatures, the student offered to his own self, as a friend. The teacher is the student; the student is Prajāpati. Prajāpati shines forth; the sovereign becomes Indra, the master. Through student discipline and austerity, the king protects his kingdom; the teacher, by discipline, seeks a worthy student. By discipline, a maiden finds a husband, the bull seeks grass, and the horse desires fodder. By discipline and austerity, the gods drove away death; by discipline, Indra brought the world of light to the gods. The plants, what has been and what will be, day and night, the trees, the year and its seasons—all are born from the student. Earthly and heavenly animals, wild and domestic, those without wings and those with wings—all are born from the student. All beings of Prajāpati bear their life-breaths within; these, filled by the student, are protected by Brahman. This is the highest of the gods, shining and unapproachable. From it, the gods and all immortals, together with the Brāhmaṇa, were born; Brahman is the eldest. The student bears the shining Brahman; in him, all the gods are gathered. He generates in-breath and out-breath, diffused breath, speech, mind, heart, Brahman, and wisdom. A prayer arises: “Bestow upon us sight, hearing, glory, food, seed, blood, and the belly.” The student, having formed these, stood on the waters, practicing austerity and burning with inner fire in the ocean. Bathed, tawny, golden-brown, he shines greatly upon the earth. In reverence, Agni, the forest trees, plants, and herbs are invoked, along with Indra, Bṛhaspati, and Sūrya, that they may release from sin. King Varuṇa, Mitra, Viṣṇu, and Bhaga are called, as are Aṃśa and Vivasvant, for liberation from sin. The divine Savitar, the Creator, Pūṣan, and Tvaṣṭṛ are invoked, that they may free from distress. The Gandharvas and Apsarases, the Aśvins, Bṛhaspati, and Aryaman are called upon for release from distress. Day and night, Sun and Moon, all the Ādityas are invoked for freedom from distress. The Wind, Parjanya, the atmosphere, the directions, and all the regions are called to grant release from affliction. A prayer is raised that day and night, and the dawns, may free from curses; that Soma, the god called the Moon, may grant release. Earthly and heavenly cattle, forest-dwelling and wild animals, birds and all winged creatures are invoked, that they may bestow freedom from distress. Thus, in this tapestry of devotion and discipline, the student, breath, teacher, gods, and all beings are woven together, each sustaining and honoring the other, upholding the worlds through knowledge, austerity, and sacred invocation.