Listen now to the careful wisdom of the sages regarding the sacred utterance of syllables and the recitation of Vedic verses. When the sibilant letters—‘sha’, ‘ṣa’, or ‘sa’—find their place in the second position of a word, one should disregard them, just as a fish glides through water, untroubled by the presence of a hidden razor. The Ṛg verses, it is said, are of free meter; their measure is not by rigid structure but by the counting of syllables within each foot. When an affix is joined with the ‘repha’—the resonant ‘r’—it is to be measured by how the vowel is divided. If a light ‘ṛ’ is found joined with a sibilant, this too should be recognized. The guru, or heavy syllable, must be understood, as illustrated in the threefold verse. Know that the fifth syllable is Nirṛti, unmistakably marked by the sound ‘ṛ’. Sometimes, a verse lacks both the vowels ‘i’ and ‘u’, and thus it stands apart from a sequence of single words. By considering the prescribed syllables, the sounds of both vowels and consonants are firmly established. Among the ‘ṣa’ and ‘sa’ letters, the open form is to be known; with ‘ha’, the closed form is recognized. The vowels ‘i’ and ‘u’ and those that are marred by faults are also to be included in this reckoning. Next, one must consider the final nasal sound, the anusvāra, and the guttural nasal. That which bears the stated characteristics is defined as such; all else is called ‘vipulā’. After such combinations, the syllables are to be known as long and heavy. Where the open form appears, it stands before its own vowel. The tones of words are to be understood as eightfold: middle raised, tonal, and twice raised—these are the eight designations. All words that are gathered in the collection are struck with the initial raised tone. Where only the tonal accent is found, there the soft accent should be applied. It is said that excellence is indeed for the Vaiśyas; yet, if the pronunciation of any syllable is not found, then the statement must be carried forward according to its own rules of grammar. In the Sāma hymns, the pronunciation is subdued, and because of the subtlety of the tones, it is not easily known. When the garland of verses is worn out and awakened, the Brahmin should contemplate the very essence. As long as the night of residence, the middle one, endures, he must restrain his speech. Rising early in the morning, he should partake of rice with two grains. All thorny plants are praised as meritorious, and those that yield milk are renowned. He should utter the syllables properly, just as one skillfully crosses the eastern river. These syllables are born from the fire-sacrifice and, likewise, produce the proper sounds. After drinking honey and ghee, and having become pure, then alone should he speak. Without omitting the seven mantras, he may utter speech as he wishes. Yet, the sweetness of vowels and consonants is lost—of this, there is no doubt. Food that is brought from an improper place, food that is burnt, or food eaten while uttering wrong syllables—there is no release from the fault, just as a sinner cannot escape his sin. Brahman shines forth when uttered with a sweet voice and one’s own clear tone—not with a nasal accent, not with thick lips, nor with all nasalized sounds. Even one who stammers or whose tongue is tied is still fit to recite the sacred usages. But he must pronounce those syllables whose lips are well-formed. Those who are lazy, diseased, or whose minds are scattered should proceed slowly on their path and not travel beyond a yojana. Even Garuda, if he does not move, cannot advance a single step. Their speech is like that of a deaf person, or like a clever woman with hostile eyes—uncertain, unsteady. Even among a thousand forms, she remains in doubt. She does not shine in the midst of the assembly, just as a woman is hidden within the womb of an old man. Thus is the subtle and profound teaching on the utterance of sacred sounds and the discipline of speech, as passed down by the wise.