Eager to learn the mysteries of the ancient sacrifice, the inquirer addressed the sage: “Tell me, what truly happened there? Was it anger or forgiveness that moved you? Whatever you did, saw, or spoke—share it with me now. I wish to hear in detail every deed of the Grandfather, Brahmā, and to understand completely the supreme ordinance of sacrifice. Tell me about the order of the rites, their beginning, the Hotṛ priest, how his share was determined, and for whom the very first offering was made. “Describe how the Blessed Viṣṇu offered his help—by whose agency, and in what manner. What did the immortals do? How did Brahmā leave the world of the gods to come to the realm of mortals? Speak of the household fire, the Anvāhārya and Dakṣiṇa fires as prescribed, the Āhavanīya fire, the altar, the ladle, the sprinkling vessel, the sacrificial spoon, and even the concluding Āvabhṛtha rite. “How were the three fires established as true bearers of oblations? How did Brahmā make the gods the recipients of offerings and the ancestors the receivers of ancestral rites? For the sake of their shares, by the ordinance of sacrifice, which rituals and acts were performed? What of the sacrificial posts, the fuel, the sacred grass, the soma, the purifier, and the enclosing sticks? How did Brahmā create the materials for sacrifice, and who, in those ancient times, shone forth by his actions? “Tell me, too, of time itself: the moments, twinklings, measures, the single unit; the muhūrtas, lunar days, months, days, and the year; the seasons, their conjunctions, the threefold measure of time in ancient days; the span of life, the fields, decrease, marks, and beauty of form. What of the three classes, the three worlds, the threefold knowledge, the three sacred fires, the threefold time, the three acts, the threefold division of beings, and the three qualities? “Who created the worlds, who are the supreme creators, and who are lesser in mind? What is the path of the righteous and the path of those who act wickedly? How did the fourfold order arise, and who protects it? Who is the knower of the four sciences, and who abides in the four stages of life? Who is heard to be the supreme light, the supreme austerity, the supreme beyond the supreme, the possessor of the supreme self? “Who is the bridge of all worlds, the purest among the pure, the one to be known by the knowers of the Veda, the lord of those who possess mastery? Who is the non-being among beings, the fire among those of fiery splendor, the mind among men, the austerity among ascetics, discipline among the disciplined, and brilliance even among the brilliant? All this, the Grandfather, the father of the worlds, created. “How did he seek the fruit of sacrifice, and how was his mind set upon it? This is my great doubt and uncertainty, O Brahmin. The supreme Brahman is wondrous, praised by both gods and demons; even his actions are described as marvelous. Please, tell me the truth of this.” Pulastya, the sage, replied: “You have asked a profound and weighty question—one that concerns Brahman itself. I shall recount this glorious account as best as I can; listen closely. “He whom you ask about is vast beyond measure: he has a thousand faces, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet, a thousand ears, and a thousand hands—imperishable. He possesses a thousand tongues, wields a thousandfold power, is the supreme Lord of thousands, the giver and origin of thousands, the undying one with a thousand arms. “He is the oblation, the libation, the offering, the priest who pours the ghee, the vessels, the purifiers, the altar, the consecration, the cooked offering, and the sacrificial ladle. He is the ladle, the soma, the final bath, the sprinkling vessel, the sacrificial fee, the wealth, the Adhvaryu priest, the singer of Sāman, the learned Brahmin, the assistants, the assembly, and the sacrificial hall. He is the sacrificial post, the fuel sticks, the sacred grass, the spoon, the mortars, the eastern enclosure, the sacrificial ground, the priest, and every binding cord. “He is the smallest and greatest measures, the fixed standards, the acts of expiation, the steeds, the mounds for sacrifice, and the blades of sacred grass. He is the mantra, the sacrifice itself, the oblation, the fire’s share, the very being of existence, the first to receive, the enjoyer of offerings, the one with auspicious flames, and the wielder of weapons. “The knowers of the Veda, the learned Brahmins, declare that this eternal Lord is the sacrifice itself. This, O great king, is the holy and divine story you have asked about. “For the welfare of gods and mortals, and for the prosperity of the worlds, the blessed Brahmā once performed a sacrifice upon the earth. Then, Brahmā, Kapila the supreme lord, the gods, the seven sages, and illustrious Tryambaka, Sanatkumāra, the great-souled Manu, the blessed lord of creatures, and the ancient gods—all these radiant beings, their brilliance like blazing Vaiśvānara fire, joined in the sacrifice. “In ancient times, in the hollow of the lotus where the lotus-born one lay in sleep, the gods and hosts of seers arose. This manifestation, known as Pauṣkaraka, of the great-souled one, is recounted as ancient, where the Veda and Smṛti are perfectly established. “From Brahmā himself manifested the boar, the mouth of the Veda; the best of gods, taking the form of a boar, appeared to assist him. Having made the sacred place Kokāmukha vast in Puṣkara, he stood forth: Veda as his feet, the sacrificial post as his tusk, the ritual as his hand, and the altar as his mouth. “His tongue was fire, his hair darbha grass, his head Brahman itself. He was of great austerity, his eyes day and night, his limbs made of the Vedas, adorned with the sound of the scriptures. His nose was clarified butter, his beak a sacrificial ladle, his voice resounded with the chant of the Sāma, he was great, filled with truth and righteousness, glorious, honored for his deeds and valor. “His nails were expiation, steadfast; his knees the sacrificial animals; his very form was that of a sacrifice; his intestines the Udgātṛ priests; his mark the fire-offering; he was the fruit, the seed, and the great herb. His inner self was wind, his mantras firm, his buttocks water, his blood soma, his shoulders the Vedas, his scent oblation, surpassing all in offering to gods and ancestors. “Thus, the Grandfather, father of the worlds, became the very embodiment of sacrifice, establishing all that is, and all that is offered, in the universe.