Listen, then, to the sacred narrative as revealed in these verses of the Śukla Yajur Veda. There is a deer that, even when it eats barley, does not consider itself greatly nourished. In the same way, when a Śūdra becomes the lover of an Arya woman, he does not find true sustenance in that act. Beyond these reflections, the seers speak of the swift and victorious horse, Dadhikrāvan, whom they have fashioned. They pray that his mouth be fragrant and that he may carry them across to a long and full life. To bring calm and harmony, they invoke the sacred metres—Gāyatrī, Triṣṭubh, Jagatī, Anuṣṭubh, Paṅkti, along with Bṛhatī, Uṣṇih, Kakubh, and the Sūcī verses. May these, they pray, bring peace to you. Likewise, may all beings, whether two-footed, four-footed, three-footed, or six-footed, those who move with regular or irregular metres, together with the Sūcī verses, bring you calm. They invoke further: may the great and splendid powers, all directions, the mighty voices that roll like clouds and flash like lightning—may these, with the Sūcī verses, bring you peace. Let your wives, O man, part your hair with wisdom, and may the wives of the gods, the very directions themselves, bring you calm with the Sūcī verses. Silver, antelopes, lead, and yokes are joined by actions; let the boundaries and straps be bound upon the horse’s skin—let them be bound fast. Perhaps those who possess barley, and even the barley itself, as it is crushed in due sequence, are to be fed here. Let food be prepared for those who worship the sacred grass with words of homage. The sages ask: who is it that cuts you? Who commands you? Who binds your limbs? Who is truly your binder, O wise one? Let the seasons, their joints, and the binders command you. Let the energy of the year and its bindings hold you fast. Let the half-months bind your limbs, let the months cut and bind you, and let the days and nights, along with the Maruts, crush and break you. Let the divine priests cut and command you; let your limbs at the joints form boundaries and be bound. May heaven, earth, the atmosphere, and the wind fill your opening; may the sun, together with the stars, make your world auspicious. Peace to your upper limbs, peace to your lower limbs, peace to your bones and marrow, peace to your whole body. The sages ask further: Who, indeed, walks alone? Who is born again? What is the remedy for winter? What is the great covering? The answer comes: the sun walks alone; the moon is born again; fire is the remedy for winter; and earth is the great covering. What, they wonder, is equal to the sun’s light? What lake is equal to the ocean? What is greater than the earth? Whose measure is not known? The reply is given: Brahman is equal to the sun’s light; the sky is the lake equal to the ocean; Indra is greater than the earth; and the measure of the cow is not known. A seeker addresses the friend of the gods, asking for understanding: In those three steps where Viṣṇu was worshipped, the whole world entered. The answer comes: “Indeed, I am in those three steps where the whole world entered; I swiftly traverse the earth and the sky, with one part, the back of this heaven.” The question is posed: In what did the person enter? What is placed within the person? O Brahman, we ask you—what will you say? The answer: In five, the person entered; those five are placed within the person. I seek you here—not by illusion are you superior in thought. Again, the sages inquire: What was the former intention? What was the great speed? What is the pilippilā? What is the piśaṅgilā? The answers are revealed: Heaven was the former intention; the horse was the great speed; the goat is the pilippilā; night is the piśaṅgilā. Who is this Piśaṃgilā? Who is Kurupiśaṃgilā? Who leaps upon the branch? Who glides along the path? The she-goat is Piśaṃgilā; the dog is Kurupiśaṃgilā. The hare leaps upon the branch; the serpent glides along the path. How many are its droppings? How many syllables? How many offerings? In how many ways is it kindled? In the assembly of sacrifice, how many priests worship in due season? The answer: Six are its droppings, a hundred syllables, eighty offerings, and three kindling-sticks. In the assembly of sacrifice, seven priests worship in due season. Who knows the navel of the world? Who knows the sky, earth, and atmosphere? Who knows the great origin of the sun? Who knows from where the moon was born? The wise one replies: I know the navel of the world. I know the sky, earth, and atmosphere. I know the great origin of the sun and from where the moon was born. The seeker asks: What is the farthest end of the earth? Where is the navel of the world? What is the seed of the mighty horse? What is the highest realm of speech? The answers are given: This altar is the farthest end of the earth; this sacrifice is where the navel of the world is. This Soma is the seed of the mighty horse; this Brahman is the highest realm of speech. The well-born, self-existent one, the first within the great ocean, placed the embryo of the rite, from which Prajāpati was born. The priest invokes Prajāpati by the greatness of Soma. May Prajāpati be pleased; let the priest offer and let him drink Soma. A prayer is uttered: O Prajāpati, none other than you has encompassed all these forms. May that desire of yours, for which we offer, be ours. May we become lords of riches. Now the forms and portions of the sacrificial animal are described: The horse is the upper part; the cow and the deer belong to you, O offspring of Prajāpati. The black-necked one is Agni’s, placed in front; the Sarasvatī sheep is below, under the sand. The Aśvins’ are the lower thighs; the Saumya and Pauṣṇa are the arms; the dark one is at the navel; Sūrya’s are the sides; the white and black are the flanks, for Tvaṣṭṛ; the hairy are the thighs, for Vāyu; the white tail is for Indra, the beautiful one for Svapasya; the great Vaiṣṇava is the dwarf. The red, smoky-red, and Karkandhu-red are yours, O gentle one; the brown, ruddy-brown, and white-brown are Varuṇa’s; the white-marked, the other white-marked, and all-around white-marked are Sāvitrī’s; the white-armed, the other white-armed, and all-around white-armed are Bṛhaspati’s; the spotted, small-spotted, and large-spotted are Maitrāvaruṇa’s. The pure-maned, all-pure-maned, and jewel-maned are the Aśvins’; the white, white-eyed, and red are Rudra’s, lord of cattle; the ears are Yama’s; the smeared are Raudra’s; those of the form of the sky are Parjanya’s. The speckled, crosswise-speckled, and upward-speckled are the Maruts’; the reddish, red-tailed, and spotted are Sarasvatī’s; the spleen-eared, trunk-eared, and upward-iron-eared are Tvaṣṭṛ’s; the black-necked, white-eyed, and marked-thighed are Indra-Agni’s; the black-fingered, small-fingered, and great-fingered are Uṣas’s. The artisans are Vaiśvadevyas; the red ones are Rohiṇī’s; the three-year-olds are for Speech; the unknown ones are for Aditi; the similar-formed are for Dhātr; the calves are for the wives of the gods. Thus, through questions and answers, invocations and offerings, the sages weave together the mysteries of sacrifice, the cosmos, and the divine, ever seeking wisdom and peace in the embrace of the eternal.