He is the very essence and vital sap of all the limbs, for breath itself is the sustaining sap of every limb. Wherever breath withdraws, that limb withers and dries, for it is breath that nourishes and animates every part. He is Bṛhaspati, the lord of speech, for speech is called Bṛhatī, and he rules over her; thus, he is named Bṛhaspati. He is also Brahmaṇaspati, for speech is Brahman, and he is her sovereign; hence, he is called Brahmaṇaspati. He is Sāman, the sacred chant, for speech itself is Sāman, and he is its singer, its essence. One who knows this Sāman and realizes equality with a horse, a mosquito, an elephant, these three worlds, and all existence, attains union with Sāman, becoming one with the worlds. He is the Udgītha, the uplifting chant; breath is truly Udgītha, for by breath all is sustained. Speech is both the song and the singer, and thus, he is called Udgītha. Once, while eating, King Brahmadatta of the Cikitānas remarked, “This is the king who split his head,” for when his essence departed by another way, it was through speech and breath that it left him. Whoever knows the true possession of Sāman truly gains possession; for such a one, possession is the svara—the accent or intonation. Therefore, one who wishes to serve as a priest should desire svara in speech, and with speech endowed with svara, fulfill the priestly function. Those who seek possession in sacrifice look for one who has svara, and whoever knows the possession of Sāman truly gains it. Whoever knows the gold of Sāman truly obtains gold; for him, gold is the svara. Thus, whoever knows the gold of Sāman attains gold. Whoever knows the foundation of Sāman truly stands firm; for him, speech is the foundation. In truth, breath is established in speech and is sung; some say it is food. Now, regarding the ascent of the Pavamānas: the prastotṛ alone sings the sāman of the prastāva. As he sings, let him recite: “From the unreal lead me to the real; from darkness lead me to light; from death lead me to immortality.” When he prays, “From the unreal lead me to the real,” he means: the unreal is death, the real is immortality; “from death lead me to immortality”—he asks not to be made mortal. “From darkness lead me to light”—here, death is darkness and light is immortality; again, “from death lead me to immortality”—he asks not to be made mortal. “From death lead me to immortality”—in this, nothing is concealed. For the other hymns, one may sing for oneself what is to be eaten and drunk, and among them, choose whatever desire one wishes. Thus, the singer who knows this, for himself or for the sacrificer, sings whatever desire he wishes. Such a one is the conqueror of worlds; he does not long for what is seen, for he knows the Sāman. In the beginning, this was the Self alone, in the form of a person. Looking around, he saw nothing else but himself. He first declared, “I am.” Thus, he became “I” by name. Even now, when someone is addressed, they first say “I am,” and then speak their other name. Because he burned up all evil before this, he is called person—puruṣa. Whoever wishes to burn up what is before him, and knows thus, indeed burns it up. He was afraid; for one who is alone is afraid. Then he thought, “Since there is nothing else but myself, of what should I be afraid?” From that, his fear departed; for truly, fear arises only from a second. He was alone, and thus, one who is alone does not delight. He desired a second. He became as large as a man and woman in close embrace. He divided himself in two; from that, husband and wife arose. Yājñavalkya used to say, “This is like one side of a split pea.” Thus, this space is filled by a woman. He united with her, and from that, human beings were born. She wondered, “How can he unite with me after producing me from himself?” So she hid herself. He became a bull, and she a cow; he united with her, and from that, cattle were born. He became a stallion, she a mare; he became a donkey, she a she-donkey; he united with her, and from that, single-hoofed animals were born. He became a he-goat, she a she-goat; he became a ram, she a ewe; he united with her, and from that, goats and sheep were born. In the same way, he created all pairs, down to the ants. He realized, “I am indeed the creation, for I created all this.” Therefore, creation arose. Whoever knows thus, for him, in this creation, there is indeed creation. Then he rubbed himself, and from his mouth and hands, fire emerged. Thus, both the inside of the mouth and the inside of the yoni are hairless. Therefore, when people say, “Let us worship this god, let us worship that god,” each is but a partial manifestation of this one; for all the gods are only this. Whatever is moist here, he created as semen; that is Soma. Thus, all food and the eater of food are encompassed: Soma is food, Agni is the eater. This is the supreme creation of Brahman: being superior, he created the gods; then, being mortal, he created mortals. This is the supreme creation. By knowing this, one attains joy in it. Then, indeed, all was undifferentiated. It was distinguished only by name and form: “He is such by name, such by form.” Even now, all is distinguished only by name and form. He has entered here, down to the tips of the nails. Just as a razor is placed in its case, or the earth in its nest, him they do not see, for he is not fully manifest. When breathing, he is called “breath”; speaking, “speech”; seeing, “eye”; hearing, “ear”; thinking, “mind.” These are his names according to their functions. Whoever worships each one separately does not know the whole, and becomes only as each one. One should meditate upon the Self alone, for here all these become one. This is the foundation of all: the Self is the means by which all is known. Just as one follows footprints to find a path, so one who knows thus attains fame and verse. This Self is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than anything else, more inward. If one were to say to another who claims something else is dear, “That which you call dear will perish,” let it be so. One should meditate upon the Self alone as dear. Whoever does so, for him, the dear does not perish. They say, “By knowledge of Brahman, all will become,” and people think thus. But what is that Brahman, since all became from it? Verily, Brahman was this in the beginning, one alone. It knew itself: “I am Brahman.” Therefore, all became from it. Whoever among the gods realized this, became Brahman; so among sages, so among humans. Seeing this, the sage Vāmadeva declared, “I became Manu, I became the Sun.” Even now, whoever knows thus, “I am Brahman,” becomes all. Neither gods nor ancestors rule over him, for he becomes the Self. But whoever worships another deity, thinking “He is one, I am another,” does not know. He is like cattle for the gods. Just as many cattle serve a human, so each person serves the gods. When a single animal is taken, it is unpleasant; how much more when many are taken. Therefore, what is unpleasant for them is what humans know. Verily, Brahman was this in the beginning, one alone. Being one, it differentiated itself. It created the best form, Kṣatra—sovereignty: the divine Kṣatras—Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, Īśāna. There is nothing higher than Kṣatra. Thus, the Brāhmaṇa worships the Kṣatriya from below in the Rājasūya. Kṣatra alone grants him fame. The womb of Kṣatra is Brahman. Therefore, even if the king reaches supremacy, he ultimately returns to Brahman, his own womb. Whoever injures him, attains his own womb, becoming more sinful, just as one who departs from the best. He differentiated himself further, creating those divine classes spoken of in groups: the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Viśve Devas, and Maruts. He differentiated himself again, creating the Śūdra class, Pūṣan, who nourishes all that exists here. He differentiated himself yet again, creating the best form—Dharma, the sovereignty of sovereignty. There is nothing higher than Dharma. Thus, the weaker submit to the stronger by Dharma, as to a king. Dharma is truth. Therefore, they say to one who speaks truth, “He speaks Dharma”; and to one who speaks Dharma, “He speaks truth.” Both are indeed the same. This is Brahman, Kṣatra, Vaiśya, Śūdra. Among the gods, Brahman became Agni; among humans, Brāhmaṇa; by Kṣatriya, Kṣatriya; by Vaiśya, Vaiśya; by Śūdra, Śūdra. Therefore, among the gods, they seek the world through Agni; among humans, through Brāhmaṇa. By these two forms, Brahman became.