O Gautama, listen to the sacred teaching: The world itself is like a vast fire. In this cosmic fire, the earth serves as the fuel, air rises as smoke, night burns as the flame, the quarters glow as embers, and the intermediate directions scatter as sparks. Into this fire, the gods offer rain as their oblation, and from this offering, food is produced to sustain all beings. Similarly, a person is a fire. The open mouth is the fuel, breath is the smoke, speech is the flame, the eye is the ember, and the ear is the spark. Into this fire, the gods offer food as an oblation, from which semen is produced, the seed of life. A woman, too, is a fire. Her sexual organ is the fuel, her hair is the smoke, her vulva is the flame, what happens within is the ember, and the pleasures are the sparks. Into this fire, the gods offer semen as an oblation, and from this offering, a man is born. He lives his life, and when he dies, he is carried to the fire. At death, the funeral fire is prepared. For the departed, fire is fire, fuel is fuel, smoke is smoke, flame is flame, embers are embers, sparks are sparks. Into this fire, the gods offer the man as an oblation, and from this offering, a man of shining form is produced. Those who know this sacred path, who dwell in the forest and worship with faith and truth, attain the flame. From the flame they reach the day, from day the bright fortnight, from the bright fortnight the six months when the sun moves north, from those months the world of the gods, from the world of the gods the sun, and from the sun the lightning. From the lightning, a mind-born guide leads them to the world of Brahman. In those worlds of Brahman, they dwell, transcending all, never to return here. But those who seek the world through sacrifice, giving, and austerity, attain smoke; from smoke, night; from night, the waning fortnight; from the waning fortnight, the six months when the sun moves south; from those months, the world of the ancestors; from the world of the ancestors, the moon. Reaching the moon, they become food there, and as the gods fill King Soma, saying, “Increase, diminish,” so these souls are consumed. When their merit is exhausted, they return to this space, from space to air, from air to rain, from rain to earth; having reached the earth, they become food, and from there, they are born again in the fire of a woman. Thus, they revolve in the cycle of birth and death. Those who do not know these two paths become insects, moths, and such creatures. Whoever knows what is eldest and best becomes the eldest and best among his own. Breath is indeed the eldest and best; whoever knows thus surpasses others. Whoever knows what is most excellent becomes the most excellent among his own. Speech is indeed most excellent. Whoever knows what is the foundation stands firm in both ease and difficulty. The eye is the foundation; by the eye one stands firm. Whoever knows what is attainment, to him attainment comes, whatever he desires. The ear is attainment; all the Vedas are attained through the ear. Whoever knows what is the abode becomes the abode of his people and of men. The mind is the abode. Whoever knows what is procreation is born with offspring and cattle. Semen is procreation. Once, the vital forces, disputing among themselves as to which was best, went to Brahman and asked, “Who is the most excellent?” Brahman replied, “The one whose departure makes this body seem inferior, he is the most excellent.” Speech departed and stayed away for a year. Upon return, she asked, “How did you live without me?” The others replied, “Just as the mute live, by breath, by seeing with the eye, by hearing with the ear, by knowing with the mind, and by procreating with semen, so we lived.” Then speech returned. The eye departed for a year. When it returned, it asked, “How did you live without me?” The others said, “Just as the blind live, by breathing, speaking, hearing, knowing, and procreating, so we lived.” The eye returned. The ear departed for a year. On return, it asked, “How did you live without me?” The others replied, “Just as the deaf live, by breathing, speaking, seeing, knowing, and procreating, so we lived.” The ear returned. The mind departed for a year. On return, it asked, “How did you live without me?” The others replied, “Just as the dull-witted live, by breathing, speaking, seeing, hearing, and procreating, so we lived.” The mind returned. The semen departed for a year. On return, it asked, “How did you live without me?” The others replied, “Just as the impotent live, by breathing, speaking, seeing, hearing, and knowing, so we lived.” The semen returned. Finally, the breath was about to depart. Just as a noble Sindhu horse gathers its limbs, the other forces gathered together and pleaded, “Do not depart, revered one; we could not live without you.” Breath replied, “Then offer me your tribute.” They agreed. Then speech said, “Because I am best, you are best.” The eye said, “Because I am foundation, you are foundation.” The ear said, “Because I am attainment, you are attainment.” The mind said, “Because I am abode, you are abode.” The semen said, “Because I am progeny, you are progeny.” Breath asked, “What is my food, what is my clothing?” They replied, “Whatever is among horses, animals, insects, and flying creatures is your food; water is your clothing.” Thus, nothing eaten is without food, nothing received is without food. Whoever knows this, nothing he eats is without food. Those who know this, the learned, eat and sip water before and after eating, believing that by doing so they purify their food. Therefore, one should sip water before and after eating to make his food pure. If someone desires greatness, then during the bright fortnight, on auspicious days, after observing the twelve-day upasad vow, he should collect fruits from the udumbara tree and all medicinal plants, anoint them, establish the fire, cover with ghee, prepare, and churn under the constellation of Pūṣā, then offer oblations. He prays: “As many gods as are in you, O Jātavedas, who obstruct the desires of man, to them I offer their share; may they, satisfied, fulfill my desires. Svāhā.” He offers, “When you lie down as a quadruped, I am the supporter; with the stream of ghee I worship you, O provider. Svāhā. May offspring arise, and may these not go elsewhere.” The third oblation is offered. He continues, offering in the fire and pouring the essence from the churn for each: for the eldest, for the best, for breath, for speech, for the eye, for the ear, for the mind, for semen, for being, for becoming, for the universe, for all, for earth, for atmosphere, for heaven, for the directions, for Brahman, for Kṣatra, for Bhūḥ, for Bhuvaḥ, for Svaḥ, for Bhūrbhuvaḥ, for Agni, for Soma, for brilliance, for splendor, for prosperity, for Savitṛ, for Sarasvatī, for all the gods, for Prajāpati—each with svāhā, pouring the essence from the churn. Again, offerings are made for Agni, Soma, Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, Svaḥ, Bhūrbhuvaḥ Svaḥ, Brahman, Kṣatra, being, becoming, the universe, all, and Prajāpati. He touches it, declaring: “You are movement, blazing, fullness, firmness, unity, affirmation, being affirmed, the chant, being chanted, heard, being heard, moist and kindled, abundant, mighty, light, food, death, absorption.” He lifts it, saying: “You are raw. May you, with me, be a sovereign ruler; may the sovereign ruler make you a sovereign ruler.” He sips water, reciting: “That Savitṛ, the most excellent, honeyed winds blow for the truth, honeyed rivers flow; may the herbs be honeyed for us.” Bhūḥ, svāhā. He continues: “May we meditate upon the radiance of the divine; honeyed are the nights and dawns, honeyed is the earthly dust, honeyed is heaven, our father.” Bhuvaḥ, svāhā. “May the intellect inspire us. May the honeyed forest be ours, may the sun be honeyed, may the cows be honeyed for us.” Svaḥ, svāhā. He recites the entire Sāvitrī, all the honeyed verses, all the utterances. “May I become all this.” Bhūrbhuvaḥ Svaḥ, svāhā. After sipping water and washing his hands, he sits facing the fire with his back. In the morning, he approaches the sun, saying: “You are the single lotus among the directions; may I become the single lotus among men.” He recites the verse, sitting by the fire with his back. Thus did Uddālaka Āruṇi, disciple of Yājñavalkya of the Vājasaneyas, speak: “If one were to sprinkle dry stumps, branches would grow, leaves would sprout.” Yājñavalkya of the Vajasaneyins spoke this to his student Madhuka, son of Paingi: “If one were to sprinkle dry wood with this, branches would grow, leaves would sprout.” Madhuka, son of Paingi, spoke this to his student Chuda, son of Bhagavitta: “If one were to sprinkle dry wood with this, branches would grow, leaves would sprout.” Chuda, son of Bhagavitta, spoke this to his student Janaka, son of Ayasthuna: “If one were to sprinkle dry wood with this, branches would grow, leaves would sprout.” Janaka, son of Ayasthuna, spoke this to his student Satyakama, son of Jabala: “If one were to sprinkle dry wood with this, branches would grow, leaves would sprout.” Satyakama, son of Jabala, said to his students: “If one were to sprinkle dry wood with this, branches would grow, leaves would sprout.” This teaching should not be given to one who is not a son or not a student. There are four things made of udumbara wood: the udumbara ladle, the udumbara sacrificial spoon, the udumbara fuel, and the two pieces for kindling, all made of udumbara wood. Thus, the sacred knowledge flows from teacher to student, from generation to generation, preserving the wisdom of the fires, the offerings, and the cycles of life and transcendence.