In the ancient time of inquiry and revelation, the sages perceived the entire universe as woven together by sacred sounds and chants, each aspect of existence resonating with the syllables of the Sāman. This world itself was understood as the sound ‘hā’; the wind, subtle and ever-moving, was the ‘ikāra’; the gentle, luminous moon was the ‘kāra’; the very self, the indweller, was the ‘hakāra’; and fire, the purifier, was the ‘īkāra’. The sun, source of life and energy, became the ‘ūkāra’; the call, the invitation to the divine, was the ‘ekāra’; all the gods together were the ‘auhoyikāra’; Prajāpati, the lord of creation, was the ‘hiṅkāra’; the vital breath, prāṇa, was the svara, the sustaining tone; food, the sustenance of all, was yā; and speech itself was Virāj, the sovereign expression of the cosmos. Within the Sāman, the stobha syllables were the sañcara, the movement, and the huṅkāra, the exclamation. For one who truly knows this Upaniṣad of the Sāmans, who understands these mysteries as the Upaniṣad of the Sāmans, speech itself yields milk, nourishing like a generous cow. Such a one becomes full of food and an eater of food, fulfilled and sustaining others. The wise declared that the worship of the Sāman as a whole is the highest good. What is good, they named Sāman; what is not good, they called not Sāman. When one approaches another with the Sāman, they say, “He approached well, with the Sāman.” If one approaches with what is not Sāman, they say, “He approached not well.” Thus, when things are good, people exclaim, “Sāma, indeed, for us!” and when not good, “Not Sāma for us!” Therefore, those who, knowing thus, worship Sāman even as ‘not good Sāman,’ find that even those who are unrighteous, if they approach or bow to him, come near and submit. The sages taught that one should meditate upon the fivefold Sāman in the worlds. In the ascending order, the earth is the hiṅkāra, fire is the prastāva, the atmosphere is the udgītha, the sun is the pratihāra, and heaven is the nidhana. In the descending order, heaven is the hiṅkāra, the sun is the prastāva, the atmosphere is the udgītha, fire is the pratihāra, and earth is the nidhana. Whoever knows and meditates upon the fivefold Sāman in this way makes both the ascending and descending worlds attainable. So too, one should meditate on the fivefold Sāman in rain: the east wind is the hiṅkāra, the forming cloud is the prastāva, the rain itself is the udgītha, and the lightning and thunder are the pratihāra. What is gathered is the nidhana. One who knows and meditates thus causes rain to fall for himself. The same pattern is seen in all waters: the gathering cloud is the hiṅkāra, the rain is the prastāva, streams flowing eastward are the udgītha, those flowing westward are the pratihāra, and the nidhana is the culmination. Such a meditator never departs from the waters and becomes possessed of water. In the seasons, spring is the hiṅkāra, summer is the prastāva, the rainy season is the udgītha, autumn is the pratihāra, and winter is the nidhana. One who meditates thus attains the seasons and becomes possessed of them. Among animals, goats are the hiṅkāra, sheep are the prastāva, cows are the udgītha, horses are the pratihāra, and man is the nidhana. Such a knower becomes possessed of all animals. The supreme fivefold Sāman is present in the vital forces: prāṇa is the hiṅkāra, speech is the prastāva, the eye is the udgītha, the ear is the pratihāra, and the mind is the nidhana. These are the supreme. He who knows and meditates thus becomes supreme and conquers the highest worlds. There is also the sevenfold Sāman, which should be meditated upon in speech: whatever in speech is ‘hum’ is the hiṅkāra, what goes forth is the prastāva, what comes is the beginning, what rises is the udgītha, what returns is the pratihāra, what approaches is the upadrava, and what ends is the nidhana. For one who knows the milking of speech in this way, speech yields milk, and he becomes possessed of food and an eater of food. The sun, too, is to be meditated upon as the sevenfold Sāman, always with the complete Sāman: “May it come to me, may it return to me.” All beings are dependent on the sun. What is before sunrise is the hiṅkāra, and the animals are connected to it, uttering the hiṅkāra as recipients of that portion. At the first rising, the prastāva, humans are connected, and those who seek praise are recipients of this portion. At the mingling, the ādi, birds are connected; they fly in mid-air, recipients of the ādi. At midday, the udgītha, the gods are connected, and the best among Prajāpati’s progeny receive this portion. After midday and before afternoon is the pratihāra, to which the darbha grasses are connected; they are gathered up as recipients. After afternoon and before sunset is the upadrava, to which wild animals are connected; seeing a person, they flee, recipients of the upadrava. At the first setting is the nidhana, to which the ancestors are connected, and they lay down, recipients of the nidhana. Thus, the sun is worshipped as the sevenfold Sāman. One should meditate upon the sevenfold Sāman as measured by oneself and as overcoming death. The hiṅkāra and prastāva are each three syllables; thus, they are equal. Ādi is two syllables, pratihāra is four, and with the addition of one, they become equal. Udgītha is three syllables, upadrava is four, and three with three become equal, with one syllable remaining, making three syllables; thus, they are equal. Nidhana is three syllables, making it exactly equal. Altogether, these are twenty-two syllables. With twenty-one, one attains the sun, for the sun is twenty-one. With twenty-two, one surpasses the highest sun, reaching the world free from sorrow. Thus, one attains the victory of the sun; surpassing even that, one becomes truly victorious—whoever, knowing thus, meditates upon the sevenfold Sāman as measured by oneself and as overcoming death, meditates upon the Sāman. Finally, the mind is the hiṅkāra, speech is the prastāva, the eye is the udgītha, the ear is the pratihāra, and the breath is the nidhana—this is the Gāyatra, woven into the vital breaths. Whoever knows this Gāyatra as woven into the vital breaths becomes endowed with life, attains a full lifespan, lives long, becomes great with offspring and cattle, becomes great in fame and mind. This, indeed, is the observance of the wise.