Let us contemplate the wisdom of the ancient sages, who revealed the mysteries of the cosmos and the self through sacred verses. They taught that everything in creation is woven together in patterns—fivefold and three by three—beyond which nothing is greater or higher. Whoever truly knows this unity, knows all things; all directions honor him, and he becomes the center of all. Such a one should meditate with the conviction, "I am all this," for this is the highest observance. In the vinardi melody of the Sāman, one seeks cattle, and each part of the melody is offered to a deity: the udgītha to Agni, the anirukta to Prajāpati, the nirukta to Soma, the gentle and smooth to Vāyu, the smooth and strong to Indra, the krauñca to Bṛhaspati, and the apadhvānta to Varuṇa. All these should be honored, except the vāruṇa, which is to be avoided. When performing the Sāman, one sings for the gods, wishing for immortality; for the ancestors, wishing for svadhā; for humans, wishing for hope; for animals, wishing for grass and water; for the sacrificer, wishing for the heavenly world; and for oneself, wishing for food. With a focused mind, one should praise and meditate, never neglecting these intentions. All the musical notes are forms of Indra; all the heats are forms of Prajāpati; all the touches are forms of Death. If questioned about the notes, one should say, "I have taken refuge in Indra; he will answer you." If questioned about the heats, reply, "I have taken refuge in Prajāpati; he will look after you." If questioned about the touches, say, "I have taken refuge in Death; he will consume you." Describe the notes as resonant and powerful, dedicating strength to Indra. Describe the heats as foremost, unrepelled, and manifest, dedicating the self to Prajāpati. Describe the touches as subtle and unstable, withdrawing the self from Death. There are three pillars of righteousness: first, sacrifice, study, and giving; second, austerity; third, living as a devoted student in the teacher’s house. All these lead to virtuous worlds, but one who is established in Brahman attains immortality. Prajāpati, the creator, heated the worlds, and from this heat, the threefold knowledge—of sacrifice, study, and giving—flowed forth. He heated this knowledge, and from it arose the syllables: bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ. He heated these syllables, and from them, the sacred syllable oṃ emerged. Just as a peg holds all leaves together, so oṃ holds all speech together. Oṃ alone is all this; oṃ alone is all this. The knowers of Brahman declare: the morning pressing is for the Vasus; the midday pressing is for the Rudras; the third pressing is for the Ādityas and all the gods. If one does not know the world of the sacrificer, how should he act? But if he knows, he should act accordingly. Before the morning recitation, after preparing the altar, the sacrificer sits to the north of the gārhapatya fire with his back to it and sings the Vāsava Sāman. He prays, "O opener of the gate of the world, may we see you, O radiant one. Huṃ ā jyā yo ā." He makes an offering, saying, "Homage to Agni, guardian of the earth, guardian of the world. May I find the world for the sacrificer. This is the sacrificer's world; I am this." Having crossed beyond his lifespan, he rises after saying, "Svāhā, remove the barrier." The Vasus grant him the morning pressing. Before the midday pressing, after preparing the altar, the sacrificer sits to the north of the agnīdhra fire with his back to it and sings the Raudra Sāman. He prays, "O opener of the gate of the world, may we see you, O heroic one. Huṃ ā jyā yo ā." He makes an offering, saying, "Homage to Vāyu, guardian of the midspace, guardian of the world. May I find the world for the sacrificer. This is the sacrificer's world; I am this." Having crossed beyond his lifespan, he rises after saying, "Svāhā, remove the barrier." The Rudras grant him the midday pressing. Before the third libation, sitting to the north of the fire with his back to it, he sings the Vaiśvadeva Sāman to the sun. He prays, "May we see you, O radiant one, as the unobstructed gate to the world—svārā—hum ā jyā yoā." To the sun, the Vaiśvadeva, he sings, "May we see you, O radiant one, as the unobstructed gate to the world—sāmrā—hum ā jyā yoā." He makes an offering, saying, "Homage to the Ādityas and to all the gods, to those who dwell in heaven and on earth. Find for the sacrificer his world." This is the world of the sacrificer. Here, he is the sacrificer; beyond this life, having uttered "svāhā, the barrier is broken," he rises. Therefore, the Ādityas and all the gods grant the third libation. He who knows thus truly knows the measure of the sacrifice. Now, let us turn to the sun, the nectar of the gods. Its horizontal beam is the upper crust, the intermediate space is the cake, and the rays are its offspring. The rays extending eastward are its eastern nectar channels; the Ṛc is the honey-maker, the Ṛgveda is the blossom, and the immortal waters are the Ṛc verses. The Ṛgveda was infused, and from it arose fame, brilliance, sense, vigor, food, and essence. He tasted it and took his place near the sun; this is the red form of the sun. The rays to the south are its southern nectar channels; the Yajus is the honey-maker, the Yajurveda is the blossom, and those immortal waters are the Yajus formulas. The Yajurveda was infused, and from it came fame, brilliance, sense, vigor, food, and essence. He tasted it and took his place near the sun; this is the white form of the sun. The rays to the west are its western nectar channels; the Sāman is the honey-maker, the Sāmaveda is the blossom, and those immortal waters are the Sāman chants. The Sāmaveda was infused, and from it came fame, brilliance, sense, vigor, food, and essence. He tasted it and took his place near the sun; this is the black form of the sun. The rays to the north are its northern nectar channels; the Atharvāṅgiras is the honey-maker, the Itihāsa and Purāṇa are the blossom, and those immortal waters are the formulas. The Itihāsa and Purāṇa were infused, and from them came fame, brilliance, sense, vigor, food, and essence. He uttered that syllable and approached the sun from all sides; this is the supreme dark form of the sun. Finally, the rays above are his upper honey-channels, secret places of the honey-makers; Brahman itself is the flower, and these are immortal waters. Thus, through these sacred verses, the sages revealed the unity of all things, the power of sacrifice and knowledge, and the radiant forms of the sun, which holds all speech, all worlds, and all existence together.