“My dear, let me reveal to you a quarter,” said the wise one. “Please, revered one, instruct me,” came the humble reply. Then the diver-bird spoke: “Breath is a quarter, sight is a quarter, hearing is a quarter, and mind is a quarter. These, dear one, are the four quarters—a foot of Brahman, known as ‘the abode.’” Whoever, understanding this, worships the fourfold foot of Brahman as ‘the abode’ becomes the very abode in this world; such a one conquers all worlds that are abodes. Thus, whoever, knowing this, worships the fourfold foot of Brahman as ‘the abode’ attains this greatness. Having received this teaching, Satyakama journeyed to his teacher’s house. The teacher approached him and said, “Satyakama.” “Yes, revered one,” he replied with respect. The teacher observed, “Dear one, you shine as a knower of Brahman. Who has instructed you among men?” Satyakama replied, “May the revered one himself tell me what I desire to know.” He continued, “For I have heard from the revered seers that knowledge is truly gained from a teacher; only then is knowledge well established and truly attained.” The deity responded, “Here, nothing is greater than this, nothing is greater than this.” Now, Upakosala, the son of Kamalayana, lived as a devoted student of Satyakama Jabala. For twelve years, he tended the sacred fires with great care. When the teacher sent the other students home, he did not send Upakosala. The teacher’s wife, seeing his devotion, said, “The student has practiced austerity and tended the fires well. Do not let the fires speak to him before you do; instruct him.” But having heard this, the teacher went away on a journey. Upakosala, left behind, resolved to fast. The teacher’s wife noticed and asked, “Student, why do you not eat?” He replied, “Within this person, there are many desires, each entering by different paths, filled with afflictions. I am full of these and will not eat.” Then, moved by his austerity and devotion, the sacred fires themselves spoke: “The student has practiced austerity, has tended us well. Come, let us teach him.” They said to him, “Breath is Brahman, space is Brahman, sky is Brahman.” Upakosala replied, “I know that breath is Brahman, but I do not know about space and sky.” The fires explained, “Indeed, what is space, that is sky; what is sky, that is space.” Thus, they taught him about breath and space. Then the household fire instructed him: “The earth, fire, food, and the sun—this person who is seen in the sun, I am he, he indeed am I.” Whoever, knowing this, meditates upon it becomes free from evil deeds, attains the world, reaches the full span of life, lives long; none among his people perish. “We enjoy with him, both in this world and in the other, whoever, knowing thus, meditates upon this.” Next, the fire of offerings instructed him: “The quarters, the stars, and the moon—this person who is seen in the moon, I am he, he indeed am I.” Whoever, knowing this, meditates upon it becomes free from evil deeds, attains the world, reaches the full span of life, lives long; none among his people perish. “We enjoy with him, both in this world and in the other, whoever, knowing thus, meditates upon this.” Then the fire of breath instructed him: “Breath, space, heaven, lightning—this person who is seen in lightning, I am he, he indeed am I.” Whoever, knowing this, meditates upon it becomes free from evil deeds, attains the world, reaches the full span of life, lives long; none among his people perish. “We enjoy with him, both in this world and in the other, whoever, knowing thus, meditates upon this.” Having received these teachings, the fires said to Upakosala, “Dear one, this is our knowledge, the knowledge of the self. But the teacher will tell you the path.” Soon, his teacher returned and greeted him, “Upakosala!” “Revered sir,” Upakosala replied. The teacher observed, “Your face shines as one who knows Brahman. Who has instructed you?” Upakosala answered, “Who could instruct me, sir? Who could teach me?” The fires, whispering among themselves, wondered, “These must be of this kind, or of another kind.” Then the teacher inquired, “What did they say to you, dear one?” Upakosala recounted their teachings. The teacher said, “They spoke to you about the worlds, dear one. But I will tell you more. Just as water does not cling to a lotus leaf, so evil deeds do not cling to one who knows thus.” Upakosala requested, “Let the revered one teach me.” The teacher then revealed: “This person who is seen in the eye—this is the self,” he said. “This is the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman. If one pours ghee or water upon it, it goes only along its own path. This is called the gathering place of all that is dear, for indeed, all that is dear gathers to it; all that is dear gathers to him who knows thus. He alone is the gatherer of all that is dear, for he leads all that is dear; he leads all that is dear who knows thus. He indeed is the radiant one; for he shines in all the worlds, he shines in all the worlds who knows thus.” He continued, “Now, whatever is offered as an oblation here, whether with or without flame, they reach only the flame; from the flame to the day, from the day to the waxing fortnight, from the waxing fortnight to the months, from the months to the year, from the year to the sun, from the sun to the moon, from the moon to lightning; there, a person, non-human, leads them. He leads them to Brahman; this is the path of the gods, the path to Brahman. By proceeding along this path, they do not return to this human cycle, they do not return.” The teacher then spoke of sacrifice, “This indeed is the sacrifice which is purified; this indeed purifies all this. Because this purifies all this, therefore this alone is the sacrifice. Its two guiding rails are mind and speech. Of these two, one is prepared with mind: the Brahman priest; the other with speech: the Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, and Udgātṛ. When, at the morning recitation, before the placing of the enclosing sticks, the Brahman priest gives the signal—if only one guiding rail is prepared, the other is lacking. Just as a chariot moving with only one wheel wobbles along, so the sacrifice wobbles; and the sacrificer, following a faltering sacrifice, becomes worse off after the offering. But when, at the morning recitation, before the placing of the enclosing sticks, the Brahman priest does not give the signal, both guiding rails are prepared; neither is lacking. Just as a chariot moving with both wheels stands firm, so the sacrifice stands firm; and the sacrificer, following a firm sacrifice, becomes better off after the offering.” The teacher then shared the cosmic origins: “Prajāpati heated the worlds; from those being heated, he extracted their essences: fire from earth, air from the atmosphere, and the sun from the sky. He heated these three deities; from those being heated, he extracted their essences: the Ṛg verses from fire, the Yajus formulas from air, and the Sāman chants from the sun. He heated this threefold knowledge; from it being heated, he extracted its essences: ‘Bhūḥ’ from the Ṛg verses, ‘Bhuvaḥ’ from the Yajus formulas, and ‘Svaḥ’ from the Sāman chants.” “If there is a fault in the Ṛg, one should offer with ‘Bhūḥ, Svāhā’ in the Gārhapatya fire; thus, with the essence and power of the Ṛg, he restores what was lost in the sacrifice. If there is a fault in the Yajus, one should offer with ‘Bhuvaḥ, Svāhā’; thus, with the essence and power of the Yajus, he restores what was lost in the sacrifice. If there is a fault in the Sāman, one should offer with ‘Svaḥ, Svāhā’; thus, with the essence and power of the Sāman, he restores what was lost in the sacrifice.” He explained further, “Just as with salt one restores gold, with gold silver, with silver tin, with tin lead, with lead iron, and with iron wood, and with wood leather—so, by the power of these worlds, these deities, and this threefold knowledge, he restores what was lost in the sacrifice. Indeed, this sacrifice is a remedy when there is such a knowing Brahman priest. This sacrifice is inclined towards water when there is such a knowing Brahman priest. Indeed, this is the verse about the Brahman priest: wherever he returns from, there he goes. The Brahman priest alone, among the officiants, protects the Kurus and the people; such a knowing Brahman priest protects the sacrifice, the sacrificer, and all the officiants. Therefore, one should appoint only such a knowing Brahman priest—not one who does not know thus, not one who does not know thus.” Thus, the sacred knowledge and path were revealed, linking the self, the sacrifice, and the cosmic order, all resting upon the foundation of true understanding and guidance.