The sacred ritual continued, and now the fourth oblation was to be offered with the invocation, “To Samāna, svāhā.” With this offering, Samāna—the vital force responsible for assimilation—became satisfied. When Samāna was satisfied, so too was the mind; when the mind was satisfied, the rain god was pleased; when the rain god was pleased, lightning found satisfaction; and when lightning was satisfied, all that was established in lightning and the rain god became fulfilled. Through this harmony, the sacrificer was blessed with offspring, cattle, abundant food, vigor, and the radiant splendor of Brahman. Next, the fifth oblation was offered with the words, “To Udāna, svāhā.” Thus, Udāna—the vital force that moves upward—was satisfied. When Udāna was satisfied, the skin found contentment; when the skin was satisfied, the air was appeased; when the air was satisfied, space itself was fulfilled; and when space was satisfied, everything residing in air and space was also satisfied. By this satisfaction, the sacrificer was again blessed with progeny, cattle, food, strength, and the brilliance of Brahman. But if someone performed the Agnihotra ritual without this knowledge, it was as if he removed the burning coals and offered his oblation into cold ashes—such was the fruitlessness of his act. However, for one who performed the Agnihotra with this profound understanding, his offering reached all worlds, all beings, and all selves. Just as a tuft of cotton thrown into a blazing fire is utterly consumed, so too were all the sins of one who, knowing this, performed the Agnihotra—they were burned away completely. Therefore, even if such a knower were to give leftovers to a Chandāla, it would be as if he had offered them to his own Vaiśvānara Self, the universal fire within. Just as hungry children gather eagerly around their mother, so too do all beings gather around the Agnihotra. Thus, one should revere and worship the Agnihotra with devotion. In another time, Śvetaketu, the son of Aruṇa, was instructed by his father: “Śvetaketu, go forth and live as a student, for in our family, none who is ignorant of the Veda should be called a Brahmin by birth alone.” Śvetaketu obeyed. At the age of twelve, he approached his teachers and diligently studied all the Vedas. By the time he was twenty-four, he returned home, filled with pride and self-assurance, believing he had mastered all knowledge. Seeing this, his father questioned him gently: “Dear Śvetaketu, since you have grown proud and self-assured, did you ever seek that teaching by which the unheard becomes heard, the unthought becomes thought, and the unknown becomes known?” Śvetaketu was puzzled. “Revered sir, how is such instruction possible?” His father explained with simple examples: “Just as, by knowing a single lump of clay, one knows all objects made of clay—for the differences are only names, mere words, while the clay alone is real. Similarly, by knowing a single piece of gold, one knows all that is made of gold; and by knowing a single piece of iron, all that is made of iron. The modifications are only names, while the substance alone is real. Such, dear one, is that instruction.” Śvetaketu realized his teachers had not imparted this wisdom, for if they had known, surely they would have shared it. He humbly requested his father to teach him, and his father agreed. His father began: “In the beginning, dear one, this world was just Being, one only, without a second. Some say that in the beginning it was Non-being, from which Being arose. But how could Being come from Non-being? In truth, at the beginning, there was only Being, one without a second. “That Being thought, ‘May I become many, may I be born.’ Thus, it created fire. Fire, in turn, thought, ‘May I become many, may I be born,’ and created water. This is why, when someone feels pain or sweats, water is produced from fire. Then water thought, ‘May we become many, may we be born,’ and created food. Thus, wherever it rains, food becomes abundant, for food arises from water.” Śvetaketu listened as his father continued: “Among all beings, there are only three kinds of birth: from eggs, from living beings, and from sprouts. The deity, seeing this, thought, ‘Let me enter these three with this living self and differentiate names and forms.’ Thus, it entered and made each one threefold. Now, dear one, listen as I explain how these three deities—fire, water, and food—become threefold in each. “The red form in fire is the essence of fire; the white is of water; the black is of food. The ‘fire-ness’ of fire is only a name, while these three forms alone are real. Likewise, in the sun, the red is fire, the white is water, the black is food; the ‘sun-ness’ is but a name. The same applies to the moon and to lightning: in each, the red is fire, the white is water, the black is food. The learned householders of old, having received this knowledge, would say, ‘Today, none can speak of anything we do not know.’ When they saw something red, they recognized the form of fire; when white, the form of water; when black, the form of food. If something seemed unknown, they understood it as a union of these deities. Just as these three, upon entering a person, become threefold, so it is in all things. “Now, understand how what we consume is transformed. Food that is eaten divides into three parts: the heaviest becomes excrement, the middle becomes flesh, and the subtlest becomes mind. Water that is drunk likewise divides: the heaviest part becomes urine, the middle becomes blood, and the subtlest becomes breath. Fire that is consumed divides: the heaviest part becomes bone, the middle becomes marrow, and the subtlest becomes speech. “Thus, mind is made of food, breath is made of water, and speech is made of fire. To clarify further: the subtlest part of curds rises and becomes clarified butter. In the same way, the subtlest part of the food we eat rises and becomes mind; the subtlest part of water becomes breath; and the subtlest part of food becomes speech. Indeed, mind is made of food, breath of water, and speech of fire.” With this, the father continued to guide Śvetaketu, step by step, into the profound unity underlying all existence.