Whoever, with true understanding, sings the Sāman hymn, indeed sings of both the higher and lower realms. Through this knowledge, he attains not only the worlds that lie beyond but also the very desires cherished by the gods. By the same means, he gains access to the worlds below and fulfills the desires of men as well. Therefore, it is said that one who truly knows in this way should be invited to sing the Sāman, for only such a knower can fulfill the deepest wishes of those for whom he sings. Indeed, it is asked: “For which desire shall I sing for you?”—for only the one on whose behalf the wise sing the Sāman, can truly see his desires fulfilled. In time, three renowned masters of the Udgītha chant gathered: Śilaka Śālāvatya, Caikitāyana Dālbhya, and Pravāhaṇa Jaivali. They declared among themselves, “We are skilled in the Udgītha. Come, let us engage in a discussion about it.” Agreeing, they sat together. Pravāhaṇa Jaivali said, “Let the two most venerable among you speak first; I shall listen to the words of the two Brāhmaṇas as they speak.” Śilaka Śālāvatya then turned to Caikitāyana Dālbhya and said, “Come, let me question you.” “Please, ask,” replied Caikitāyana. Śilaka asked, “What is the ultimate goal of the Sāman hymn?” Caikitāyana replied, “The svara, the tone.” “And what is the goal of the svara?” “Breath,” came the answer. “And the goal of breath?” “Food.” “And the goal of food?” “Water,” said Caikitāyana. “And what is the goal of water?” “That world,” he replied, indicating the world beyond. “And what is the goal of that world?” “Let it not be led to the world of heaven,” he cautioned. “We establish the world of heaven through the Sāman, for that is the hymn of praise to heaven.” Śilaka Śālāvatya then remarked, “Your Sāman is indeed without foundation. If you were to assert this now, your head would fall off.” Caikitāyana replied calmly, “Let my head fall off, if it must.” Śilaka continued, “I know this of you.” “Know it, then,” Caikitāyana replied. Śilaka asked, “What is the goal of that world?” Caikitāyana replied, “This world.” “And what is the goal of this world?” “Let it not be led to the world of foundation,” he replied. “We establish the world of foundation through the Sāman, for that is the hymn of praise to foundation.” At this, Pravāhaṇa Jaivali said to Śālāvatya, “Your Sāman is indeed finite; if you were to assert this now, your head would fall off.” Śālāvatya replied, “Let my head fall off, if it must.” Pravāhaṇa said, “I know this of you.” “Know it, then,” replied Śālāvatya. Pravāhaṇa Jaivali then inquired, “What is the goal of this world?” Śālāvatya answered, “Space.” He explained, “All beings arise from space and return to space; space is greater than they and is their final resort.” This, they understood, is the higher, more excellent Udgītha—this is the infinite. Whoever, knowing thus, meditates upon this higher Udgītha, becomes higher and more excellent, and conquers the higher and more excellent worlds. Atidhanvan Shaunaka, having spoken to Udara Shandilya, said: “As long as people in this world know this Udgītha among their descendants, so long will there be life for them in this world.” In the same way, in the other world, there is a world beyond. Thus, whoever, knowing thus, meditates upon this, for him there is life in this world that is higher and more excellent; and in the other world, there is world after world. Now, in the land of the Kurus, in the village of Vāṭikā, there lived a man named Ushasti, son of Chakrayana of the Ibhya clan, together with his wife. One day, as they were eating, Ushasti came and begged them for some cooked beans. One of them replied, “There are none here except those we have set aside for ourselves.” Ushasti persisted, “Give me some of these.” So they gave him some. He then asked, “Let me have the leavings as well, for perhaps I have already eaten the main portion.” They replied, “These are not leavings either.” Ushasti said, “I would not have survived if I had not eaten these.” He thought to himself, “May I obtain water.” After eating, Ushasti took the leftovers to his wife. She was well provided for and, upon receiving them, put them away. In the morning, as Ushasti was preparing to go out, he said, “If only we could obtain food, or at least a little wealth! The king is going to perform a sacrifice; may he choose me along with all the officiating priests.” His wife said, “Here, eat these very beans.” After eating them, Ushasti went to where the sacrifice was being prepared. There, as the udgātṛs—the singers—were about to begin their praises, Ushasti sat down among them. He addressed the prastotṛ, saying, “The deity of the prastāva depends upon the prastāva. If you, not knowing her, sing the prastāva, your head will fall off.” In the same way, he addressed the udgātṛ, “The deity of the udgītha depends upon the udgītha. If you, not knowing her, sing the udgītha, your head will fall off.” Likewise, he addressed the pratihartṛ, “The deity of the pratihāra depends upon the pratihāra. If you, not knowing her, recite the pratihāra, your head will fall off.” Thus, all the priests, fearful, sat in silence. Then the sacrificer approached Ushasti and said, “I wish to know you, venerable one.” Ushasti replied, “I am Ushasti, son of Chakrayana.” The sacrificer said, “Venerable one, I have sought you among all the officiating priests. Not finding you, I chose others.” Ushasti replied, “Let me be among all the officiating priests.” “So be it,” said the sacrificer. Ushasti continued, “Then, let only those who have been chosen together with me sing the praises. As much wealth as you give to them, so much give to me.” “So be it,” replied the sacrificer. Then the prastotṛ approached Ushasti and said, “The deity of the prastāva depends upon the prastāva. If you, not knowing her, sing the prastāva, your head will fall off. Do not say this, venerable one. Which is that deity?” Ushasti replied, “Prāṇa, the vital breath. All beings enter into prāṇa and rise up from prāṇa. This deity is dependent on the prastāva. If, not knowing this, you recite the prastāva, your head would fall off—as I have declared.” Then the Udgātṛ approached Ushasti, asking the same. Ushasti replied, “The sun (Āditya). All beings sing to the sun as it rises high. This deity is dependent on the udgītha. If, not knowing this, you sing the udgītha, your head would fall off—as I have declared.” Then the Pratihartṛ approached him. Ushasti said, “Food (Anna). All beings live by taking in food. This deity is dependent on the pratihāra. If, not knowing this, you recite the pratihāra, your head would fall off—as I have declared, so I have declared.” In another time, Śauva Udgītha—then Bako Dālbhya and Glāva, son of Maitreyī—went forth for study. To them appeared a white dog. Other dogs gathered around and said to him, “Sir, please sing for us; we are hungry.” The white dog said to them, “Do not come here in the morning.” So Bako Dālbhya and Glāva, son of Maitreyī, waited and watched. Just as those who are about to sing the Bahiṣpavamāna hymn begin, so the dogs started moving, slithering along. They sat together and made a sound: “hiṃ.” Then they intoned, “Om, let us eat! Om, let us drink! The god Varuṇa, Prajāpati, Savitṛ has brought food here. O lord of food, bring food here, bring it, bring it!” Thus, through these stories and teachings, the wisdom of the Sāman, the Udgītha, and the deep connection between the hymns, the worlds, and the very essence of life is revealed.