In the quiet of dawn, Ushasti, son of Chākṛāyana, prepared to set out. With hope in his heart, he said, “If only we might obtain some food, or at least a little wealth. The king is about to perform a great sacrifice; may he choose me, along with all the other officiating priests.” His wife, sharing in his hardship, offered him what little they had: “Here, eat these beans.” With gratitude, Ushasti ate and then made his way to the place where the king’s sacrifice was being prepared. As the priests gathered and the udgātṛs—the singers of the Sāman hymns—were about to begin their praises, Ushasti entered and sat among them. He turned to the prastotṛ, the one who begins the chant, and said, “The deity of the prastāva rests in the prastāva itself. 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 rests in the udgītha. If you, not knowing her, sing the udgītha, your head will fall off.” He then turned to the pratihartṛ: “The deity of the pratihāra rests in the pratihāra. If you, not knowing her, recite the pratihāra, your head will fall off.” The priests, struck with fear by Ushasti’s words, fell silent. Soon, the sacrificer himself approached Ushasti and said with respect, “I wish to know you, venerable one.” Ushasti replied, “I am Ushasti, son of Chākṛāyana.” The sacrificer said, “Venerable one, I searched for you among all the priests, but not finding you, I chose others.” Ushasti answered, “Let me be among all the officiating priests.” The sacrificer agreed, and Ushasti added, “Then let only those chosen with me sing the praises. As much wealth as you give to them, give to me as well.” The sacrificer consented. The prastotṛ, still troubled, approached Ushasti and repeated his warning: “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,” pleaded the prastotṛ, “Which is that deity?” Ushasti replied, “Prāṇa—the vital breath. All beings enter into prāṇa and rise from it. This deity is dependent on the prastāva. If, not knowing this, you recite the prastāva, your head will fall off; that is why I warned you.” Then the udgātṛ approached and asked the same question about the udgītha. Ushasti declared, “The sun, Āditya, is that deity. 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 will fall off; so I have declared.” Next, the pratihartṛ came forward with the same concern. Ushasti explained, “Food—Anna—is that deity. All beings live by taking in food. This deity is dependent on the pratihāra. If, not knowing this, you recite the pratihāra, your head will fall off; so I have declared, so I have declared.” Elsewhere, Śauva Udgītha, together with Bako Dālbhya and Glāva, son of Maitreyī, went forth to study. One day, a white dog appeared before them. Other dogs gathered around and pleaded, “Sir, please sing for us; we are hungry.” The white dog told them, “Do not come here in the morning.” Bako Dālbhya and Glāva, curious, watched and waited. Just as singers begin the Bahiṣpavamāna hymn, the dogs began to move, slithering together. They sat and uttered the sound “hiṃ,” then chanted: “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!” The sages reflected on the sacred syllables and their cosmic correspondences: this world is the ‘hā’ sound, the wind is the ‘ikāra,’ the moon is the ‘kāra,’ the self is the ‘hakāra,’ fire is the ‘īkāra.’ The sun is the ‘ūkāra,’ the call is the ‘ekāra,’ all the gods are the ‘auhoyikāra,’ Prajāpati is the ‘hiṅkāra.’ Prāṇa is the svara, food is the yā, and speech is Virāj. Stobha is sañcara, huṅkāra. For one who knows this Upaniṣad of the Sāmans, speech yields milk, and such a knower becomes one who has food and who eats food. Thus, it is said: the worship of the Sāman as a whole is good. What is good, they call Sāman; what is not good, they call not Sāman. Approaching with the Sāman is to approach well; with what is not Sāman, not well. “Sāma, indeed, for us!” they say when it is good; “Not Sāma for us!” when it is not good. One who knows this and worships Sāman as ‘not good Sāman’ finds even the unrighteous come near and submit. The wise are taught to meditate on the fivefold Sāman in all things. In the worlds: 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 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 meditates thus, knowing both orders, attains all the worlds. One should also meditate on the fivefold Sāman in rain: the east wind is the hiṅkāra, the cloud that forms is the prastāva, the rainfall is the udgītha, lightning and thunder are the pratihāra, and what is gathered is the nidhana. When it rains, the wise cause it to rain for themselves, knowing this meditation. In all waters, the cloud is the hiṅkāra, rain is the prastāva, streams flowing eastward are the udgītha, those flowing westward are the pratihāra, and the nidhana is the gathered water. Whoever meditates thus becomes possessed of water and does not depart from it. Similarly, in the seasons: spring is the hiṅkāra, summer the prastāva, the rainy season the udgītha, autumn the pratihāra, and winter the nidhana. Such a knower attains the seasons and becomes possessed of them. In animals: goats are the hiṅkāra, sheep the prastāva, cows the udgītha, horses the pratihāra, and man the nidhana. Whoever meditates thus becomes possessed of animals, and they come to him. Finally, in the vital forces: prāṇa is the hiṅkāra, speech the prastāva, the eye the udgītha, the ear the pratihāra, and the mind the nidhana—these are the supreme. Thus, the wise see the fivefold Sāman pervading all existence, and by such knowledge, they become fulfilled.