Let me tell you the sacred teachings as they unfold in the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad, weaving together the wisdom of the seers in a living narrative. It is said that those who wish to be remembered with divine love, or for whom such remembrance is sought, should, on a festival day, kindle the sacred fire and offer clarified butter with these invocations: “I offer your speech into me, this one, svaha. I offer your sight into me, this one, svaha. I offer your hearing into me, this one, svaha. I offer your mind into me, this one, svaha. I offer your intelligence into me, this one, svaha.” Afterward, the person inhales the aroma of the smoke, anoints his limbs with ghee, restrains his speech, and seeks silent contact with the one remembered—or, if that is not possible, remains silent even if spoken to by the wind itself. Through this, he becomes truly dear, and he is remembered. Now, regarding the evening and morning meals—it is taught that these are the intermediate Agnihotra. As long as one speaks, he cannot breathe, thus he offers breath into speech. And as long as one breathes, he cannot speak, thus he offers speech into breath. These are endless, immortal offerings, made continuously, waking and sleeping, without interruption. Other offerings, which have an end, are acts of ritual, but the ancient wise men did not perform Agnihotra with those. Śuṣkabhṛṅgara declared: “The hymn is Brahman.” One should meditate on it as the Ṛc; then all beings honor him for excellence. Meditate on it as the Yajus; all beings unite with him for excellence. Meditate on it as the Sāman; all beings bow to him for excellence. Meditate on it as prosperity, as fame, as brilliance, for among all scriptures, the most prosperous, renowned, and brilliant is produced. Thus, one who knows this becomes the most prosperous, renowned, and brilliant among all beings. The sacrificer shapes his own self as a brick made of action, weaving into it the Yajus, the Hotṛ weaves the Ṛc, and the Udgātṛ weaves the Sāman. This is the self of all threefold knowledge; this is its very self. Whoever knows this becomes that very self. As for the all-conquering, there are three meditations of the Kauṣītaki. Having donned the sacred thread, sipped water, and sprinkled water thrice with an unbaked vessel, one should meditate on the rising sun: “You are radiance; remove my sin.” With the same formula, he should meditate on the sun at midday: “You are the up-radiance; remove my sin.” And again, at sunset: “You are the down-radiance; remove my sin.” Thus, whatever sin is committed by day and night is removed. In the lunar cycle, on the new moon, one should meditate on the moon seen in the west, casting two green blades of grass with the prayer: “What is pure in your heart, O moon, let that, which is established in the moon, make me lord of immortality. May I not weep for the sin of a son.” Therefore, the ancestors do not depart before him, whether he has a son or not. He should recite: “Increase, may your milk gather, may the waters and riches come together for you. May the Adityas, with their rays, increase you.” Then, “May you increase us with breath, offspring, and cattle. Whoever hates us, and whom we hate, may you increase him with breath, offspring, and cattle.” This is the divine formula, the turning of the sun’s radiance, the turning of the right arm. On the full moon, one should meditate on the moon seen in the east, and with this prayer: “You are Soma, the king, the wise one, the five-faced one. You are Prajapati, the Brahmana; with one face you eat the king, with that face do not consume me. You are the king; with one face you eat the people, with that face do not consume me. You are the eagle; with one face you eat the birds, with that face do not consume me. You are Agni; with one face you eat this world, with that face do not consume me. In you is the fifth face; with that face you eat all beings, with that face do not consume me. May you not diminish us in breath, offspring, or cattle. Whoever hates us, and whom we hate, may you diminish him in breath, offspring, and cattle.” This, too, is the divine formula, the turning of the sun’s radiance, the turning of the right arm. When entering the bedchamber, a man should touch his wife’s heart, saying: “What is pure, placed in your heart, O beloved, may I, knowing that, not weep for the sin of a son. May the ancestors not depart before us.” Returning from a journey, one should touch the head of his son, saying: “From limb to limb you are born, from the heart you are produced. You are my self, O son, do not perish. Live a hundred autumns.” Thus, he gives him a name: “Be firm as a stone, be sharp as an axe, be gold not pierced. You are named Tejas, O son, live a hundred autumns.” Again, “With that by which Prajapati embraced the creatures for safety, with that I embrace you for safety.” Then, in his right ear, he recites: “Bestow upon him, O Maghavan, the best riches, O Indra.” In the left ear: “Do not abandon, do not tremble. Live a hundred autumns, O son.” Then, with the name, he smells the crown of his head, saying, “I smell you with the sound of cows,” repeating this three times, and three times making the sound of cows. Now, the teaching on divine dissolution: This indeed is Brahman shining forth—when fire burns. When it ceases, its radiance goes to the sun, its breath to the wind. When the sun is visible, that is Brahman; when it is not, its radiance goes to the moon, its breath to the wind. When the moon is visible, that is Brahman; when it is not, its radiance goes to lightning, its breath to the wind. When lightning flashes, that is Brahman; when it does not, its radiance and breath both go to the wind. Thus, all these deities enter the wind; having dissolved there, they do not perish but rise again. So is the explanation concerning the deities; now, concerning the self. This, too, is Brahman shining forth—when one speaks with speech. When speech ceases, its radiance goes to the eye, its breath to the breath. When one sees with the eye, that is Brahman; when sight ceases, its radiance goes to the ear, its breath to the breath. When one hears with the ear, that is Brahman; when hearing ceases, its radiance goes to the mind, its breath to the breath. When one contemplates with the mind, that is Brahman; when contemplation ceases, both radiance and breath go to the breath. All these deities enter into the breath; having dissolved there, they do not perish but rise again. If two wise men, knowing this, were to approach the great mountains—one from the south, one from the north—neither could surpass the knower of this truth. But those who hate him, and whom he hates, all perish. Now, the attainment of the highest: Once, all the deities, desiring supremacy, departed from the body, leaving it lifeless. Speech entered; the body spoke, yet remained lifeless. Sight entered; the body spoke and saw, yet remained lifeless. Hearing entered; the body spoke, saw, and heard, yet remained lifeless. Mind entered; the body spoke, saw, heard, and contemplated, yet remained lifeless. When breath entered, the body arose. The gods, recognizing breath as the highest and as the self of wisdom, united with breath and departed from this world, having wind as their foundation and space as their essence, and attained heaven. Thus, one who knows this, uniting with breath as the self of wisdom, together with all beings, departs from this body and attains heaven. When the gods reach that, they become immortal; thus, the gods are immortal. Now, the sacred transmission from father to son: The father, preparing for this rite, lays out nine blades of grass, establishes the fire, places a water pot with a vessel, covers himself with a worn garment, and lies down. The son approaches and sits nearby, touching his father’s senses with his own, facing him. Then the father says: “I place speech in you.” The son replies: “Father, place speech in me.” In this way, the father places breath, sight, hearing, mind, the essence of food, actions, pleasure and pain, bliss, delight, offspring, movement, intelligence, discernment, and desires, each time the son echoing: “Father, place these in me.” Having given the gift, the father rises to the east and blesses the son: “May fame, spiritual radiance, nourishment, and glory be yours.” The son, covering his right thigh, prays: “May you attain heavenly worlds and desires.” If the father is healthy, he remains with the son’s prosperity, or he departs. If the son departs, the father completes the transmission as prescribed. Pratardana, son of Divodāsa, once approached the beloved abode of Indra through battle and valor. Indra, pleased, offered him a boon. Pratardana replied: “You choose what is most beneficial for a human.” Indra insisted: “A boon is not chosen for another; you must choose yourself.” Pratardana then asked for immortality. Indra, who is truth itself, replied: “Know me; this is most beneficial for a human: to know me. I sent the three-headed Tvaṣṭra demon, with his face turned down, to the Sālāvrikas. I overcame many obstacles, defeated the Prahlādiyas in heaven, the Paulomas in the atmosphere, and the Kālakhañjas on earth. Not a single hair of mine was harmed. Whoever knows me, no action causes him to perish—not by killing mother or father, not by theft, not by abortion; no sin touches him. He does not see blue from his mouth.” Indra continued: “I am the breath, the self of wisdom. Worship me as life and immortality. Life is breath; breath is life; breath alone is immortality. As long as breath dwells in this body, there is life. Through breath alone, one attains immortality in that world. Through wisdom, one is steadfast in truth. Whoever worships me as life and immortality attains all life in this world, immortality, and permanence in the heavenly world. Some say the breaths go separately, but no one can teach all names at once with speech, all forms with sight, all sounds with hearing, all thoughts with mind. The breaths are united; each reveals all these. Speech speaks, and all breaths echo it; sight sees, and all breaths see with it; hearing hears, and all breaths hear with it; mind contemplates, and all breaths contemplate with it; breath breathes, and all breaths breathe with it. Thus is the attainment of the highest by the breaths.” Consider this: Speech may depart while one lives, and the mute live on. Sight may depart, and the blind live. Hearing may depart, and the deaf live. Mind may depart, and the childish live. An arm or thigh may be severed, yet one lives. But when breath, the self of wisdom, departs, the body cannot be sustained. Therefore, one should worship only this. Breath is wisdom, wisdom is breath; together they dwell in this body, together they depart. This is the vision, this is the knowledge. When a person sleeps and sees no dream, only breath remains unified within him. Speech joins him with all names, sight with all forms, hearing with all sounds, mind with all thoughts. Upon waking, just as sparks scatter from a burning fire, so from this self the breaths disperse to their places; from the breaths to the gods, from the gods to the worlds. This is the accomplishment, this is the knowledge. When a person is dying, having lost strength and not knowing, people say: “His mind has departed.” He does not hear, see, speak, or contemplate. Then, only breath remains unified; speech, sight, hearing, and mind merge into it. When he awakens, the breaths scatter once more as sparks from a fire. When he finally departs from this body, he departs with all these faculties. With speech, he sends forth all names; by speech, he attains all names. With breath, all scents; with sight, all forms; with hearing, all sounds; with mind, all thoughts. Thus, in breath is the attainment of all.