हिन्दी
Then the prince performing the sacrifice said, ‘Sir, I would like to know who you are.’ He (Uṣasti) replied, ‘I am Uṣasti, the son of Cakra’.
He (the prince) said: ‘I looked for you, revered sir, to give you all the work of the priests. As I could not find you, I entrusted the work to other (brāhmins)’.
(The prince said) ‘O Lord, please do for me all the work of the priest.’ (Uṣasti replied) ‘Let it be so. Now let the priests already engaged by you recite as I instruct. But you will have to pay me as much as you promised to pay these priests.’ ‘It will be so,’ said (the prince).
Then the Prastotā came to (Uṣasti and said) ‘Revered sir, you told me, “O Prastotā, if you sing the prastāva without knowing anything about the deity to whom the hymn is addressed, your head will fall.” Please tell me who that deity is’.
Uṣasti said: ‘It is prāṇa (the vital force). In prāṇa all things that we see around us moving or unmoving, disappear at the time of their destruction. And at the time of their appearance, they appear from prāṇa. Prāṇa is that deity to whom the prastāva is addressed. If you had sung the hymn not knowing the deity to whom it is addressed, in spite of being warned by me, your head would surely have fallen’.
Then the udgātā came to Uṣasti and said: ‘Revered sir, you told me, “O Udgātā, if you sing the udgītha without knowing anything about the deity to whom the hymn is addressed, your head will fall.” Please tell me who that deity is’.
Uṣasti said: ‘It is āditya (the sun), for all these beings' pay homage to the sun, which is high above. Āditya is that deity to whom the udgītha is addressed. If you had sung the udgītha not knowing the deity to whom it is addressed, your head would surely have fallen, as I had told you’.
Next, the pratihartā came to Uṣasti and said: ‘Revered sir, you told me, “O Pratihartā, if you sing the pratihāra without knowing anything about the deity to whom the hymn is addressed, your head will fall.” Please tell me who that deity is’.
Uṣasti said: ‘It is anna (food), for all these beings support themselves by eating food. Anna is that deity to whom the pratihāra is addressed. If you had sung the pratihāra not knowing the deity to whom it is addressed, your head would surely have fallen, as I had told you’.
