Skanda Purana 6.1.4.59.3

6.1.4.59.3

brahmā tamāha tvamapi yatheṣṭāṃ vṛttimāśraya .. 29 ..
devamadhye bahirvāpi munīnāmāśrameṣu ca ..
ityevamuktastenāśu vṛttimetāmarocayat .. 5.1.4.30 ..
ahamevaṃ pradāsyāmi punaḥ punaruvāca ha ..
yasmādeṣa dvitīyognirhuṃkārātsamajāyata .. 31 ..
sābhimāno'pamāno vā huṃkāro yatra kathyate ..
sā ca vṛttirmamādeśādbubhukṣāśāṃtaye tava .. 32 ..
ikārāgniṃ samāhūya brahmā vacanama bravīt..
bhavatogne tviyaṃ vṛttirannaṃ bhuktaṃ daheriti ..33..
ukārāgniṃ samāhūya brahmā vacanamabravīt ..
yatpṛthivyāṃ gurudhyānaṃ bhagavaṃstatsamāśraya..34..
ahaṃ ca te vidhāsyāmi sthānamāhārameva ca ..
ityuktaḥ sa tu tenāgniryatpṛthivyāṃ śilācayaḥ .. 35 ..
yato'gnirvyāsa tenokto girau durge mahāmune ..
ukārāgniḥ sa cāpyeṣa samudre vaḍavāmukhaḥ .. 36 ..
so'pi bhinnaḥ samāhūto brahmaṇā sthānalipsayā ..
tvaṃ cakṣuḥ sarvalokasya brahmā vacanamabravīt .. 37 ..
tasmāttvaṃ saṃskṛtāṃ vāṇīṃ dvijātīnāṃ prakāśaya ..
daivī puṇyā hi pāpāṃśca āyuṣyaṃ haṃtyasaṃskṛtā .. 38 ..
tasmāddvijātervijñeyā vāṇī puṇyā prakāśitā ..
vākca mātā dvijātīnāṃ mukhe sā saṃpratiṣṭhitā .. 39 ..
anṛtākṣaravinyāsādamaṃgalyā hyasaṃskṛtā ..
vaktāraṃ haṃtyato hyagniḥ sadā saṃskṛtakṛddvijaḥ .. 5.1.4.40 ..
āhūya bhūyo'kārāgniṃ prajāpatiracakṣuṣam ..
vāgvedavāṇīmavadatsopi saṃmīlitekṣaṇaḥ .. 41..
brahmāṇamāha vahnistu vācohaṃ mukhamasmi he ..
sthānaṃ mama prayacchasva sarvatejovaraṃ param .. 42 ..
brahmā tamāha yasmāttvaṃ tejaḥsthānaṃ samīhase ..
tasmāttejomayaṃ yatte ravisthānaṃ bhaviṣyati ..43..
yasmāttejaḥ prapaśyaṃti cakṣurbhavati durbalam ..

Brahmā said to it, "You too resort to a livelihood as you desire, // 29
among the gods, or outside, or in the hermitages of the sages." / Addressed thus by him, it immediately found this livelihood pleasing. // 30
"I myself will grant it in this way," he spoke again and again. / Since this second fire arose from the sound huṃ, // 31
wherever the sound huṃ is uttered with pride or insult, / that is your livelihood by my command, for the appeasement of your hunger. // 32
Summoning the I-kāra fire, Brahmā spoke these words: / "May this livelihood be yours, O Fire: you shall burn the eaten food." // 33
Summoning the U-kāra fire, Brahmā spoke these words: / "Whatever deep meditation upon the earth is weighty, O Lord, resort to that. // 34
And I will arrange an abode and food for you." / Addressed thus by him, that fire which is the mass of stones on the earth— // 35
since fire was declared by him to be in the mountain and the fortress, O great sage Vyāsa— / that U-kāra fire is also the submarine fire in the ocean. // 36
That one too, divided and summoned by Brahmā wishing for an abode, [heard him]: / "You are the eye of the whole world," Brahmā spoke these words. // 37
"Therefore reveal refined speech to the twice-born. / For divine and virtuous [speech destroys] sins, but unrefined speech destroys longevity. // 38
Therefore, refined speech is to be known as virtuous for the twice-born. / And speech is the mother of the twice-born; she is established in the mouth. // 39
Due to the arrangement of false syllables, unrefined speech brings misfortune; / it destroys the speaker; therefore, the fire [resides where] a twice-born person continually purifies it. // 40
Calling again upon the A-kāra fire that had no eyes, / Prajāpati spoke the Vedic speech of speech, but its eyes were closed. // 41
The fire said to Brahmā, "I am the mouth of speech! / Grant me an abode, supreme and best among all splendours." // 42
Brahmā said to it, "Since you desire a place of splendour, / therefore yours shall be the luminous abode of the sun. // 43
Since when people look upon your splendour, the eye becomes weak,